Bridging Communities and Conservation in GSME
The CoCoST program, initiated by Professor Han Olff, RUG University, strives to promote a sustainable future for wildlife and communities within the transboundary Greater Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem (GSME) in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. By examining the root causes behind the significant decline in wildlife populations and land degradation, the program aims to develop innovative solutions. These solutions involve fostering alternative livelihoods and implementing improved land use planning to address the challenges faced by the region. COmON supports a PhD student who has been playing a leading role in the compilation of the first-ever county spatial plan for Narok county (encompassing Mara Reserve) over the last 2 years.
UEF CoCoST involves a collaboration between the University of Groningen, local governments and research institutions in Tanzania and Kenya. COmON is hereby supporting five PhD students working on developing solutions to the increasing pressure on the nomadic life of the Masai and the limited availability of, mostly degraded, land. In 2023, COmON together with DOB Ecology gave an additional donation for the first phase of restoring sustainably managed grasslands in northern Loliondo, Tanzania, through controlled fires. Community Facilitators were also appointed to further develop this project and promote sustainable grassland management.
