Citizen Scientists Help Fill Data Gaps in Mara Conservancies
International scientists bring monitoring skills and long-term data to emerging conservancies transitioning away from agriculture.
STORY REBEKAH KARIMI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS
As new conservancies are established in the Mara and transition away from livestock farming and agriculture, international citizen scientists can empower local people and build capacity. Research expeditions to Enonkishu, Ol Choro and Mbokishi conservancies showcase this.
Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. People share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programmes through citizen science. Biosphere Expeditions, an international award-winning NGO, has been enabling citizen scientists to participate in useful data collection in over 30 countries since 1999.
Enonkishu Conservancy as a trailblazer In 2019, Biosphere Expeditions came to Enonkishu Conservancy in the northern Maasai Mara to establish a programme for monitoring mammalian biodiversity and train rangers to collect data. The expedition aimed to identify how management decisions affect positive changes in wildlife populations. Conservancies are required to report on wildlife numbers within their boundaries. However, many of them lack the capacity to do so, which is why help from international citizen scientists can be useful.
Enonkishu Conservancy, established in 2014, was the northernmost Mara conservancy then. Its location was conducive to providing wildlife habitat because Enonkishu was connected to a more
The presence of elephants in Enonkishu shows that the conservancy is recovering from purely agricultural use.
Studies were conducted by citizen and professional scientists, who worked closely with rangers from each conservancy and trained them to continue wildlife monitoring themselves after the expedition.
established habitat in the south. However, the biodiversity present in more southerly conservancies and the Mara itself had not percolated through to Enonkishu, which was reverting from agricultural use to wildlife habitat. Biosphere Expeditions came to Enonkishu in 2019, 2020 and 2023. On the first expedition, survey transects were established but yielded very few predator sightings. However, in 2023, there were sightings of cheetahs, hyenas and lions, suggesting that the management practices endorsed by Enonkishu had been effective and that wildlife was returning.
The project expands to Ol Choro and Mbokishi conservancies
By 2023, expeditions had also extended to Ol Choro and Mbokishi conservancies. Ol Choro is Kenya’s oldest conservancy, formed in 1992; Mbokishi is one of the newest, transitioning
from a predominantly livestock-grazed area into a conservancy.
The expedition carried out extensive wildlife monitoring via vehicle transect surveys, foot patrol surveys, waterhole surveys, opportunistic recordings of iconic mammal and bird species, and camera trapping. Studies were conducted by citizen and professional scientists, who worked closely with rangers from each conservancy and trained them to continue wildlife monitoring themselves after the expedition.
The results clearly showed the significantly greater abundance and diversity of wildlife in Enonkishu and Ol Choro than in Mbokishi. There was no significant difference in wildlife abundance or diversity between Enonkishu and Ol Choro.
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Enonkishu Conservancy is home to a resident pride of lions that thrives in the conservancy's diverse habitats of wooded acacia savannah, rippling hills, and riverine forests.
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Spotted hyenas are the most common and well-studied hyena species in Enonkishu, living in complex social groups called clans that can include up to 80 individuals.
The foot patrol survey methodology revealed a variety of wild animals visiting areas close to settlements in Ol Choro and Mbokishi, with evidence of greater abundance nearer to settlements than further away for some species, including herbivores such as zebra and wildebeest and predators such as hyena.
The main waterhole surveys showed a substantial difference between Ol Choro and Mbokishi. The Ol Choro waterhole was dominated by wild animals, while the Mbokishi waterhole was dominated by livestock. There was little evidence of resource competition at either waterhole.
Opportunistic surveys of specific mammals and birds, along with the use of hotspot camera traps, confirmed the greater abundance of wild species in Ol Choro and Enonkishu compared to Mbokishi. These surveys also revealed the presence of notable species such as elephants and hyenas in all conservancies.
Citizen scientists and rangers working hand in hand
How were these expeditions conducted?
During the first day of each expedition, citizen scientists were briefed on the history of the conservancies and the methodology designed
to track changes in biodiversity over time, as well as learning about the equipment supplied by Biosphere Expeditions. Citizen scientists participated in wildlife survey drives using distance estimation sampling methodology, camera trap deployment and servicing, and a waterhole count. Rangers from the conservancy joined monitoring activities and contributed their local knowledge regarding routes, species identification, and sex/age differentiation. The citizen scientists worked with the rangers to train them on using rangefinders, compasses, GPS units, camera
TOP Enonkishu Conservancy offers unique expedition opportunities that combine wildlife conservation, scientific research, and immersive cultural experiences. This 6,000-acre communityled conservancy serves as a living laboratory where visitors can participate in groundbreaking conservation work while encountering Africa's iconic wildlife.
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Citizen scientists and rangers working together is a powerful model for conservation. Their collaboration combines local ecological knowledge and community engagement with scientific observation and data collection, resulting in stronger conservation outcomes.
traps, and night-vision equipment utilised during the waterhole surveys.
Enonkishu rangers and conservancy staff continued the methodology established by Biosphere Expeditions after the expeditions ended. The data collection has resulted in the most consistent and long-term dataset within the Mara conservancies. Enonkishu was able to establish itself as a leader, and in 2023, Biosphere Expeditions expanded its study area to include Ol Choro Conservancy (established 1992) and Mbokishi Conservation Area (established 2021). Enonkishu rangers
and citizen scientists served as the trainers for neighbouring conservancy rangers on the methodologies deployed in Enonkishu in 2019 and 2021.
Monitoring wildlife populations through distance estimation sampling has grown in popularity because it is a simple method that can be conducted by conservancy management on the ground. Three more Mara conservancies have adopted the methodology, with the intended goal of all conservancies conducting quarterly surveys in the year to come to gain more understanding of wildlife movements throughout the conservancies. Building capacity within the conservancies to estimate their wildlife populations will empower individual conservancies to report on wildlife numbers and adapt management decisions according to the results.
Rebekah Karimi is a wildlife biologist who has been working in Kenya for most of her career, amongst others at Round River Conservation Studies, the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust and Enonkishu Conservancy, where she was also the expedition scientist for the international citizen science and ranger expedition.
Matthias Hammer is a conservationist educated at Oxford and Cambridge universities. He founded Biosphere Expeditions in 1999 and has been its executive director ever since.
TOP Working together. A citizen scientist and a ranger analysing animal droppings.
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The equipment used in Enonkishu reflects the conservancy's dual focus on rigorous scientific research and practical conservation solutions that benefit both wildlife and local Maasai communities. From high-tech camera traps to simple scat collection kits, each tool plays a vital role in monitoring and protecting this fragile ecosystem.