Conservation Program Update: Grass Seed Bank Project Update

The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, together in partnership with donor A New Course, are establishing a grass bank for seed production near Kuku village, in the centre of Kuku Group Ranch. Currently, a team of local Maasai are in the works of preparing the fertile land by carefully ploughing the open areas, not to disturb the existing flora. The installation of the structural components, posts and stakes, for the solar fence to enclose the grass seed bank has been completed, supervised by a craftsman employed by MWCT.

The location (red point) of the 43 acre Grass Seed Bank near Kuku village on Kuku Group Ranch

A community meeting was held to inform the community about the grass seed project and it's potential benefits. The community members of Kuku greatly welcomed the project and participated in the site selection for the 43 acre grass seed bank.

Local community members assist in constructing the solar fence of the grass seed bank. Commitment and hard work is required from a number of community members to ensure a smooth initiation of the project

All of the required equipment has arrived at the site and is installed. The infrastructure for the fence has been fully installed, and the wiring for the fence will be completed once the land has been fully prepared in the coming weeks.

The gate for the grass seed bank ready to be installed

15 women from the local women's group are to be educated on the creation and management of grass banks for seed production in the next week. First, the women will be active in preparing the terrain and filling the existing erosion gullies with rocks and dead plant material. After this, the purchased Horse-tail grass (Chloris roxburghiana), Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) and Masai love-grass (Eragrotis superba) seeds will be sown in the areas before the next rains in March - May 2015.

Installed corner posts for the grass bank

This project will not only directly benefit the women groups through generating an income from selling seeds and harvesting grass, but it will also create awareness for the protection and restoration of rangelands and contribute to MWCT's greater ecosystem restoration and rangeland management program. This model has the potential to be replaced on a broader scale in the ecosystem and the produced seeds can be used to reclaim heavily degraded grasslands.

\We look forward to continuing to update you on the progress of meetings, preparations, and developments of this very exciting project!

The land is ready and eager to be ploughed!

Conservation Program Update - Rangeland Monitoring Workshop

In MWCT's efforts to preserve the grassland ecosystem of Kuku Group Ranch, it is just as important to protect the vegetation as it is to protect the wildlife.  Plant life forms the foundation of the food chain, feeding insects and birds as well as the larger grazers and browsers that are hunted by predators.  The grasses are also vital to the goats and cattle herded by the Maasai.  MWCT is working with the community to develop a rangeland management plan that includes vegetation monitoring and rotational grazing.

MWCT Conservation Managers Lana Müller and Dirk van der Goes recently conducted an in-house training for ten staff members to teach them about vegetation monitoring.  Participants received basic information about the ecology and functioning of grassland systems.  They also learned to recognize indicators of rangeland deterioration and rangeland improvement.  Finally, they learned why rangeland monitoring is important and what it entails.  In the afternoon, a practical vegetation monitoring exercise was conducted in the field.  The workshop was educational and enjoyable for all participants.

Conservation Manager Lana Müller taught workshop participants
about rangeland monitoring and its importance.

After Lana's presentation, participants took a written test
to demonstrate their understanding of the material.

Conservation Manager Dirk van der Goes trained participants
in the field by demonstrating rangeland monitoring methods.

The participants put their new knowledge to use by completing
a practical rangeland monitoring exercise in an overgrazed area.