Management of Grazing

As ongoing education, MWCT is working with the Maasai grazing committee to address overgrazing and bush fires. Historically, there was plenty of land for the Maasai to graze their livestock. Today the herds have increased while the land for grazing has decreased largely to overpopulation. MWCT is working with educated Maasai warriors to show the elders the changes due to overgrazing. Grassland that was once dependable now is barren. Water that would flow in the past doesn’t arrive because it has been diverted upstream for unsustainable farming by tribes who are not Maasai.

MWCT has films in the Maasai language, Maa, and Swahili to show to the local Maasai. The films feature Maasai elders talking about how green the savanna was in their youth. The films teach techniques such as rotational grazing and herd reduction as methods of saving the grasslands. MWCT is achieving meaningful results as the Maasai grasp the need for sustainable management of their grazing resources and understand the destructive effects of fires on the food available for both livestock and wildlife.

MWCT has succeeded in creating a buffer zone dedicated to wildlife, where the grazing of livestock is avoided. This will create a natural game sanctuary, where wildlife will feel safer and can be prolific. We foresee this area to be increased on a yearly basis.