As noted above, the survival of much of the Mara
Ecosystem’s exceptional resources can be largely
attributed
to the conservation compatibility of the pastoral
practices of the Maasai, as well as their traditional
tolerance
of wildlife. However, although the majority of the
MMNR is still immediately surrounded by areas
where
pastoralism prevails, on a larger geographical and
temporal scale, the ecosystem is currently in great
flux,
with a rapid change in land-use practices and
livelihoods underway, many of which are detrimental to
the
traditional pastoral way of life and,
concomitantly, to the conservation of the MMNR’s dispersal
areas and
other conservation values. These trends, if
unaddressed, have the potential to seriously impact on the
ecology
of the entire ecosystem, including the MMNR
itself. While addressing the land-use issues of the greater
Mara
in any major way is beyond the mandate and
wherewithal of MMNR managers, an important
principle
guiding the implementation of this programme will
therefore be that, wherever possible, MMNR
managers
will support and promote conservation compatible
land uses and enterprises in the wider ecosystem, in
cooperation
with other agencies that are well placed to
address these issues, in order to both enhance the
area’s
conservation and the associated benefits accrued
by MMNR-adjacent communities. This is particularly
important
over the implementation period of this plan, as
land tenure moves from communal to individual
ownership, and viable economic,
conservation-compatible alternatives to permanent agriculture or
other
inappropriate developments need to be
found.
