Searching for socio-ecological approaches to increase Balanites trees through local small-scale conservation in the conservancies adjoining the Maasai Mara, Kenya

Abstract

On the edges of the Maasai Mara in western Kenya there are 15 conservancies, where herds of wildlife, cattle, sheep, goats, and predators are found with Balanites aegyptiaca, an iconic and much-photographed tree known by many names, such as desert date, or more simply, Balanites. Most individuals are 80–90 years old, yet the tree has a life-expectancy of about 120 years. Lack of young trees is due to grazing and browsing impacts from sheep and goat herding that began about eighty years ago. Protecting young naturally regenerated trees is difficult as they are also grazed by large herbivores such as elephants and giraffe. In this perspective essay we describe botanical and social approaches to enable small-scale conservation in a remote area where no work on Balanites revegetation has been done previously. There are two core approaches. First, collecting seed from both superior mother trees and more widely to achieve a source of genetic diversity and second, to work with landowners and other locals on methods to protect new saplings from sheep and goats. These avenues of action in this poor rural area will set the stage for further practical research and assessment of methods to improve the regional survival of Balanites.