Evaluating Land Use and Land Cover Changes Around Protected Areas and Their Implications on Wildlife Conservation: A Case Study of Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Narok County

Abstract

Land use and Land cover change is a driving factor eliciting wildlife conservation challenges, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, diminishing ecosystem services and other environmental and socio-economic challenges. The research aimed to appraise changes in land use cover (LUC), assess the factors that drive land use cover change (LUCC), and identify the main threats and challenges that hinder the management and conservation of the Maasai Mara Ecosystem. To address the study objectives, the study applied a mixed sampling design that involved cluster sampling and simple random sampling. Data collected for the study was on land use cover changes around the Maasai Mara Ecosystem from 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014 and 2024 in different sections of the Ecosystem. Landsat satellite pictures equipped with multispectral sensors (MSS), enhanced thematic mapper plus (ETM+) sensors, and a thematic mapper were used to examine the change in land use and cover. A total of 172 respondents were interviewed from Sekenani, Koiyaki, Lemek, Olkinyei, and Kilgoris in Trans Mara Sub-County to determine how LUCC affect wildlife conservation, and also identify the factors that drive LUCC. To learn more about the LUC in the research area, including its historical and current conditions as well as any new threats, key informant interviews were undertaken. Chi-square and Pearson correlation were employed to analyze the data. According to the study's analysis of the data using the Pearson correlation, the amount of water, forest/shrub land, and bare land decreased alarmingly between 1984 and 2024. The decline, according to the statistical test, was at -0.90 and -0.91 (Pearson statistic), respectively. However, over time, there was a statistically significant growth in both farmland and settlements, with respective values of 0.96 and 0.86 (3Pearson statistics). Moreover, results from the chi-square at 0.05 alpha level indicated that the primary cause of LULC changes was the high immigration of people into the Mara ecosystem, driven by the increasing demand for land. Based on the findings from stakeholder engagements the research concluded that significant LUCC have been occurring within the Maasai Mara Ecosystem driven by population increase and settlements, agriculture, township sprawl and livestock grazing threatening wildlife conservation. The study recommends that wildlife conservation be incorporated into spatial land use planning and land use policies formulated for the management of the Maasai Mara Ecosystem be implemented to foster a sustainable co-existence between human activities and wildlife habitats.