In the drought-prone Maasai land of East Africa, the protracted dry season has become a considerable survival challenge for wildlife and people. Throughout this region, several historically available waterholes have silted up and become overgrown with vegetation, destroying their usefulness for holding water. This reduction in the water supply has created an urgent need for wildlife, the Maasai people and their livestock.

The Maasai Association The Maasai Association is a community initiative, nonprofit based in Bellevue, WA and Southeastern Maasailand in Kenya. Its mission is to develop a sustainable future for the Maasai people of East Africa through education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and economic development. Photo: Judy Mukai In addition to this project, Woodland Park Zoo has partnered with the Association on education, community development and fair trade initiatives since 2001 by supporting the building of the Merrueshi primary school, a community well and the sale of beadwork made by women from the Merrueshi community at Woodland Park Zoo's ZooStore. Links: Massai Association

When a waterhole disappears, the number of wildlife in that area is reduced and may eventually disappear as wildlife migrate to a different location. The subsequent increased number of wildlife and livestock utilizing a single location is damaging to the fragile semi-arid land. This lack of water and healthy pastureland decreases overall health of wildlife making them vulnerable to harsh droughts and diseases. To eradicate this problem, the Maasai Association is working with the Maasai communities of the Merrueshi Valley in Kenya to rehabilitate and construct six waterholes that will capture valuable rainwater which would otherwise be lost to evaporation or runoff.

The Maasai people have witnessed hundreds of animals perish every year as a result of water shortages at crowded waterholes. The renovation of the waterholes will provide wildlife with a choice to continue to roam and graze freely, which will improve grazing patterns and prevent early exhaustion of resources in a single area. The restoration project encompasses the permanent Maasai communities located in the Merrueshi valley along the wildlife migration route that runs between Tsavo West, Chyulu Hills and Amboseli National Parks in Kenya. Wildlife move into the valley between these parks during the wet season to feed on new grasses and return to the parks during the dry season where year-round springs are located. Having water available in the region between the parks that lasts long after the rains have gone will allow the wildlife to continue grazing in this area for a longer period of time and reduce the pressure on the park’s resources. Carrying capacity is a critical matter of concern in the savanna and the availability of water can ease this problem.

Local people taking control of their future while saving wildlife
This project, which helps people and wildlife at the same time, is a community based initiative from beginning to end. The Maasai Association, led by Kakuta Ole Hamisi, is the driving force behind the waterhole restoration project. The Association worked in collaboration with the beneficiary communities to conduct a needs assessment. There is consensus among the Maasai community in this area that water harvesting through renovated waterholes is the most economically feasible and reliable option for improving the ecological conditions for wildlife, people and livestock in the region. This project is a result of the ideas concluded during the meetings held by the beneficiary communities and the Maasai Association.

Photo: Judy Benvenuti

Photo: Judy Benvenuti

The Maasai people are traditional stewards of the land that they have shared with savanna wildlife for centuries. However, the ability for them to maintain their villages and continue to be land and wildlife stewards is threatened by lack of water and economic opportunities. Renovating the waterholes on the savanna will bring about conservation of wildlife, improve the health of the Maasai livestock, preserve the Maasai way of life, and restore the savanna biome. The waterholes require low maintenance and can be maintained by local Maasai people without ongoing support from the outside. The villagers already have a community based management system in place; they only need initial funding to bring the waterholes into use. This project offers a key solution to the issue of carrying capacity and better resource management.


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