Conservation and ecotourism on privatised land in the Mara, Kenya: The case of conservancy land leases
Abstract
This paper investigates private sector investment in conservation and ecotourism through conservancy land leases in
the Mara region of Kenya. In a recent and growing tourism development, groups of Maasai landowners are leasing
their parcels of land to tourism investors and forming wildlife conservancies. The paper examines this new
conservation and ecotourism model and the implications it has for Maasai livelihoods and the environment. The
subdivision of Kenya’s rangelands has tended to benefit elites, and as a consequence this trend is reinforced in landbased
schemes such as these. Given the large extent and recent change in ownership in these areas, land leases do
however keep the lands they cover together and are potentially an optimistic outlook for such open rangeland
areas. Consideration however must be given to adjacent areas and communities that may face the negative knock
on effects of such schemes. The Mara is a unique area in terms of its tourism and wildlife, so land leases may not be
able to offer as much to landowners in other areas, or be financially sustainable across vast areas. However, within
the Mara, land leases have been rapidly expanded upon, implying that similar schemes might be of interest to both
investors and communities alike in other wildlife areas.
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