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The Mara Conservancy

 

In the year 2000 some of the local leaders became concerned about levels of mismanagement in the Mara Triangle and as a result the Mara Conservancy, a not-for-profit management company, was established to manage the Triangle on behalf of Trans-Mara County Council.

A five-year management agreement was signed on the 25th May 2001 and the Mara Conservancy started operations in the Mara Triangle on the 12th June. This created the first public/private sector partnership of its kind in the region and has led to an active and cooperative partnership between conservation professionals and the local Maasai community. It has also introduced an initiative to improve the conservation and overall management of one of the most visited and well known protected areas in the world.

The Mara Conservancy plays an active role in initiating and encouraging conservation efforts within the Mara National Reserve. Within only a few months, the Mara Conservancy made a number of improvements including:

  • Clamping down on poaching
  • Improving the roads by routine grading
  • Creating further secondary roads to improve wildlife viewing
  • Restoring existing buildings that had previously been neglected
  • Establishing a more transparent revenue collection system
  • Encouraging a percentage of revenue collection to go directly into contributing to the conservation of the Mara Reserve
  • Strengthening relations between the Mara and the surrounding community
  • Encouraging sound eco-tourism principles

 

 

Background: Before the Mara Conservancy

 

By the end of the 1990s the infrastructure, equipment and roads in the Mara Triangle were absent or decayed. There were no operational vehicles, staff morale was extremely low, revenue was not being efficiently collected and poaching was out of control. The buildings situated at the Head Quarters at Serena, Oloololo Gate, and outposts at Mara Bridge and Ngiro-Are had all the doors, windows and ceilings broken or collapsed. There was no running water nor functioning sanitation.

The main road network which had been constructed in the 1980s had hardly been touched for many years. The main road between Oloololo Gate and Mara Serena had all but disappeared in places and was never used. The road along the river between Mara Serena and Mara Bridge had not been used for years, as was the case with the roads to Ngiro-Are. There was no control on off-road driving, which had lead to a proliferation of tracks in the central part of the reserve.

Staff were often not paid for months at a time and only one third of the staff compliment was present at any one time, the remainder stayed at home for extended periods.

There were several private sets of park entrance tickets and recognised revenue was approximately 20% of the potential for the Reserve.

Only one third of the Mara Triangle was considered secure, with the remainder unvisited by security staff and tourists. In these areas poaching and illegal grazing were out of control, with thousands of animals being killed annually. Cattle theft along the escarpment was also a frequent occurrence.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who makes up The Conservancy?

    The Mara Conservancy is a not-for-profit organisation made up of concerned, conservation minded individuals. The Board of Directors is made up of members representing the central and local government, the Maasai people, and others providing relevant technical skills, particularly in the areas of Protected Area Management, Ecology and Wildlife Management, and Financial Management and Tourism.

2. What is the agreement between The Mara Conservancy & The Trans-Mara County Council?

    The mandate of the Mara Conservancy is provided by a ten-year management agreement between the Mara Conservancy and the County Council of Trans Mara. The agreement mandates the Mara Conservancy to undertake all aspects of protected area management including: revenue collection and distribution, security, tourism development and management, infrastructure maintenance and development (all new projects require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and approval by a joint committee comprising members of the Conservancy and County Council). The Mara Conservancy was obliged to take on all staff in the Mara Triangle on secondment from the County Council for the duration of the agreement but allows for the re-deployment of staff on disciplinary grounds or if they are surplus to requirements. There is a description of the circumstances under which the parties may be considered to be in breach of the agreement, and procedures for dealing with this eventuality.


3. How do we monitor revenue collection?

    The Board of Directors has appointed Earthview Management as an independent, professional revenue collection agency. Earthview Management are responsible for the day to day task of revenue collection and was selected for this on the basis of its experience of similar revenue collection procedures in other areas of the Mara. Earthview is paid 9% of the gross receipts as commission. The Directors of the Mara Conservancy are responsible for ensuring that revenue is distributed strictly as per the terms and provisions of the Management Agreement with the Trans-Mara County Council. Revenue peaks during the high tourist season from June to September and falls dramatically in the low season from February to May.


4. Why did we choose the roan antelope as our logo?

    Roan antelope were a common feature in the Mara Triangle when the area was first gazetted as a Game Reserve. They used to be found in three areas in Kenya but now there is only one small remnant population remaining in the Ruma National Park to the north west of the Masai Mara. The last roan was seen in the Mara Triangle in the late 1980s and one of our long-term goals is to re-introduce them to the Reserve.

    We fully appreciate that there is much work to be done before we can lay the ground-work for a project such as this. We need to reduce threats due to poaching and ensure the Mara reserve is a safe haven for wildlife. We have already made great strides towards this objective but there is still much work to be done. Other species that were endemic in the area but have virtually disappeared include wild dog and the black rhino.
     

Monthly Reports

In our efforts to be transparent with our work, please find below downloadable copies of our Chief Executive's Monthly Report, including news on wildlife, staff, tourism, and revenue and accounts.

If you would like to receive an update each time a new report is uploaded, please add your contact details below:

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