Wildlife Conservation and Community Well-being:
A Delicate Balance for Sustainable Development in Kenya and Tanzania
Introduction
Wildlife conservation efforts have often conflicted with community well-being for decades. In the mid-20th century, establishing the national park system in Kenya and Tanzania involved the forceful eviction of Indigenous communities to create protected areas where all forms of human use except research and tourism were restricted. This approach stifled access to natural resources, creating impoverished communities that became hostile or indifferent to wildlife conservation. Among these communities, pastoralists such as the Maasai bore the brunt of these actions due to the significant disruption of their seasonal migration—an essential adaptive mechanism for coping with changing weather patterns.
The Maasai: A Case Study of Co-existence, Adaptation, and Displacement
The Maasai pastoral community occupies arid and semi-arid regions that are also wildlife hotspots, where migratory livestock grazing predominates as an adaptive mechanism for food security and community resilience. Their ability to coexist sustainably with diverse wildlife has been learned over generations. The Maasai's mobility in search of water and pasture follows the irregular climatic pulse of wet and dry seasons, demonstrating a deep-rooted symbiotic relationship between local ecology, domesticated livestock, and community livelihood.
The Ngorongoro Maasai Villages: A Microcosm of Larger Trends
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Maasai from the Serengeti were concentrated in villages within the Ngorongoro crater which is Administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA).
NCA tries to foster human-wildlife coexistence by implementing a buffer zone strategy to balance conservation efforts with community development. This approach allows the local community to access cultural and economic benefits while protecting wildlife habitats and ecosystems. It seeks to replicate the sustainable relationship that the Maasai have developed with wildlife, emphasizing the importance of incorporating community needs into conservation strategies.
Here, traditional "Manyatta" family households—grass-thatched mud houses or loaf-shaped huts plastered with cow dung—illustrate the community's homesteads
A typical day in the village begins with milking cows and goats, separated to avoid trampling accidents before being taken to pasture. During extended migrations in search of pasture and water, weaker animals are left near the Manyatta under the care of young boys, while a few milking cows remain home to provide for the family.
Recent Developments
Recently, many members of the Maasai community were removed from their villages and relocated to various parts of the country. This move has raised concerns about the continuity of their traditional lifestyle and the preservation of their cultural heritage, which are deeply intertwined with their lands and livestock.
