Local community commits to protecting the last remaining wildlife corridor between Amboseli and the Mara

Elephants, rarely seen African species and community livelihoods will be safeguarded after community landowners committed to protecting the last remaining migratory route between two key wildlife landscapes in Kenya. 
 
At a milestone meeting in Mashenani, Kajiado County, this week, more than 1,000 landowners from the Maasai community unanimously agreed
to commit their individual parcels of land to conservation by leasing them to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

The land is nestled within the last remaining natural corridor that allows wildlife to move between Amboseli and the Greater Mara landscapes.
 
Through this innovative program, IFAW pays the community landowners for the land protected under a special agreement.

This places over 29,000 acres of community-owned land under the stewardship of IFAW for wildlife conservation as part of the organisation’s Room to Roam initiative.

Room to Roam presents an ambitious and pressing vision for the preservation of Africa’s remaining savannah elephants and their cohabiting human communities.

With two decades of scientific research and community involvement as its foundation, Room to Roam aims to safeguard and link habitats, establishing safe corridors for wildlife movement across East and southern Africa.

The initiative promises enhanced biodiversity, increased resilience to climate change, and a harmonious future where both animals and humans can flourish together.

The project, spearheaded by Olgulului Land Trust, and entrusted to IFAW, aims to safeguard both wildlife species and human livelihoods
from, among other things, the unforgiving grip of climate change and extreme weather events.
 
The land making up the new Illaingarunyoni Conservancy is an important wildlife corridor and dry-season refuge for the pastoralist Maasai
community.

It is also a vital dispersal area for over 2,200 elephants and other wildlife species to roam freely in and out of Amboseli National Park.

The protection of this important habitat deters other land use forms, further helping to restore healthy resilient ecosystems that are critical to absorbing carbon into the soil and supporting community livelihoods through tourism enterprises as well as employment opportunities.

As a dry-season refuge, Illaingarunyoni Conservancy stands out as a critical space for the
survival of both wild animals and community livestock during extreme droughts. 
 
“By establishing the Illaingarunyoni Conservancy, we the community, are demonstrating our steadfast commitment to safeguarding our future and the future of elephants in Amboseli,” said Daniel Leturesh, Chairman of the Olgulului Land Trust.  
 
Habitat loss has, over the years, exacerbated human-wildlife conflict in Amboseli as wildlife species and local communities struggle
to access water and pasture in diminishing spaces.

Aside from securing habitat connectivity, the Illaingarunyoni Conservancy will foster peaceful co-existence between human and elephant communities because it is a dry-season reservoir for both wildlife and
livestock. 
 
Illaingarunyoni is home to rarely seen wildlife species such as African wild dogs, pangolins, and the bat eared fox. It is a vital piece
of the Room to Roam puzzle — IFAW’s flagship conservation initiative in Africa. 
 
“Human and wildlife coexistence is a vital part of our planet’s future – both species can’t survive unless we work together. The best way we can do that is by empowering the community to be a part of the solution. Illaingarunyoni Conservancy proves that local communities are committed to, and have a vital role to play in conservation,” said James Isiche, Africa Director at IFAW.