The Area
About the TransMara
TransMara quick facts
- Population: 168,721 in 1999 compared with 70,201 in 1979
- Area: 2900km2
- Elevation: 1900–2500m
- Rainfall: 1200-1500 mm annually, from March to June and November to December
- Temperature: high January to March 27oC; low August to October 11oC
- Natural vegetation: grassland interspersed with bush land, with forests occurring mainly on the hills, ridges and riverine forests
- Land tenure: private 18%; communal 82%
The TransMara district where this project is under way lies on the western edge of the famous Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
The traditional inhabitants are the Maasai people, but increasingly an influx of migrants from other districts in Kenya has seen the balance change so that Maasais are now in the minority (see quick facts on TransMara).
Wildlife overspill area
The immediate edge of TransMara which borders the Masai Mara Reserve, and which is marked by a 300m high escarpment, is also what can be best described as an overspill area for wildlife found in the Reserve itself. Since animals do not respect the political limits of the park, and fences are not used, some animals, especially elephants, make their way into TransMara on both a nightly and seasonal basis.
The seasonal stay is often for several weeks as animals such as the elephant attempt to avoid the crush which occurs when the plains below become crowded with the massive herds herds of annually migrating zebra and wildebeest.
Increased farming: increased conflict
Rainfall is higher in this region and much of the land and soils are well suited to farming, which has attracted a large number of migrants from other areas of Kenya.
As such, much of the original forest has been cut down for either charcoal production or to make way for new fields. With a reduction in the space left for much of the wildlife to live in, and the increasing number of people living close to the edges of forests, conflict situations are bound to occur with increasing frequency.
A high conflict zone
The TransMara district is now classified as a high conflict zone for wildlife. Even though just 200-300 elephants remain in a 1000 km2 area along the Migori River. This river, which dissects the heart of TransMara, is a hotspot for human-elephant conflict.
