Experience from a number of protected areas has
shown that, provided it is sensitively and
appropriately implemented, policing of visitors plays an
important role in encouraging proper visitor and driver
behaviour, and is a necessary complement to the dissemination
of standardised rules and regulations, as well as
other mechanisms to strengthen visitor management
described in the previous actions. The effectiveness of
policing visitor behaviour has been demonstrated in a
number of heavily used protected areas, including for
example Tsavo East National Park, which faces similar
challenges to the MMNR, where KWS has deployed a
number of specialist “Ticket Inspection
Units” (TIUs) to help combat illegal or undesirable
tourism activities. Similarly, the three Suzuki jeep TIUs
that recently began operating in the Mara Triangle have proved
vital for ensuring adherence to MMNR rules, and in
encouraging better standards of behaviour in visitors, guides
and drivers.
Under this action, similar TIUs will be
established to cover the CCN side of the Reserve, which to date
has not had any dedicated or specialist staff to deal
with tourism-related issues. This policing is particularly
important on the CCN side of the Reserve, due to the high
numbers of day visitors to the area, and the long
and open
boundary that makes it easy for people to enter the area without
paying. Each TIU will consist of one vehicle (such as a
small Suzuki jeep as used in the Mara Triangle) and a minimum of
two staff. These TIUs will form an important part of the new
Tourism Units developed under Action 3.1 of the
Protected Area Operations Programme, and their initial focus
will need to be around the main illegal entrance
points (“panya routes”) to the
Reserve, and, during the migration, around the migration river
crossings. As TIU staff will be dealing with potentially
sensitive situations, all ticket inspection staff throughout
the MMNR will be trained in visitor handling, so as to
ensure that they approach visitors to the area
appropriately, and know how to deal with offending drivers/guides
while minimising the disturbance to any visitorsthey may be
accompanying. A TIU Staff Code of Conduct will also be developed to
ensure that staff are clear as to the standards
expected of them, and how they should behave when carrying out
their duties. This code will formalise a number of initiatives
already underway in the area, such as encouraging all
communications between TIU staff and drivers/guides to be in
English, and therefore transparent to most visitors to
the area.
In addition, the database of offending
drivers/guides that has recently been developed in the Mara
Triangle will be expanded to cover the entire MMNR, which
will enable management to prevent repeat offenders
entering any
part of the Reserve for a set period of time. As has already proved
effective, the name and company of drivers/guides caught
breaking the Reserve rules will also be publicised on management
websites and in monthly reports, as a way of encouraging
drivers to obey the rules. Finally TIU staff will also be
responsible for reducing overall levels of illegal entry to
the area by blocking commonly used illegal routes and/orerecting
signs to make visitors aware that they are entering the area
illegally, and where the closest legal entrance
point is located.
