Partner

Fostering people’s coexistence with predators.

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Challenge

Kenya's South Rift region connects the Maasai Mara, Tsavo and Amboseli national parks and their large populations of lions, cheetahs, wild dogs and elephants. These threatened species share rangelands with more than 240,000 Maasai pastoralists, who also depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. However, the South Rift is not formally protected by the government, leaving the region exposed to growing pressures on natural resources. As human populations grow and cultural norms erode, more and more land that used to be managed communally and sustainably is sold and fenced off, blocking migratory corridors, shrinking available wildlife habitat and restricting the mobility of pastoralists.

Soralo's response

Cartier for Nature is supporting SORALO to help people and wildlife thrive side by side in this shared landscape. Established by the South Rift’s Maasai communities to halt the fragmentation of rangelands and preserve their unique culture, SORALO works to secure communities’ collective tenure over their natural resources and establish community-led wildlife conservation areas across the region. Under this model, local communities find consensus on the sustainable use of their resources and monitor and protect wildlife in their area while keeping their cultural practices alive. The initial results are highly encouraging, with two of SORALO’s pilot communities boasting some of Kenya’s highest lion densities. With Cartier for Nature’s support, SORALO aims to further strengthen eleven existing community conservancies and establish four new ones by 2025.

Supported since

July 2022