Protecting Elephants to Conserve the Greater Mara Ecosystem

Mara Elephant Project (MEP) was established in 2011 with the mission of protecting elephants to conserve the greater Mara ecosystem. The Maasai Mara ecosystem, an extension of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, is Kenya’s most important wildlife area and tourism asset. Although Kenya outlawed the hunting of elephants in 1973 and CITES established a total ban on the sale of ivory in 1989, human-elephant conflict (HEC) and poaching increased. The Mara elephant population numbers held relatively steady until 2010, when 3,162 were counted by World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF total count in 2014 revealed a marked decline to 1,488, the lowest number in 30 years. In the Kenya portion of the ecosystem, people and wildlife peacefully co-existed when space for both did not overlap; however, as the human population has grown, the rangeland demand for livestock and farming has increased, pushing wild animals into smaller areas.

MEP was developed to fill a gap in protecting elephants outside of conservancies and protected areas in the Mara ecosystem. Elephants that are “safe” in the Mara have been in the formally protected Maasai Mara National Reserve and the informally protected conservancies. As a result, most of the illegal killing of elephants, and hence the work MEP does, is concentrated in an unprotected area of 11,500 km2 outside these areas. MEP believes that by protecting elephants we are also protecting the greater Mara ecosystem. To better understand and address the poaching issue, where the elephant rangeland extends beyond protected areas, MEP has developed a three-part program called the MEP Method. The MEP Method to protecting elephants in the greater Mara ecosystem includes anti-poaching patrols and rapid response units, elephant collaring, monitoring and research and human-elephant conflict mitigation. 

PROTECTION

MEP Rangers

Mara Elephant Project employs 57 rangers in patrol units who work tirelessly to protect elephants to conserve the greater Mara ecosystem, one of Kenya’s most important ecosystems. MEP’s rangers are at the forefront of anti-poaching operations and human-elephant conflict mitigation efforts through boots on the ground initiatives, living out in the field for up to two-months at a time. MEP’s rangers are the backbone of their organization. A significant achievement for Mara Elephant Project in 2017 was the recovery of more ivory from arrested suspects than was lost in the Mara ecosystem from poaching or conflict.

In 2018, MEP increased the area of operation to include the Mau Forest and Loita Hills. These two areas are vastly under regulated and illegal logging, poaching and human-elephant conflict were all extremely high. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust provided funding for the creation of the Mau Forest unit and MEP was able to expand into Loita by re-deploying rangers from the core rapid response units away from conflict hotspots during the low conflict seasons. In 2018, in the Mau and Loita area MEP made significant anti-poaching headway. Additionally, the rapid response unit started working with a self-help forest patrol unit based in the Emitik area near Olengururone, which allowed them to have local help while operating in the forest.

Key to the effectiveness, morale and retention of rangers is on-going training and development. MEP feels it’s vitally important to recognize the central part the rangers play in their conservation operations and the need to ensure funding for ranger welfare is essential to recognize their dedicated efforts.