Wild animals are declining catastrophically and for many species the numbers have halved in a relatively short period. This is almost entirely due to habitat loss with the growing pressure for land as the human population numbers increase, especially in Africa.
Many of the forests and wilderness areas where animals once lived in abundance have now been lost to destructive logging, intensive farming and human settlement. Animals are being displaced, losing their former rangelands and falling victim to wanton killing, retaliatory attacks or poaching.
In Kenya, the human population has increased from 10 million to 50 million in five decades. Space formerly available for wildlife is disappearing rapidly as the land becomes densely settled and sub-divided with fences which are excluding wildlife and changing migration patterns.
There needs to be more space for nature. In Kenya, less than 8% of the land surface area is in the state-controlled National Parks & National Reserves. This is just not enough to provide a home for all the wild animals that reside outside the parks but are losing their habitat.
Our “wildlife conservancy concept”: increasing natural habitat
Our mission for nearly three decades has been to create more space for wildlife by expanding the area of natural habitat beyond the National Parks so that a larger area is preserved in which the wild animals can live safely in their natural environment.
By working with the local communities adjacent to the parks we have created thriving wildlife conservancies (reserves) through the leasing of their land and setting it aside for wildlife. This provides land owners with a regular income greater than they would attain from farming, plus it creates jobs and livelihoods for their family members within the conservancy and gives them a reason to protect wildlife. In return, they allow us to operate a small, low-key eco-friendly tented camp within each conservancy to generate tourist income with which the leases are paid.
Our camps and conservancies have won various awards for responsible tourism, and Ol Kinyei has been recognised by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) for its efforts in providing safe habitat for wildlife as well as tangible benefits to local communities.
- Benefits to Wildlife: increased areas of natural habitat protected by anti-poaching rangers and reduced conflict with local people
- Benefits to Local People: regular income from lease payments and employment
- Benefits to Visitors: eco-friendly safari experiences in exclusive wildlife areas away from tourist crowds
It is vital for the survival of wildlife that the conservancies continue to exist and that local communities still have jobs and incomes connected to wildlife conservation.
Adopt An Acre for Wildlife
As one solution to provide the funding for conservation we ask you to “Adopt An Acre for Wildlife” to ensure that animals and wildlife habitats are protected and that rural communities are supported.
Contributors can adopt an acre of land in the conservancies for a year with a donation through Gamewatchers Safaris to the Wildlife Habitat Trust which has been set up as a fund to help to pay the wages of the staff working in the conservancies from the local communities as well as the land leases so that the Maasai families continue receiving the rents and the conservancies can continue to exist. (Find out more about how our conservancies support wildlife and local people here: Adopt An Acre).
The Trust is audited by a reputable firm of auditors in Nairobi, Grant Thornton Kenya, so that contributors can be confident that 100% of the money collected is going directly to the Maasai community.
We have 42,500 acres to be adopted! (Selenkay Conservancy 13,500 acres, Ol Kinyei Conservancy 18,500 acres, Naboisho Conservancy 3,500 acres and Olare Motorogi Conservancy 7,000 acres).
Receive Your Donation Back as a Safari Credit
As a special incentive, anyone adopting 30 acres or more will receive a credit from Gamewatchers Safaris for the same amount donated, to be used towards payment of a stay at any of the Porini Camps in 2024 or 2025. So, for example, a donation of US$ 1050 to adopt 30 acres will receive a travel credit worth US$ 1050.
Gift It !
The adoption of acres to help support wildlife makes a wonderful gift to a friend or relative. And for larger donations (over US$ 1050) the travel credit can be applied to a booking for yourself or for someone that you nominate. So if you know someone that would love a true wilderness experience in some of Africa’s best wildlife locations then simply donate below, and email us at info@gamewatchers.com and let us know what name to add to the Adoption Certificate.
Please Donate Now
We are collecting donations on behalf of the Wildlife Habitat Trust via Donorbox. Please use the form below (payments are accepted by debit card, credit card or PayPal).
Payments are received in US$ but your own account does not need to be a US$ account and can be in a different currency (for example GB£, Canadian or Australian dollars, Euros or other currencies). Your bank will debit your account in your local currency for the equivalent of the amount sent in US dollars using their international exchange rate.
100% of the donations that we collect will be passed to the Wildlife Habitat Trust for use towards land leases and salaries of staff from the conservancy’s local communities.
