As covid-19 continues to affect our everyday lives— how many hours have you been looking a screen today, again?— the virus has also been taking an unexpected toll on wildlife conservation areas around the world, like…
The Maasai Mara Reserve of Kenya.
Every year, the Maasai Mara in Kenya is the destination of the world-famous wildebeest migration from the Tanzanian Serengeti. During the months of July, August, and September, over 2 million wildebeest travel between the protected conservation areas. This typically draws huge crowds of tourists— in 2019, over 1/4 of the year’s 2 million visitors were in the month of July alone— but this year, that number dwindled significantly. As an unfortunate result of this reduction in international tourism, much of the revenue from said tourism that would typically go towards conservation has been slashed significantly.
While one may think that reduced tourism may have positive effects on the Maasai Mara’s animal population, there are other factors at play that influence their survival– like park rangers. Park rangers, who patrol game reserves to prevent poaching, are the back-bone of conservation efforts, and due to the pandemic, many are being laid off for lack of funding. Without them, poaching is likely to increase, as lowered human activity gives way for poachers to take advantage of illegal wild animal hunting.
Additionally, local pastoral Maasai communities who have built their revenue streams upon leasing their land to conservation lodges and safari companies have had their streams of revenue cut in half, and in some cases, even cut off entirely, as a result of the virus.
This all sounds bleak— and although the reality is that the tourism sector in Kenya’s Maasai Mara has been greatly effected by the pandemic— there are things that can be done, like booking a future safari to ensure the quick return of the tourism industry in the Maasai Mara, as soon as traveling is safe.
Click the SAFARIS tab at the top of this page to browse your options, and help support the continued conservation of Kenya’s wildlife.
