This month intermittent rains prevailed over the conservancy. Rainfall amounted to approximately 1 inch this month. The area around Mararienta received more rain than further north in the conservancy. Though the drought continues to prevail the river has recently risen substantially.
A Committee meeting was held on the 29th minutes will be distributed in the first week of September. The meeting went well and the next meeting is scheduled for the 10th of October.
On the 21st and 22nd Kyoto Energy Founder Jon Bøhmer, Reidar Lorentzen (chairman Kavli™) and Harald Schjeldrup (MD Kavli™) were hosted at the Mara Safari Club. They were introduced to Seiya and Mara North Conservancy and our possible involvement with Kyoto Energy for a range of energy adaptations and access these tools include simple biomass cookers, biogas fridges, milk coolers, solar cookers, sustainable housing, and solar concentrators. The investors were epically interested in the beef and dairy potential. They have agreed to provide some general infrastructural to improve energy use through Maasai Power in MNC and the surrounding area. This project will cover energy use in bomas and users will be registered with Kyoto Energy for trading carbon marginal offsets on a per household basis. Jon is currently working with the Nairobi University IT section and has attached 4 students to set up a GSM based monitoring system with Safaricom. Jon has also contacted the HOD of GIS at Nairobi University who is has agreed to attach several GIS final year students to complete the mapping of MNC. This project will be investigated in the next few months, and donor funding will be sought to cover their expenses and transport while on attachment.
The planning process for MNC has been a major concern for MNC directors, Committee Members and Seiya. Earlier this month a 1st Draft for Natural Resource Management Plan was uncovered. Though the plan is out-dated (2000-2004) some valuable information has been gleaned. The process was supported by the Maasai Mara Management Committee, African Conservation Centre, The Conservation Development Company, and funded by the European Union. This participatory planning process was adopted on the planning basis of a combination of guidelines applied by United States national Park Service planning guidelines, and methods applied by IUCN in the Ngorogoro Conservation Area The process is designed to bring together the knowledge of participants and key data sources to enable the stakeholders themselves to develop the plan. The aim is to ensure “buy-in” to the plan by those who will ultimately be responsible for implementing it. That was the responsibility of the Koyiaki Lemek Wildlife Trust. The implementation of the plan never happened and the planning process stopped after the initial 5 steps of the 11 steps to reaching implementation. If this first draft is slightly amended and improved and agreed upon by MNC Directors, MNC Committee and Seiya the process can continue.
The primary objective of the draft plan is:
Improve quality of life for local residents, by:
∑ Maintaining and improving the natural resource base
∑ Ensuring that the natural resource base is used equitably and sustainable
∑ Maximizing benefit from different land-use options
∑ Conserving biodiversity and ecosystem integrity
As some factors have now changed with regard to private ownership, the overall objectives and processes of the plan are still relevant today. Before the continuation of the planning process immediate more pressing work will continue, with the plan’s guidelines taken into account.
Only one copy of the plan was uncovered but next month it will be scanned for distribution. The document can be read at the MNC HQ.
On the 25th a Guiding Etiquette meeting was held at Elephant Pepper Camp with all drivers from different tourism partners in the area. Some valid points were raised but the tourism entities that had the most issues with irresponsible game viewing did not attend the meeting. The next meeting is proposed to be held mid next month at the MNC HQ.
Wildlife
The plains wildlife moved off MNC when it started raining but are now returning after 2 weeks with no rain. Much of the wildebeest present are of the Loita migration. There has been an overall decrease in plains wildlife this month.
On the 17th two elephants were found in the Endoninyio Erinka and Emorijoi area with their tusks hacked out. The carcases were covered with cut brush to conceal them and there were clear arrow and wounds in their flanks. There has been high number of elephants found dead in the Lemek Hills area in the last year (11). In all the previous cases the elephant’s ivory was recovered and was relatively small. The bull found this month is suspected to have been carrying large ivory. On the 18th a community meeting was held with all of our rangers, the area chief and must inhabitants in the area. Three Ndorobo suspects were identified and surveillance of their movements begun. On the 21st the KWS Intel. Section arrested the suspects and interrogated them for three days before letting them go for lack of evidence. This operation was not handled as our security staff would have liked. The chance of now finding the tusks is minimal. While surveillance continues though our information network there, the arrest of the suspects greatly disrupted our work. On the 24th KWS reported that they had recovered a pair of tusks in Nairobi that were suspected to have been from the Mara. They were small tusks and presumed to be from the Emorijoi elephant if they were in fact from the Mara.
Manager’s report for the month of August 2009
On the 25th a body was recovered near our boundary with the Olare Orok River that had been gored by an elephant. The body was approximately three days old but had not been scavenged as a family group of 5 elephants were guarding the body. After the elephants had been chased away from the body the police were able to recover it. It took several days to identify the body. This is the second death caused by elephants in that area in the last 3 months.
The semi-tame zebra at Mara Buffalo Camp was moved to the reserve on the 6th with assistance of the KWS vegetarian Dominic Mijele.
Two injured buffalo were found near Off Beat Camp with spear wounds.
On the 12th one of our semi-tame female rhinos from Nakuru NP on Ol Choro Oiroua Conservancy died after being tranquilized by KWS vet Dominic Mijele. Her status had been poor for the last few months and the vet was asked to take a blood sample. After completing a post-mortem Dr. Mijele reported that she had chronic phenomena.
Cattle
In the Natural Resource Management Plan for KLWT has zoned areas on a several maps, for: conservation & tourism, livestock development, small-scale cultivation, and livestock & wildlife. The area indicated for livestock & wildlife is a smaller area indicated by the previously proposed area on MNC but is not adapted for more recent tourism developments. Please see attached map.
As reported last month a sustainable number of cattle for MNC is approximately 10,000head (see July report). This is 1/3 the amount of cattle present at the moment. For the feasible reduction of cattle numbers of MNC the value of each cow needs to triple. This may be possible with improved breeding, better marketing and better management of grazing.
To develop a cattle management plan outside advice will be sought from experienced ranchers and land managers. After discussing this with Committee Members all showed keen enthusiasm for such a programme. With a plethora of information on holistic grassland cattle management with new technologies, methodologies and innovations the running of the cattle will not be the issue. The major issue is overall decision-making and coalition of cattle owners for responsible grazing, stocking and sale. While developing a number of polices for members to follow such as restricting owners to 1 cow per 2 hectares, and restricting areas for preservation, upgrading stock is a priority. The upgrading process starts with the purchase of improved cattle. Each landowner is proposed to chip in an amount for an initial purchase of approximately 100head. The initial investors will be the early adapters of this programme. These cattle will be managed by MNC. This will include all aspects of management, securing the cattle in movable bomas, employing herders from the community, purchase and sale of cattle, marketing, inoculation, tagging etc. The profits earned will be distributed to the initial investors equitably. It is suggested that MNC also purchases a proportion of cattle to cover management costs of the cattle. Once this model starts working it is hoped that this option will be the most attractive and most lucrative option. Much work is needed on the best methods for operation, but the project can start next month if the idea takes off. The first step will be visiting Northern Kenya to learn some of their methods and to start planning a purchase.
Cattle were counted from the 27th to the 30th the total number of cattle on MNC is ---------- and ------- outsiders, a decrease from last month’s count of 34,577 MNC owners cattle and 1,597 outsider’s. The reduction in cattle numbers has been due to poor grazing inside MNC. Three new bomas were being built this month but have been stopped. Several large bomas on Olare Orok Conservancy were built on one of the Nyarori’s parcels, which is not part of OOC, or MNC. Several thousand head of cattle reside there.
Lion sightings have been good this month but their locations have been sensitive; either close to camps or roads. This caused some upsets from camps about traversing access.
Security,
On the 22nd two poachers were arrested in the Lemek Hills area who had poached an impala and were busy cooking the meat at the Saruni Tembo Camp. The Saruni management asked to handle the case as the poachers were their employees and they were handed over.
Much night activity has been going with motorbikes after 2am from Talek to Aitong. More night operations will ensue and will be reported on next month.
Research
The manager met with the head of the Living with Lions and Mara Preditor Project, Laurence Frank who reported that the lion population on MNC is not threatened and that the population size is healthy and that the level of human/lion conflict is relatively low compared with other areas.
From October it is expected that a team of 4 students from the Nairobi University GIS department will complete and update maps on for MNC for approximately two months.
The proposed trip to the Nanyuki area next month will be coupled with a visit to a camel milk dairy, which uses state of the art energy efficient milk transportation and dairy facilities. Some of these principles may be valuable for adoption in MNC.
Staff:
All rangers have been performing well this month.
Warden Korsikir was sent home for one month due to inciting poor work ethic and not following orders. Hopefully he will have turned a new leaf upon return.
Warden 1, James Ekriu, has been very effective in the field and has completed effective operations, plans daily routine orders, and executes tasks with due diligence.
Beginning this year Seiya rangers will be evaluated and picked by senior staff to receive the ranger/s of the year award from the Ted Goss Memorial Fund (TGMF). This fund was originally set-up to award KWS rangers each year but the ceremony has become more and more difficult to conduct. The TGMF board has agreed to move the award to the Mara.
This month an expected 15 additional rangers will be employed from the Great Plains group.
Developments.
Rehabilitation of the MNC offices at the HQ has been started.
Both gates have been erected and latrines started.
Kitchen at Mararienta Primary School was investigated but Karen Blixen Camp has already started work there.
Focus for August
Complete and man 2 MNC gates Both gates erected but not manned
Employ 15 new rangers Postponed
Rehabilitate office complex (HQ) Started
Evaluate school kitchen Handed over
Present budget for proposed airstrip Done
Enforce grazing policy in restricted proposed areas. Continuing
Improve security in the Lemek Hills area Continuing
Present draft annual work plan 2009/10
Presentation on 1st September.
Host MNC Committee meeting at MNC HQ Done, 29th Aug
Focus for September:
Rehabilitate very bad sections of C13 road near Mara Bridge.
Finish office rehabilitation
Start rehabilitation of staff quarters
Thatch roofs of both gates
Complete pit latrines for both gates
Host responsible guiding meeting at MNC HQ
Host trip to Nanyuki area
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