Brian Heath - The Mara Conservancy Options

[Game Warden]

Brian Heath is director of the Mara Conservancy, a non-profit management company, established in January 2001. In May of the same year the County Council of Trans Mara approached the Conservancy and asked them to manage the Mara Triangle on their behalf. Operations in the Mara Triangle on the 12th June. This created the first public/private sector partnership of its kind in the region and has led to an active and cooperative partnership between conservation professionals and the local Masai community and introduced an initiative to improve the conservation and overall management of one of the most visited and well known protected areas in the world.

To find out more about the Mara Conservancy, please visit their website at: www.maraconservancy.com.

What is the Mara Conservancy and how does it operate?

The Mara Conservancy is a not-for-profit company that was specifically set up to manage protected areas. We just provide management expertise

What are the current challenges facing the Mara area of Kenya, those in the foreseeable future?

Currently the major challenge is the 80% drop in revenue occasioned by the drop in tourism, s a result of the post election violence in January. In the long—term: fickle tourism; over population, leading to pressure on land and conservation areas; in the Mara in particular, over-exploitation by tourism developers destroying the Mara as a premier wildlife destination. We are in the process of developing a 10 year Management Plan for the whole Mara that will hopefully ensure our sustainability and enhance our reputation as the World’s premier wildlife destination.

How did recent political unrest affect conservation work in the Masai Mara?

We had to make major cut-backs in our development and capital budgets. We have tried to maintain our core security responsibilities but have also had to cut back on operations and our operational area.

“The mandate of the Mara Conservancy is provided by a five-year management agreement between the Mara Conservancy and the County Council of Trans Mara” “A five-year management agreement was signed on the 25th May 2001 and the Mara Conservancy started operations in the Mara Triangle on the 12th June”. Taken from your website – this is obviously out of date: Has this mandate period expired or has a new one been negotiated? What is the current situation with regard to the Conservancy’s mandate?

The Mara Conservancy signed a 10 year management agreement in 2006 to follow on from the original agreement.

How is the Conservancy building on the work previously achieved under the previous mandate agreement?

The 10 year agreement gives us a very strong mandate to undertake development and management projects that require a long-term input.

Have there been any failings since the initial management agreement was signed, and what steps are in place to ensure such mistakes are not repeated?

There were no failings. We have streamlined some aspects of the original agreement such as the split in revenue to make things simpler.

Please describe some of your own most memorable moments from working in the Mara area.

Working with the community to stop the killing of lions.

What are the major causes of wildlife vs human conflict in your area of remit and by what means do you resolve them?

Predation on livestock, especially during the months January to June. Lions go up the escarpment to and kill livestock. We have a livestock compensation scheme to pays for livestock killed. We are expending this to work with the community in preventing livestock losses.

How do you involved local communities in the conservation process, and make them appreciate the importance of the work you do?

Yes. We have no direct mandate to work with communities but we have supported a number of projects. Our support for the Mara Triangle Village Association has led to a 800% increase in revenue to the cultural villages in our area. We support the vaccination of dogs against canine distemper and rabies. We have virtually eliminated cattle theft in the area and have made the whole area much more secure for the locals. We employ 15 members of the community in the villages as community scouts acting as liaison between ourselves and the community and to improve communication between us. 19% of the revenue from the Reserve goes directly to the communities – this is mainly used for education.

What are the most important factors in maintaining their support for your work?

Positive publicity, improved security for them and their livestock, increased revenue.

How is the communication between all parties and how are disagreements / disputes mediated and resolved?

We have good communication. The Clerk to Council its our our Board, three members of the local community sit on the Board. We have regular meetings with camp and lodge managers.

Please explain how the compensation for livestock lost to predation works and in which geographical areas is such compensation applicable?

We pay for livestock that is confirmed as having been killed by predators. The scheme extends about 4 kms from the Park Boundary.

What percentage of the Conservancy’s staff is made up from local indigenous people and what roles do they undertake?

95% of our staff are from Trans Mara. They have all the senior administrative and security roles in the Triangle. The Chief Executive, Finance Manager and CE’s PA in Nairobi are the only non-local staff members. We are all Kenyans. We have one temporary, non-Kenyan, employee – engaged to assist in fund raising until July.

What is the safari industry's role in protecting the environment and wildlife and how can they be further involved in such activities, bearing in mind without careful management of the area, tourism will decrease?

The industry does not do enough to protect the environment and wildlife. It is still a very exploitative industry that feels that, by paying rent and park fees they have met their obligations. Fairmont Hotels, outside the Reserve are taking the lead in actually paying for management of an area. We hope that this concept will take root outside the Reserve.

When can you forsee that the Mara's tourism capacity will be saturated, and what suggestions have you for ensuring that irresponsible development and visitor pressure will not lead to a degradation of the environment, infrastructures and wildlife populations?

We have already reached saturation point. There are 4,000 beds in the Mara, of which 3,000 are outside the Reserve. We need to manage the areas outside the Reserve – this is where Fairmont are showing the way.

"Trophy hunting can play a role in wildlife conservation." Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?

I do agree. It has a role to play in conserving wildlife in areas that have no potential for photography ie areas with low densities of wildlife and uninteresting scenery. The high value given to animals through hunting could help conserve them.

What is the best way to tackle the illegal bushmeat trade?

Give wildlife a real value to the people who live with these animals. Kenya has seen a 70% decline in wildlife numbers since the hunting ban. It obviously does not work.

Human encroachment and increasing population demands on the environment: how can you see these problems impacting upon the Mara triangle in the coming decade?

We will see increased pressure to graze animals in the Reserve. We wil see more agriculture along the Reserve boundary to the West and an increase in human/wildlife conflict.

What was the final outcome of the inquiry into Honey the Cheetah’s death, (a situation which in many people's opinion is unresolved - many questions unanswered) and what steps are in place to ensure that such an occurrence will not occur again?

The matter was taken up by KWS and they resolved it in-house. We now have a veterinarian based in the Mara who works closely with the Reserve management

How do you see the future of Africa’s National Parks? For example; do you envisage a majority will be fenced such as South Africa, with increased protected migration passages? Will increasingly larger amounts of financial aid be required to keep such parks solvent and safe havens for wildlife?

The smaller Parks will probably be fenced. It is crucial that he Mara/Serengeti ecosystem is not fenced. I can see increased pressure on some Parks that do not offer any significant benefits to the local people. Some parks that do not have any major biodiversity value, and do not offer any returns to the local people may be de-gazetted.

Images 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 courtesy and copyright of Ken Watkins.

Images 2, 3 and illustrative image on portal link courtesy and copyright of Hari Santharam.

The views expressed therein are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Safaritalk.

[Game Warden]

Brian Heath is director of the Mara Conservancy, a non-profit management company, established in January 2001. In May of the same year the County Council of Trans Mara approached the Conservancy and asked them to manage the Mara Triangle on their behalf. Operations in the Mara Triangle on the 12th June. This created the first public/private sector partnership of its kind in the region and has led to an active and cooperative partnership between conservation professionals and the local Masai community and introduced an initiative to improve the conservation and overall management of one of the most visited and well known protected areas in the world.

To find out more about the Mara Conservancy, please visit their website at: www.maraconservancy.com.

What is the Mara Conservancy and how does it operate?

The Mara Conservancy is a not-for-profit company that was specifically set up to manage protected areas. We just provide management expertise

What are the current challenges facing the Mara area of Kenya, those in the foreseeable future?

Currently the major challenge is the 80% drop in revenue occasioned by the drop in tourism, s a result of the post election violence in January. In the long—term: fickle tourism; over population, leading to pressure on land and conservation areas; in the Mara in particular, over-exploitation by tourism developers destroying the Mara as a premier wildlife destination. We are in the process of developing a 10 year Management Plan for the whole Mara that will hopefully ensure our sustainability and enhance our reputation as the World’s premier wildlife destination.

How did recent political unrest affect conservation work in the Masai Mara?

We had to make major cut-backs in our development and capital budgets. We have tried to maintain our core security responsibilities but have also had to cut back on operations and our operational area.

“The mandate of the Mara Conservancy is provided by a five-year management agreement between the Mara Conservancy and the County Council of Trans Mara” “A five-year management agreement was signed on the 25th May 2001 and the Mara Conservancy started operations in the Mara Triangle on the 12th June”. Taken from your website – this is obviously out of date: Has this mandate period expired or has a new one been negotiated? What is the current situation with regard to the Conservancy’s mandate?

The Mara Conservancy signed a 10 year management agreement in 2006 to follow on from the original agreement.

How is the Conservancy building on the work previously achieved under the previous mandate agreement?

The 10 year agreement gives us a very strong mandate to undertake development and management projects that require a long-term input.

Have there been any failings since the initial management agreement was signed, and what steps are in place to ensure such mistakes are not repeated?

There were no failings. We have streamlined some aspects of the original agreement such as the split in revenue to make things simpler.

Please describe some of your own most memorable moments from working in the Mara area.

Working with the community to stop the killing of lions.

What are the major causes of wildlife vs human conflict in your area of remit and by what means do you resolve them?

Predation on livestock, especially during the months January to June. Lions go up the escarpment to and kill livestock. We have a livestock compensation scheme to pays for livestock killed. We are expending this to work with the community in preventing livestock losses.

How do you involved local communities in the conservation process, and make them appreciate the importance of the work you do?

Yes. We have no direct mandate to work with communities but we have supported a number of projects. Our support for the Mara Triangle Village Association has led to a 800% increase in revenue to the cultural villages in our area. We support the vaccination of dogs against canine distemper and rabies. We have virtually eliminated cattle theft in the area and have made the whole area much more secure for the locals. We employ 15 members of the community in the villages as community scouts acting as liaison between ourselves and the community and to improve communication between us. 19% of the revenue from the Reserve goes directly to the communities – this is mainly used for education.

What are the most important factors in maintaining their support for your work?

Positive publicity, improved security for them and their livestock, increased revenue.

How is the communication between all parties and how are disagreements / disputes mediated and resolved?

We have good communication. The Clerk to Council its our our Board, three members of the local community sit on the Board. We have regular meetings with camp and lodge managers.

Please explain how the compensation for livestock lost to predation works and in which geographical areas is such compensation applicable?

We pay for livestock that is confirmed as having been killed by predators. The scheme extends about 4 kms from the Park Boundary.

What percentage of the Conservancy’s staff is made up from local indigenous people and what roles do they undertake?

95% of our staff are from Trans Mara. They have all the senior administrative and security roles in the Triangle. The Chief Executive, Finance Manager and CE’s PA in Nairobi are the only non-local staff members. We are all Kenyans. We have one temporary, non-Kenyan, employee – engaged to assist in fund raising until July.

What is the safari industry's role in protecting the environment and wildlife and how can they be further involved in such activities, bearing in mind without careful management of the area, tourism will decrease?

The industry does not do enough to protect the environment and wildlife. It is still a very exploitative industry that feels that, by paying rent and park fees they have met their obligations. Fairmont Hotels, outside the Reserve are taking the lead in actually paying for management of an area. We hope that this concept will take root outside the Reserve.

When can you forsee that the Mara's tourism capacity will be saturated, and what suggestions have you for ensuring that irresponsible development and visitor pressure will not lead to a degradation of the environment, infrastructures and wildlife populations?

We have already reached saturation point. There are 4,000 beds in the Mara, of which 3,000 are outside the Reserve. We need to manage the areas outside the Reserve – this is where Fairmont are showing the way.

"Trophy hunting can play a role in wildlife conservation." Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?

I do agree. It has a role to play in conserving wildlife in areas that have no potential for photography ie areas with low densities of wildlife and uninteresting scenery. The high value given to animals through hunting could help conserve them.

What is the best way to tackle the illegal bushmeat trade?

Give wildlife a real value to the people who live with these animals. Kenya has seen a 70% decline in wildlife numbers since the hunting ban. It obviously does not work.

Human encroachment and increasing population demands on the environment: how can you see these problems impacting upon the Mara triangle in the coming decade?

We will see increased pressure to graze animals in the Reserve. We wil see more agriculture along the Reserve boundary to the West and an increase in human/wildlife conflict.

What was the final outcome of the inquiry into Honey the Cheetah’s death, (a situation which in many people's opinion is unresolved - many questions unanswered) and what steps are in place to ensure that such an occurrence will not occur again?

The matter was taken up by KWS and they resolved it in-house. We now have a veterinarian based in the Mara who works closely with the Reserve management

How do you see the future of Africa’s National Parks? For example; do you envisage a majority will be fenced such as South Africa, with increased protected migration passages? Will increasingly larger amounts of financial aid be required to keep such parks solvent and safe havens for wildlife?

The smaller Parks will probably be fenced. It is crucial that he Mara/Serengeti ecosystem is not fenced. I can see increased pressure on some Parks that do not offer any significant benefits to the local people. Some parks that do not have any major biodiversity value, and do not offer any returns to the local people may be de-gazetted.

Images 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 courtesy and copyright of Ken Watkins.

Images 2, 3 and illustrative image on portal link courtesy and copyright of Hari Santharam.

The views expressed therein are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Safaritalk.

[tara]

ok iwas in mara over easter holiday so iwish to post som of the pictures taken there

[Nyamera]

The Mara Conservancy now has a new extremely interesting website.

[Atravelynn]

Great interview!

[Tanya_in_Kenya]

One of the African Environmental Film Foundation's educational documentaries features the Mara Triangle as an example of how successful partnerships between a community and private management can be in conservation terms, as well as in raising revenue for the community. In the film you will see Brian Heath and other members of the Mara Triangle team at work. The film also features other important areas and issues of environmental and conservation interest in Kenya.

This film is available to buy on Amazon (as a multi-language DVD - English, Kiswahili and Maa). All revenue raised from each sale helps AEFF to produce free DVDs of our educational films in local languages for schools and conservation organisations in Africa to use as teaching tools. More information can be found here.

AEFF is also currently editing a six-part series of educational films about the Mara Ecosystem including one film which charts the history of the Mara Triangle, and shows how it all works. This will serve as an example for other communities to follow in setting up their own conservation areas, in partnership with external wildlife and tourism experts.

Other topics to be covered in the series include:

• the importance of the annual wildebeest migration
• the threats to the Mara Ecosystem (poaching, the negative effects of too much tourism, and the destruction of the Mau Forests which feed the Mara River and regulate the climate in this part of Kenya)
• the Koiyaki Guide School
• the formation of the Olare Orok Conservancy
• and more...

I will of course let you know when these films are available....hopefully by the middle of this year.