What Do We Do

• Medungi Botanical Conservancy

   

  Wildlife migratory corridors and environmental resources within communal areas are facing increasing pressure from human activities. At Olkinyei group ranch in Masai Mara this pressure has been borne by plants of significance cultural, spiritual and medicinal value to local Masai households. The Elephants and other wildlife populations’ movements have also been hugely affected. To address these crucial threats to both people and wildlife Medungi Community based organization have developed a botanical conservancy model designed to stop further loss of important botanical plants, secure corridors for Elephants and other wildlife, promote international scientific research on botanical plants preservation and stop land selling among Masai families.
• Masai cultural Preservation and Volunteerism

   

  Masai culture like all other cultures the world over have been greatly influenced and eroded by modern development and ongoing technological advances. And while the positive effects of development and technology must be supported and embraced, the century’s old positive values of Masai culture that have directly contributed to the currently striving wildlife populations and botanical resources within communal areas must be vigorously supported to ensure sustainable utilization of natural resources for present and future generations. Medungi will promote positive cross-cultural exchanges between local groups and international visitors in a way blended to allow genuine interactions and development of mutual partnerships. Key to this strategy is promote international expertise and power of technology to help local Masai people in Medungi Botanical conservancy to document and preserve all positive attributes of Masai Culture not only for their immediate benefit, but also to enable current and coming generations to benefit from these attributes the way past generations have done for hundreds of years ago. Through setting up of a Cultural Museum and Botanical Field & Research Centre, Medungi CBO will effectively bring together Local Masai youth and women groups, opinion persons with deep knowledge of botanical history and International Researchers, Students and Volunteers in an exciting programme combining botanical research, cultural exchange, conservation development and community social enterprises promotion.
• Land Security

   

  Masai culture is closely entwined with traditional land tenure system which allow for communal ownership and equal access to the resources therein. This system have allowed hundreds of Masai past generations to use land as a borrowed resource to be used, cared and handed to the next generation as pristine as possible to guarantee their needs and those after them. It has ensured the current striving wildlife populations and botanical resources that we currently enjoy at Medungi and other communal areas. Land at Olkinyei where Medungi Botanical Conservancy is based is currently at GREAT risk from land grabbing, agriculture and land selling driven by widespread and increasing poverty. Agricultural development advancing from the north of the group ranch have had huge noticeable impacts to the environment already, with the immediate being decimation of honey bees populations through use of chemicals. The honey bees are the natural pollinators and directly contribute to the striving woodlands and botanical resources they support. To address these challenges Medungi CBO has put in place a sustainable strategy involving securing land through land purchase for communal use, Capacity building through education and training and Community enterprise building.