Breaking the soil to farm used to be a widespread taboo in Maasai culture, but that changed in 2009. That year, people lost most or all their livestock in one of the worst droughts in memory, and many turned to agriculture for the first time, for both food and income.

As a result, natural habitat was cleared and farming expanded across the ecosystem. Today, many farms are scattered across Greater Amboseli, interrupting migration routes and limiting grazing access in favor of crops like maize and tomatoes. The lesson is that the long-term impacts of droughts can be unexpected and irrevocable.

Fast forward to 2022, and we find ourselves facing another major drought. But this time the stakes are much higher. With land subdivision and privatization happening across the ecosystem, people have a new way to make money quickly: selling their newly issued land titles.

But the short-term gain can turn into a long-term disaster. When people give up their land, they give up the space they need to raise livestock, and for those without another source of income, this paves the way for a new generation of landless Maasai trapped in a cycle of poverty.

This is a complex challenge for a community that relies on large, shared spaces for livestock grazing. In addition to working with the Maasai on their subdivision plans to maintain critical corridors for wildlife and livestock via conservation leases, we are also trying to provide some with a short-term income alternative so that selling their land is not something they become forced to do.  Thanks to generous partners, we are creating temporary jobs for 1400 women. These jobs will not only benefit the environment by helping to pick up litter and clear invasive species, but will also put money in pockets so that families can buy food. 

Land is the most valuable resource in the hands of Maasai communities, and without it, all the wild animals of the ecosystem have nowhere to live. Hopefully programs like this will help both through this difficult time.

Today is World Lion Day, and many organizations will rightly draw attention to the disheartening statistics that accompany the story of Africa’s lions. In Kenya however, there is cause for optimism. According to last year’s National Wildlife Census, more than 2,500 lions still reign over Kenya’s plains, a 25% increase since 2010, and Big Life Foundation is proud to have played a significant part in that revival.

Lions in the Amboseli ecosystem now number upwards of 250, and a substantial proportion of them are living well over the age of 10 (knowledge we have thanks to our partners at Lion Guardians). This is the mark of a healthy population and an increase in tolerance by the Maasai who must frequently deal with the challenges of living alongside them.

It was a very different picture twenty years ago. Lions were almost eradicated from the ecosystem in 2003 when as many as 20 were being killed per year in retaliation for attacking livestock or being speared in traditional Maasai lion hunts.

However, two things happened in the mid-2000s that prevented Amboseli’s lions from becoming extinct: the Predator Compensation Fund was launched, partially compensating local Maasai for the loss of their livestock to all predators, and a few years later, the Maasai Olympics began. Created in collaboration with the Menye Layiok, or Maasai “cultural fathers,” and warrior chiefs, the Maasai Olympics provides an alternative to the long-held tradition of hunting lions as a mark of manhood, bravery, and prestige.  Now, the warriors hunt for medals via sports competition based on traditional warrior skills.

Team selections for this year’s forthcoming Maasai Olympics in December are almost complete.

The Maasai Olympics would not be possible without our generous partners and sponsors including: National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative, the Disney Conservation Fund, Chester Zoo, and Play for Nature / Parc Animalier d'Auvergne. 

Photo: Jeremy Goss

What would you do with 10 US cents?

Likely not much, depending on where you live in the world. But here in Amboseli, 10 cents can help to achieve something extraordinary.

The annual ‘long rains’ failed, and the resultant drought is starting to bite. Big Life’s most important conservation partners - local communities - rely heavily on livestock for survival, including milk for nutrition and sales. But cows are barely producing milk now, and what little is there is going to their calves. Livestock have started to die, and people are struggling to sell their animals in oversupplied markets.

Combined with the rising cost of everyday items, the result is a dramatic squeeze on household income and food availability, and hunger is starting to become a reality for many. We can’t help everyone, but there is one group that needs it more than most.

Because schools do not provide meals, Big Life Foundation has launched an ecosystem-wide school feeding program to help kids get the critical nutrition they need. It is a massive logistical operation, delivering 47 tons of food each month to 55 schools spread across more than 1 million acres, but it means that 26,700 kids will get at least one decent meal a day.

The project may run as long as five months, during which time more than 3 million 10-cent meals of high-protein porridge will be served.

It has taken just over a month from conceptualizing the project, to funding it, to serving the first meals. We pride ourselves on being nimble, and are deeply appreciative of the generous funding partners who likewise have responded so quickly, which includes Great Plains Conservation, among others.

Supporting communities that support wildlife conservation is a fundamental part of what Big Life is about. There is a difficult time ahead, and we are doing our best to help both wildlife and people.

Photo: Josh Clay

Over the last few years, as I was going through my academic journey, land was frequently mentioned as a “factor of production.” But as a Maasai, I grew up knowing that land is supernaturally given and infinite. I have no memory from my childhood of ever seeing a fence, crop farm, or weird buildings in the entire grazing field across the ecosystem. And yet this statement (land as a factor of production) has never been more true and real to me than now as the ecosystem changes. Thinking about impeded livestock movement, haphazard crop farming, and barricaded wildlife migratory corridors gives me many sleepless nights.

The Greater Amboseli ecosystem is one of our planet’s surviving natural treasures. It is also home to almost 200,000 people who need to eat, own land, and take their children to school. Big Life’s current jigsaw puzzle is to find a balance between the needs of the local community and maintaining their trust, while continuing to successfully protect wildlife. In order to solve that puzzle, Big Life is working with local communities to protect land that is strategically important as wildlife movement corridors or dispersal areas but is also valuable to the local livestock economy as a grazing resource. Both are compatible with tourism development done correctly. Putting tourism, livestock, and wildlife conservation together enhances a self-regulating, self-protecting system as they all benefit from each other.

Two years ago, a process called ‘land subdivision’ began to sweep across Amboseli, fragmenting large tracts of community-owned land into thousands of small, privately-owned parcels. We simulated a worst-case scenario where communities would demand private possession and ownership of their parcels with the high possibility of then selling to outside third parties. But we are happy to report that instead, we’ve seen a positive response from the local communities in the ecosystem who want to give back their land for conservation. Most do not want to see their land fractured and instead wish to protect grazing areas and wildlife corridors, preserving the natural heritage that makes Amboseli so precious.

However, the peak of one mountain is the bottom of the next. Leasing these corridors for conservation comes with a price tag. Now, there is need for wildlife and livestock to pay for their space lest conservation gets outbid by crop-farmers. It’s very encouraging to see the number of partners, donors and well-wishers who’ve responded to our calls over the last several of months. Our staff motivation and our Board’s support assures me the subdivision process is just another phase in conservation and the outcome will be exciting and sustainable.

Benson Leyian
Chief Executive Officer - Big Life Foundation Kenya

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