The reciprocal impacts of the MMNR and communities
on one another have increased considerably over the past few
decades. This includes community activities in the wider ecosystem
that are impacting on the ecology of the Reserve (as discussed
above under the Ecological Management Programme), as well as
incidences of human-wildlife conflict occurring when animals, and
particularly large predators, disperse from the Reserve to
surrounding community areas.
As human populations around the MMNR have grown
and traditional land uses changed and intensified over the past few
decades, the reciprocal impacts of the MMNR and communities on one
another have increased. On the side of Reserve management,
activities in the wider ecosystem are increasingly impacting on
both the ecology of the Reserve, through for example the reduction
of available habitat in dispersal areas or water extraction from
the Mara River, and on the quality of the tourism product that the
Reserve is able to offer. While on the side of MMNR adjacent
communities, incidences of human wildlife conflict have become more
common around many parts of the Reserve and, with a dearth of
alternative economic opportunities and rising development
aspirations, there has been a growing desire from community members
to benefit further from the economic opportunities that the
Reserve’s booming tourism industry generates. Many community
members living around the MMNR still maintain a close relationship
with the Reserve, and, due in part to its continued management by
local rather than national government, they have retained a unique
sense of pride and ownership in the Reserve, and in the exceptional
natural resources it conserves. As set out in the purpose statement
above, this programme aims to capitalise on and strengthen this
special relationship between the Reserve and its neighbours, as a
crucial foundation for the long-term conservation of the Reserve,
as well as the entire Greater Mara Ecosystem. The programme aims to
increase community support for the MMNR through a variety of
strategies, including: enhancing communication between managers and
community members; increasing the tangible benefits that
communities receive from the Reserve; reducing the incidence of
human-wildlife conflict around the area; and improving the
conservation compatibility and financial sustainability of
community activities in areas around the
Reserve.
