However, many community members living around the
MMNR have maintained a close relationship with the Reserve, and
have retained a unique sense of pride and ownership in the area,
and in the exceptional natural resources it conserves. This
programme aims to capitalise on and strengthen this special
relationship between the MMNR and its neighbours, as a crucial
foundation for the long-term conservation of the Reserve, as well
as the Greater Mara Ecosystem beyond. Key in achieving this aim is
ensuring that strong and constructive
relationships between the MMNR and neighbouring
communities are established. This is the thrust of the
programme’s first objective, which primarily focuses on the
establishment or enhancement of management-community communication
mechanisms, and improving community awareness and appreciation of
the Reserve through both outreach activities and the development of
a new MMNR Education Centre, which will be used to support school
visits to the area and thereby establish a growing base of support
for the Reserve’s conservation.
Building strong and constructive relationships
with neighbouring communities is an important
management
strategy for achieving the overall CO&P
Programme purpose of strengthening community support for
the
conservation and management of the MMNR, and
developing a sense of community pride and
ownership
for the Reserve. As has been demonstrated in
several other Kenyan protected areas, the development of
constructive
relations between managers and adjacent
communities can also play an important role in
reducing
the impacts of illegal activities (such as
livestock grazing or bushmeat poaching) on the protected
area’s biodiversity.
This strategy has often proved to be an important
complement to law enforcement efforts, and,
over
the long-term, is likely to be much more cost
effective than enforcement alone. The fostering of good
community
relations is especially important in the MMNR,
because of the unique cultural ties between the
Maasai community and the MMNR, which results in a
special desire on the part of the community to
be
involved in the affairs of the
Reserve.
This management objective has therefore been
developed to bring about the desired future state where
there
are strong and constructive relationships between
MMNR management and surrounding communities.
Perhaps
the most important foundation for developing or
strengthening these relationships is the creation
of
opportunities and mechanisms for communities and
managers to communicate with each other, and to
work together in addressing common problems. To
achieve this aim, four management actions have
been
developed that focus on enhancing information
exchange between MMNR managers and communities
around the Reserve. These actions are elaborated
in the following paragraphs.
