BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-08)

August 2020 BBC Wildlife 75

LIONS

JONATHANANDANGELA

SCOTTarephotographers,

authorsandpresenterswho’ve

spenttheirlivesdocumenting

wildlifeintheMaasaiMara.Readmoreabout

theirworkat:bigcatpeople.com

thegovernmenttoallocatealmostUS$10

millionforthe 160 wildlifeconservancies

acrossKenya,highlightingtheimportance

oftheconservancymovement.

OrganisationssuchasKenyaWildlife

Trust’sMaraPredatorConservation

Programmealsoworkwithcommunities

toencouragetheinstallationofpredator-

proofenclosuresandsolarlightsthatflicker

at night,keepinghungrymouthsat bay.

And,significantly,a campaignhasbeen

launchedat localandnationalleveltohave

theMaradesignateda WorldHeritageSite

byUNESCO– a processtobecompleted

by2022.A coherentmanagementplan

forthewholereserve,witha moratorium

ontheconstructionofcampsandlodges

Clockwisefromtopleft:

Musketeersbattleovera

carcass;Notch’sBoyson

ParadisePlainin2008;

addressingillegalgrazing

insidethereserveand

managingtourismare

priorities;a Musketeer

shakesotherain.

TheMaraisthejewelin

Kenya’stourismindustry.If

nurtured,thereisnoreason

whyitshouldnotprosper.

about preserving wildlife, part of the action

must be the total exclusion of domestic

animals from protected areas.” The only

way to prevent further tragic events is to

enforce the rules and provide incentives that

persuade the herdsmen that lions equate to

tourists, and thus a financial return.

Fortunately, this is already happening.

The Mara’s 14 wildlife conservancies – the

first of which was established in 1992

• provide valuable buffer zones around
  parts of the reserve. Big cats feel safe in
  these areas thanks to the relationship
  forged between Maasai landowners and
  tourism partners, and leopard and cheetah
  sightings are particularly good. The current
  slump in visitor revenue has prompted

and stricter control of tour vehicles are

the desired outcomes. This has long been

the norm in the Mara Triangle, which is

administered by the Mara Conservancy. It

has just been announced that a collaboration

agreement has been signed for the main

reserve. Work has begun on infrastructure

and roads, facilitating the purchase of five

ranger patrol vehicles, collaboration on

security and provision of radios

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a

new reality that we hope will make protecting

the natural world the priority for every

country. The Mara is the jewel at the heart of

Kenya’s tourism industry. If nurtured, there

is no reason why it should not prosper, and

why its magnificent grasslands should not

echo with the roars of iconic creatures such

as Scarface for decades to come. As we always

say, if we had only one day left, we would

spend it right here in the Maasai Mara.