The Eselenkei Conservation Area
In the 5,000-hectare conservation area, established in 1997, there are now large herds of zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and many antelope species, as well as a host of more unusual arrivals, including Oryx, lesser kudu, caracal and aardvark. For the first time in 15 years, elephant have been seen here, together with small prides of lion, leopard and cheetah.
The Eselenkei Conservation Area is already reaping rich rewards for the community that has dared look beyond its traditional reliance on cattle and goats. By turning over less than 10% of its land to conservation - and keeping it’s cattle out - the community has provided a model for the pastoralist tribes who usually struggle on the margins of Kenya’s mainstream economy. There is an exclusive eight-bed camp on the land.
The benefits, so slow to start, are now becoming more tangible: two new school buildings, several bursaries for local students, a wind pump for the community’s largest borehole, two new water holes for the cattle and game, and 24 jobs in the camp and conservation area. The camp itself is already an exemplary ecotourism model, with solar power, careful waste management and the promotion of the indigenous flora.
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