Eastern and Southern Africa’s grasslands and savannas have been shaped over millions of years by volcanoes, seasonal droughts and fires, millions of grazing animals, and human activities. From the acacia-studded savannas of Kenya to the lush flooded grasslands of Tanzania and Zambia, this dynamic landscape still harbors an abundance of large mammals found nowhere else on Earth.

The semi-nomadic Maasai people have lived in East Africa for hundreds of years. In traditional Maasai society, a man’s wealth is measured by the number of cattle he owns and tilling land for crops is considered a crime against nature. The Maasai found an expanse of grasslands and savannas and named it Siringitu, or “the place where the land moves on forever.” The Serengeti still supports the largest mammal migration on Earth.

Further south, the grasslands of the Zambezi River basin support an impressive array of wildlife, including hippos, rhino, Cape buffalo and elephants. A population of 40 million people also lives here. Yet modern pressures threaten the future of Africa’s ancient natural systems and the people who depend on them.

Changing Landscapes

The population of Africa is growing rapidly. As new communities and fences spring up, people find themselves in conflict with wildlife when elephants trample farmers’ fields – obliterating a year’s harvest in a single night – and lions prey on precious livestock.

Numerous national parks, reserves and game-controlled areas in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia incorporate an impressive amount of grassland habitat. But lack of staffing, resources and management expertise leaves protected areas in all three countries vulnerable to poachers, unregulated tourism and other threats.

New Partners, New Concepts

In Kenya and Tanzania, we are using our collaborative approach to support the development of conservation agreements with local communities and landowners. Working with established local conservation partners such as the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and the Northern Rangelands Trust, we are focusing on landscapes that are large, mostly intact, and support large mammal migrations and rare species.

Saving the Last Great Migratory Routes

Securing wildlife corridors and providing training for land trusts and income to families that rely on the land are ways to achieve the larger goal of protecting millions of acres of grasslands and savannas in Africa.

In 2001, AWF helped establish the Tanzania Land Conservation Trust, the first private land trust in Africa. The 45,000-acre Manyara Ranch, situated between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks, serves as the last remaining link for animals traveling between the two parks. A few years later, AWF facilitated the creation of Kenya Land Conservation Trust and the Conservancy is providing training, management expertise and financial support to build the capacity of both land trusts.

But when it comes to protecting Africa’s great migration routes, private lands are only part of the puzzle. Communally owned lands also play a big role. Near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, ten different communities recently agreed to set aside portions of their lands to create a 250,000-acre wildlife management area.

Then there are the public lands. Zambia has more than 30 percent of its land in national parks and other special management areas, but those areas are not effectively managed. Working with the Zambian Wildlife Authority and AWF, the Conservancy is helping conserve public lands in Zambia, initially focusing on the Lower Zambezi National Park.

Cultivating Hope for the Future

Together with dedicated conservation partners, national governments, and with your support, we aim to protect 1.2 million acres of private and communal lands and improve the conservation of 4.9 million acres of existing protected areas. In the process, we will cultivate hope and opportunity with the people who live in these places where the land moves on forever.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Sanjayan/TNC (Cheetahs in Zambia); Photo © Henner Frankenfeld/Redux Pictures (Member of a local Masai community at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya); Map © TNC (Grasslands of Northern Kenya); Photo © David Banks/TNC (Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania).