What is the Pardamat Conservancy? The Pardamat Conservation Area is a pioneering dual-use community conservancy located north of the Maasai Mara national reserve. Governed by the Maasai people, it successfully demonstrates the peaceful coexistence of humans, cattle, and wild animals without fences. Facilitated by Saruni Basecamp, this model provides economic benefits to landowners, creates more than 2000 jobs, empowers Maasai women, and hosts a full-fledged college in the bush to educate the next generation of Kenyan conservation leaders.
For generations, our lives as Maasai were difficult, and we did not live in harmony with the wild animals. As space diminished, the need to manage our land and preserve the deep wisdom of nature became urgent. We fairly quickly realized that a new model was necessary.
Through the Saruni Basecamp foundation and business partnership, we have proven that separating people and livestock from the land is not the answer. By removing fences and managing the grass through cattle grazing, we have recreated a thriving savanna ecosystem. Today, everyone understands the value of conservation because it brings living standards up, provides school bursaries, and ensures that the top layer of management belongs entirely to Kenyans.
Discover how the Wildlife Tourism College of Maasai Mara is preparing our young people to be the future stewards of the land, creating a blueprint for coexistence that the whole world can learn from.
Chapters
00:00:00 What was the historical Maasai relationship with wild animals? 00:00:30 What is the Pardamat Conservation Area? 00:01:22 Why are community wildlife conservancies important in Kenya? 00:02:12 How does the Saruni Basecamp model operate? 00:04:13 How do cattle and wildlife coexist and share the grass? 00:05:52 What is a dual-use wildlife conservancy? 00:06:21 Why is the removal of land fences critical for this model? 00:07:37 How does the conservancy empower Maasai women and local youth? 00:10:07 Why was a college built out in the bush? 00:11:05 What does the future of successful conservation look like?