Msc. Student: Helena Damgaard Johansen
Program: Msc. Department of Biology, Aarhus University
Supervisor: Professor Jens-Christian Svenning and Assistant Professor Robert Buitenwerf
Period: October - December 2020

Msc. Student: Line Johannsen Ochelka
Program: Msc. Department of Biology, Aarhus University
Supervisor: Professor Jens-Christian Svenning and Assistant Professor Robert Buitenwerf
Period: October - December 2020

Our aim with both studies is to inform conservation management in pastoral systems in Mara North. Within the Mara North Conservancy, an innovative approach has been undertaken to make it a protected area. To ensure a sustainable long-term solution for conservation of biodiversity, most of the Maasai landowners have agreed to lease their land to the conservancy for a fixed monthly lease payment from the conservancy safari camps. This allows the camps to carry out game drives within this wildlife area, whilst also allowing the Maasai to keep their grazing livestock on a rotational grazing scheme. The monthly payment to the Maasai has allowed them to invest in more livestock than previously, which has resulted in an increase in livestock population and thus grazing pressure. The Mara North Conservancy contract is up for renegotiations soon with the potential of losing its protection status. Furthermore, the renegotiation of the contract can result in a possible restriction on the amount of livestock per area. Thus, it is an urgent matter to carry out these projects to ensure a sustainable renegotiation of the contract that benefits both wildlife and locals alike.

Previous observations in the Greater Mara region has seen a lower herbivore density within the completely protected Maasai Mara National Reserve than in the surrounding conservancies. Some empirical evidence suggests that the livestock might in fact be a facilitator towards the densities of wild herbivores, but data is lacking on whether the distribution and landscape use of wild herbivores are influenced by the different types of herbivory (i.e. browsers or grazers) as well as livestock types (i.e. cattle or shoats).

While one project will focus upon the cattle, and the other will examine the shoats, both studies will collect empirical data through observations of wild herbivores and present livestock (cattle and shoats). The observation will be car based at the livestock pastorals in Mara North Conservancy. GPS-coordinates will be noted down for each observation point. All mammalian species present will be noted for biodiversity estimates. Furthermore, data for comparison will be collected in Maasai Mara National Reserve through the same method as in Mara North Conservancy