Conservation at Work
OLDERKESI CONSERVANCY
The Olderkesi Conservancy is a 7600-acre piece of land set aside by the Olderkesi Community as a Conservation area in southern Kenya, immediately adjacent to the southeastern boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) and on the border...
The Olderkesi Conservancy is a 7600 acre piece of land set aside by the Olderkesi Community as a Conservation area in southern Kenya, immediately adjacent to the southeastern boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) and on the border with Tanzania. Olderkesi Conservancy is part of the greater Serengeti – Maasai Mara Ecosystem, crossing into Tanzania and covering approximately 30,000 km2
The particular piece of land that the Olderkesi Conservancy occupies is vitally important to the greater ecosystem and comprises multiple types of habitats, including grasslands, riverine valleys, forests, and woodlands. It’s a haven for many species of wildlife, not to mention a route for the great wildebeest migration. It’s also home to the Maasai – a very independent people who still value tradition and ritual as part of their everyday lives. Historically, the Maasai are semi-nomadic pastoralists, placing huge importance on their herds of cattle, but also living alongside wildlife in harmony, with lions and wildebeest playing an important role in their cultural beliefs.
Olderkesi is one of the last of the communal areas to undergo sub-division in the Mara region, as mandated by the Government. The Olderkesi Group Ranch has 6,650 members who represent the head of each family and jointly own the Conservancy through the Olderkesi Community Wildlife Trust.
The Cottars Wildlife Conservation Trust (CWCT) has been working in partnership with Secluded Africa Wildlife and Community Trust (SAWCT) and the greater Olderkesi Community to secure this important ecological landscape and to improve the lives of the community members. To date, the tourism partners have collected lease fees on behalf of the community and supported the community through projects that have included building schools and bridges, providing medical and ambulance services, employing security scouts from the community, building water troughs for cattle, providing bursaries, the establishment of environmental clubs, and Human Wildlife Conflict mitigation efforts. In return, the leased land is to be left alone, free of settlements, farming, and uncontrolled domestic livestock grazing and exists to create safe habitat and passage for wildlife.
In addition to managing the Olderkesi Conservancy, we aim to scale up the area under conservation by leasing strategic areas within the Olderkesi Group Ranch from landowners and managing the new areas on their behalf.
MBULIA CONSERVANCY
Mbulia Conservancy was initiated with the local community who wanted to develop a tourism initiative on their otherwise underutilized land The agreement was struck between Mbulia Ranch and Secluded Africa who leased the 12,000 hectares conserva...
Mbulia Conservancy was initiated with the local community who wanted to develop a tourism initiative on their otherwise underutilized land The agreement was struck between Mbulia Ranch and Secluded Africa who leased the 12,000 hectares conservation area to build Kipalo Hills. The area is also an essential dry-season dispersal area for over 11,000 elephant in Tsavo, as well as numerous other wildlife and bird-life. Kipalo fund-raised to fence Mbulia into Tsavo West National Park, a project that was successfully concluded a few years back.
Kipalo Hills employs and trains people from the local villages to work in the lodge, as well as 12 game-scouts from the local community to patrol the conservancy. Their efforts continue to make a monumental difference as increasingly more wildlife, including the endangered African Wild Dog, are choosing to call the conservancy their home. Conservation fees from paying guests staying at Kipalo Hills go towards running the conservancy and protecting the wildlife, as well as towards social welfare projects for the Mbulia community.
KURUWITU CONSERVATION & WELFARE ASSOCIATION
In early 2000s overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices had resulted in declining fish numbers in Kuruwitu, threatening the livelihoods of local fishers. To resolve this, the community set up the Kuruwitu Conservation & Welfare Associati...
In early 2000s overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices had resulted in declining fish numbers in Kuruwitu, threatening the livelihoods of local fishers. To resolve this, the community set up the Kuruwitu Conservation & Welfare Association. KCWA engaged with local fishers on how to improve fishing practices and set up a marine park.
Fish have grown in abundance, size and diversity, as has the biodiversity of the Kuruwitu region, creating numerous jobs and helping the growth of ecotourism. In addition, building on the success of the Kuruwitu locally managed marine areas, 20 other LMMAs have been set up along the Kenyan coast. A contribution of the conservancy fees per booking at Cardamom House goes towards the marine park.
LOWER TANA DELTA CONSERVATION TRUST
Delta Dunes Lodge, the founder of the Lower Tana Delta Conservation Trust, works with the local community, who are all members of the Lower Tana Delta Conservation Trust, in bettering their standard of living whilst also conserving the unique a...
Delta Dunes Lodge works with the local community, who are all members of the Lower Tana Delta Conservation Trust, in bettering their standard of living whilst also conserving the unique and ecologically important wetland of the Tana Delta. Through a bed night and conservation fee from every paying guests, the Lodge can support various projects and help bring an income to these marginalized people.
As well as assisting the community, the Lodge funds the community game scout & anti-poaching unit, and the demarcation of the proposed community conservancy of 50,000 hectares. In collaboration with our generous guests, Delta Dunes built and continues to support a nursery school in Darge Galge Village and the Lodge covers the teacher’s monthly salary. Delta Dunes also supports the local women‘s groups and sells their handicrafts in the lodge shop as well as at fairs in Nairobi throughout the year.
Through an organization based in Milan, Karibu Jua, Delta Dunes Lodge is also helping to improve the education of children in this marginalized area, and provide scholarships to secondary students that score the highest in their finals, but who cannot afford to attend secondary school. The Lodge has funded and has plans for other sustainable projects with the local community such as bee-keeping and bio-gas units that bring income to the local indigenous community while helping conserve the unique wetland area.
SECLUDED AFRICA WILDLIFE & COMMUNITY TRUST
Our core pillars are focused on Wildlife and Nature Conservation, Culture and Communities: All our properties are within private conservancies. Meaning, exclusive experiences all the way. We deeply encourage our guests engage to in our conservat...
Our core pillars are focused on Wildlife and Nature Conservation, Culture and Communities:
Conservation
All our properties are within private conservancies. Meaning, exclusive experiences all the way. We deeply encourage our guests to engage in our conservation work, anti-poaching and community efforts so that they understand the difference between a conservancy and national park, what conservation means, where their conservation fees go, the reality on the ground and hopefully leave as family and true advocates of wildlife and nature conservation.
Culture
Cultural education and exposure is important to us. Kenya is a colourful country with 43 tribes, yet only 2 are well known, one could even say, exploited. With our lodges in Kenya, you are able to engage with at least 4 tribes – Pokomo, Orma, Taita and Maasai tribes.
Community
Communities are part of every conservancy and lodge. They are shareholders, managers, waiters, rangers and part of every cog in the wheel that it takes to run a lodge and conservancy. Each of them have been trained and their children are being put through school as part of being a Secluded Africa team and family member.
We host volunteers from around the world who take part in every facet of our conservation efforts. From anti-poaching patrols to teaching kids mathematics at the local schools.
In order to better protect wildlife and improve the local environment in Kenya, we launched the “Secluded Africa Conservation Trust” at the end of 2017. SACT is therefore a charity foundation dedicated to the promotion of environmental protection, improvement, and conservation for the benefit of the communities living around the conservancy. In addition, the projects are also directed wholly towards the promotion of the advancement of education of the underprivileged children of East Africa.
CONSERVATION AT WORK GALLERY
Explore our conservation journey through a captivating visual gallery. Witness the profound impact of Secluded Africa Trust’s tireless efforts in preserving the natural wonders of Kenya. Our story unfolds in these images, from safeguarding wildlife to empowering local communities.
