Traditional knowledge for a sustainable future

Indigenous Peoples and Community-Conserved Territories and Areas

The grasslands extending across southern Kenya and northern Tanzania contain some of the greatest wildlife concentrations globally, especially in iconic protected areas such as the Serengeti, Maasai Mara and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Rainbow over the plains of Katavi National Park, Tanzania. Photo: Gregoire Dubois.

They are also home to Indigenous Peoples who play key roles in the sustainable management of natural resources beyond government-designated protected areas, many of which are under increasing pressure from unsustainable agriculture practices, infrastructure development and wildlife poaching, all aggravated by human population growth and climate change.

Indigenous Peoples and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) are territories governed and managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities through traditional knowledge, norms and practices, with proven positive outcomes for the conservation of biological and cultural diversity.

Splitting herds to ensure special care and pasture for young and sick animals and setting aside grazing areas for different seasons are some of the traditional Maasai practices that allow livestock and wildlife to co-exist and grazed land to regenerate over time.

The lives of the Maasai revolve around their livestock, which constitute their primary source of food and livelihoods: they eat the meat, drink the milk daily and occasionally partake of blood on traditional ceremonies, when bulls, goats and lambs are slaughtered for special feasts.

Maasai pastoralist in Olkitikiti village, in OLENGAPA. Photo: ILRI, Fiona Flintan.

These cultural activities are also very important for conservation, as they are conducted in areas that are traditionally protected by communities.

OLENGAPA

One of these ICCAs was OLENGAPA, which covers four villages and over 30,000 hectares in Kiteto district .

OLENGAPA shared grazing area. Photo: ILRI, Fiona Flintan.

With support from SGP, the local organisation KINNAPA promoted the sustainable management of natural resources, addressing conflicts between farmers and pastoralists, advancing cultural heritage conservation, and empowering women to improve gender equality in the historically patriarchal Maasai communities of OLENGAPA.

The implementation of this project started in early 2020, with the creation of nurseries for a grass species (Cenchrus ciliaris) that improves pastures with its high biomass and seed production.

Maasai women from communities in OLENGAPA. Photo: © UNDP Tanzania CO, SGP Tanzania.

The legal documents issued last year allowed the demarcation of community-conserved areas near villages, which are used as grazing areas based on cultural tradition.

This gave the Maasai women easy access to dry firewood, medicinal plants, food and milk throughout the year.

Maasai woman in Kiteto District share milk from her livestock with fellow community members. Photo: © UNDP Tanzania CO, SGP Tanzania.

Maasai women have also reported positive impacts of the community-conserved areas on their livelihoods at the household level. With increased biomass in OLENGAPA by applying traditional knowledge and effective conservation practices, livestock can now graze there for most of the year and, therefore, men and youth do not have to leave their families behind to search for water and pastures in other areas. This also means they have more time to engage in other work, such as sustainable farming.

Maasai pastoralists in Kiteto district. Photo: © UNDP Tanzania CO, SGP Tanzania.

Moreover, KINNAPA trained women and youth in alternative income-generating activities, such as beekeeping and managing non-timber forest products.

Another notable result was the creation of a local women association in OLENGAPA as women came together after receiving training about the effects of gender-based violence.

Women's group. Photo: © UNDP Tanzania CO, SGP Tanzania.

Elephants, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

Zakaria Faustin, TNRF’s Executive Director, added that all the projects supported through the ICCA-GSI partnership had documented traditional practices, knowledge and skills that contributed to conservation outcomes in the ICCAs, with great potential for replication and scaling up: