At the end of February, members of the Dorobo fund team (Daudi, Thad, Joshua, and Mika) took a trip to the Simanjiro Easements and the greater Maasai Steppe ecosystem to take stock of how things are progressing, noting pressures on the ecosystem, and developing an integrated approach moving forward between tour operators and organizations on the ground. Their friends and colleagues, Fred Nelson of Maliasili Initiatives, Marc Baker of Carbon Tanzania and Loure and Lekaita of Ujamaa Community Resource Team also joined them. They met with community representatives and stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of what’s happening and have shared some highlights:
- A new one-kilometer wide grazing corridor extending from the easement to the Sukuro dam has been established. This corridor is vital, allowing wildlife & livestock access to crucial water sources during the dry season. A Certificate of Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCRO) has been issued offering further legal protection to the area.
- Emboreet Village has a new village council that is prioritizing a land use plan and grazing areas, leaving the potential for an expanded area secured under Certificate of Customary Rights of Occupancy’s in the future, an exciting development to bring Emboreet Village under the larger umbrella of the easements.
- In Makame Wildlife Management Area, we spotted oryx, eland, giraffes, and zebra, and we had buffalo and elephant visit our campsite at night. All of this wildlife indicates that the rangelands are healthy and intact.