Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies, Kenya
SIANA CONSERVANCY
Jamma International is partnering with WWF to support the development of the Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies, located in the buffer zone around the Maasai Mara Reserve, ensuring both people and wildlife have the opportunities to benefit from this area’s development.
JAMMA INTERNATIONAL
Our
Approach
The Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies are located within wildlife areas near to the Maasai Mara Reserve and are part of important migration routes. The conservancies are home to thousands of people.
Together with WWF-Kenya, Jamma is working to ensure that the Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies act as a catalyst for local sustainable development, and positively influence the lives of Siana and Oloisukut residents. Our support of the project began in 2015 and we are continuing to support WWF in creating sustainable models that can scale.
Supporting spaces where wildlife and people can coexist.
Land fragmentation is a major conservation challenge. This, among other things, results in increased human-wildlife conflict incidents that are attributed to competition for natural resources. WWF-Kenya, supported by Jamma, is working closely with local communities to realise the benefits of conserving this critical resource through sustainable rangeland management.
Our main focus within the Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies is business and enterprise development, supporting local individuals within the community to help expand opportunities that communities can get involved in and use to support themselves sustainably.
The Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies will help secure a space for wildlife and allow it to continue to move between areas safely.
This form of environmental management aims to create a sustainable income for the local community based on their land titles whilst optimizing the area for the surrounding wildlife. A delicate balance must be struck between the needs of pastoral cattle herders and the diverse wildlife.
‘It was not until the community stopped unsustainable activities such as fencing, overgrazing and poaching that wildlife started coming back into the conservancy.” - Jacob Ole Mpoe, Mara Siana Conservancy.
By developing the conservancies’ infrastructure and governance, establishing wildlife monitoring and law enforcement, and supporting community land rights and alternative sources of income, this project can ensure the Siana and Oloisukut Conservancies are benefiting people and wildlife alike.
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