Because of the boom in Mara tourism and the
consequent availability of tourism-related employment
opportunities,
as well as the general expansion of human
populations around the MMNR, many trading
centres
adjacent to the Reserve have experienced rapid
growth in recent years. This growth has often occurred in
an
ad hoc fashion, and has resulted in
the development of sprawling, unsightly settlements with very poor
and
unsanitary living conditions for residents, which
lack even the most basic amenities and services. The
unplanned
and unregulated expansion of centres around the
MMNR has not only impacted on the quality of
the environment for those living in or near to
these centres, but, as many centres are close to or located
at
major access points to the MMNR, has also
significantly impacted on the overall quality of the Mara
tourism
product, and is in particular undermining the
impression of the area that many visitors are left with. In
addition,
these settlements are also impacting on the
ability of animals to disperse from the MMNR to
surrounding
areas and vice versa by creating
a hard edge along parts of the area’s
border.
For these reasons, this management action has been
developed to support efforts to improve the
planning
and regulation of key Reserve-adjacent trading
centres, in particular Talek, Sekanani, Olchurra, and
Olomutia.
This will include the strengthening of CCN and
CCTM bylaws to prevent the establishment of new
centres or the expansion of those that already
exist (potentially including stipulations on the minimum
distance
any new centres must maintain from the MMNR
boundary, and limitations on the maximum size
of
MMNR-adjacent centres as well as the types of
business activities permitted). In addition, MMNR
management
will also enhance collaboration with, and as
appropriate provide logistical support to, NEMA and
District
Health Officers to assist them in promoting
community awareness and implementation of health
and
environmental regulations in trading centres. MMNR
managers will also liaise with tourism industry
stakeholders
in and around the area to leverage financial or
logistical support for cleaning and enhancing the
environment
in and around the targeted centres, with the aim
of ensuring the centres are making a positive
contribution
to the Mara tourism product.
As a result of the rapid expansion of such centres
and the high number of migrant workers they contain,
the
traditional community-based institutions governing
such centres have often been undermined, or lack
the
capacity to keep up with the intensifying and
diversifying issues that need to be dealt with in and
around
these settlements. To address this problem, MMNR
management will also collaborate with appropriate
organisations
to improve the governance and management of the
target trading centres. In the first instance
this
will involve providing support for establishing or
strengthening community management committees,
along
with the provision of appropriate training in key
areas (such as administration, financial management,
record
keeping, etc.). Opportunities for strengthening
linkages between these committees and MMNR
management
will also be pursued (through for example
incorporating committee members into the intelligence
network,
as discussed under the Protected Area Operations
Programme), as well as with local government; for
example
by promoting the inclusion of committee
representatives on the relevant district security and
development
committees.
