The second objective concentrates on improving the
effectiveness and efficiency of security
operations to protect visitors and natural resources in
and around the Reserve. Despite recent successes in reducing
banditry and commercial poaching, this remains a vitally important
issue in the area, to which a significant amount of management
resources and manpower are dedicated. Actions under this objective
cover a wide variety of security issues, including measures to:
enhance collaborative security operations; improve the management
of security information; address shortfalls in staff and equipment;
and to investigate more innovative methods of preventing crime,
such as the use of tracker dogs.
The MMNR’s location besides an international
border and in an area with rapidly increasing human
populations
means that the protection of natural resources in
and around the MMNR remains a vitally important
issue. The most common illegal activities in the
Reserve include bushmeat poaching, especially in the
Mara
Triangle, the stealing of cattle from Trans Mara
District, following which thieves frequently try to
escape
through the Mara Triangle, and livestock grazing,
which has been most severe in the CCN section of
the
Reserve. The prevention of these activities has on
occasion proved to be very dangerous, and in recent
years
rangers have been seriously injured during the
course of their duties. In addition, and of particular concern,
is
the maintenance of a safe and secure environment
for tourists both in and around the MMNR, as even a
single
serious incident has the potential to generate a
significant amount of international negative publicity,
and
could have serious effects on visitor numbers to
the Reserve and surrounding areas.
As is common in all protected areas in Kenya, the
vast majority of staff in the MMNR are employed in
the
security sections. Most security staff are
currently housed at ranger bases at or near visitor entrance
points,
with an additional two ranger bases in the Mara
Triangle at Ngiro-Are and at the Mara River Bridge (as
illustrated
in Figure 8 overpage). Although both the CCN and
Mara Conservancy currently undertake separate
security operations and ranger patrols on their
respective sides of the MMNR, joint operations do from
time
to time take place in some key areas, e.g. along
the Mara River. In addition, in order to help address the
significant
number of poachers entering the MMNR from
Tanzania, Mara Conservancy security operations
also take place across the border in cooperation
with the Tanzania National Parks authorities, primarily
in
the Lemai Wedge section of the Serengeti National
Park. However, despite the significant progress that
has
been made in reducing the overall level of illegal
activities within the MMNR, and the maintenance of
complete
visitor security within the Reserve over recent
years, security operations are restricted by both
resources
and equipment, and there remains significant
untapped opportunities and issues that need to be
addressed
in order to further enhance the effectiveness and
efficiency of security in the Reserve.
