The Masai Mara is a large area of savannah grassland in south-west Kenya, next to the Serengeti in Tanzania. It supports a very high biodiversity, including elephants, lions, cheetahs, giraffes and the annual migration of over a million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles.The grassland is itself a plagioclimax: grazing by wild herbivores and livestock, browsing by elephants and occasional fires stop it developing into woodland.The area is home to the Maasai people, who have traditionally kept cattle, sheep and goats. This leads to conflict between conservation and human needs:• growing human populations increase the demand for grazing land and farmland
• overgrazing by too many livestock damages the grassland and competes with wild herbivores
• wild animals damage crops and attack livestock, and some are poached
• unmanaged tourism can damage habitats.Management: the Masai Mara National Reserve protects the core area. Around it, many Maasai landowners have joined together to form wildlife conservancies. They lease their land to tourism operators, who pay them a regular income, and in return the land is managed for wildlife, with limited numbers of tourists and lodges.Livestock grazing is still allowed in agreed areas and seasons (controlled grazing), so that the Maasai can keep their traditional way of life while overgrazing is avoided.This is an example of sustainable management: the local community gains economically from ecotourism, so it has a reason to protect wildlife, and conservation and human needs are balanced.
• overgrazing by too many livestock damages the grassland and competes with wild herbivores
• wild animals damage crops and attack livestock, and some are poached
• unmanaged tourism can damage habitats.Management: the Masai Mara National Reserve protects the core area. Around it, many Maasai landowners have joined together to form wildlife conservancies. They lease their land to tourism operators, who pay them a regular income, and in return the land is managed for wildlife, with limited numbers of tourists and lodges.Livestock grazing is still allowed in agreed areas and seasons (controlled grazing), so that the Maasai can keep their traditional way of life while overgrazing is avoided.This is an example of sustainable management: the local community gains economically from ecotourism, so it has a reason to protect wildlife, and conservation and human needs are balanced.