The Mara Conservancies group, an umbrella organisation that will bring together conservancies in the greater Mara for purposes of ecosystem management, social development, safeguarding of communal land is under formation. The process has received support from Basecamp Foundation, Olare ork Trust and Kenya Wildlife Trust.  The group secretariat , currently headed by Dickson Ole Kaelo and Patrick Siparo, needs funding to effectively undertake its responsibilities.

About Mara Conservancies Forum

This is an umbrella organisation that brings together conservancies in the greater Mara for purposes of ecosystem management, social development, safeguarding of communal land.  The forum is under formation through the support of Basecamp Foundation Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Trust and Olare Orok Conservancy Trust.

 Goal

The goal is to provide a platform for systematic dialogue among conservancies and between conservancies and various actors (both state and non state actors) on matters ranging from conservation to incentives to conserve among other issues.

Mission

The organization is intended to be the regional, county and national voice for conservation and community development work in the Mara. It will collaborate with and support the activities of the national conservancies organization by becoming a member.

Geographical Scope

The umbrella organization proposes to initially work with existing conservancies and those in formation but in future grow to cover the entire Masai Mara ecosystem including key water catchment areas such as the Mau and Loita.

Two meetings have been convened so far and the downloadable reports are available here.

EcoStorm Maasai Mara was the second EcoStorm workshop in what is set to become a global movement for sustainable destination development. Modelled to articulate Basecamp’s concept of tourism for people (communities), planet (environment) and profit (business), each EcoStorm delivers a unique blue print or set of guidelines that supports the destination to make solid sustainable tourism development plans; plans to improve local livelihoods, empower local people, conserve the environment and use resources responsibly through profitable tourism businesses. The foundation of EcoStorm is planning through stakeholder dialogue and participation.

• Capturing CO2 with trees in Masai Mara, Kenya
• Climate Warriors

• Saving the cheetah
• Planting Trees
• Protecting land
• Cultivators of Cultural Landscapes

• Sunder Rang - sustaining livelihoods in Rajasthan
• Boat building and sailing – Swahili style!
• Cultural acceptance – the key to development and democracy
• Expand your creativity with Basecamp

• Clean Water & Sanitation - Rajasthan, India
• HIV/AIDS – Kenya

• A culture of Learning
• A culture of Sharing
• A culture of Leadership

• Conservation & Protection
• Climate & Energy
• Culture & Creativity
• Learning, Sharing & Leadership
• Health & Well-being

Basecamp Explorer has a business model built on a foundation of respect and honour for nature and for our fellow human beings. Our goal is that the impacts of the business carried out by Basecamp Explorer are to be positive on the environment, on the local communities where we operate – and of course on our guests. We strive to develop and operate a business that – on balance – leaves the world a better place, while still being financially viable. Thus our slogan: Tourism for People, Planet, and Profit.

We are continuously challenging ourselves, as well as our partners and competitors in the travel industry, to develop and refine this model.

All ongoing and planned activities within the physical camp area shall be of such character that any negative impacts on the environment shall not be traceable within six months after terminating such activities, and the integrity and function of the ecosystem that the camp is built on shall be fully restored.

Benchmarks for monitoring impact, performance and measuring progress

This document has been drafted for Basecamp Foundation Norway and Basecamp Foundation Kenya to serve as a policy document for guidance in selecting sustainable and viable projects within Basecamp’s concept -Tourism for People, Planet & Profit.

Responsible Tourism Policy for Basecamp Facilities- Kenya (revised 2009)

The Basecamp Climate Warriors program aims to raise awareness and provide solutions concerning climate change and its adverse impacts on nature and people.

Basecamp’s sustainable tourism concept has gained significant practical experience over the last ten years through the development of six different country destinations. Significant to this experience has been the implementation of a wide range of community and conservation projects. To ensure projects sustainability and sharing of experiences, Basecamp Foundation was established in mid 2007.

The formation of Basecamp Foundation is one of Basecamp’s most significant innovations in doing sustainable tourism. This foundation provides an innovative approach to design, implementation, management and monitoring of community (people) and conservation projects, by establishing a link between the non- economic and economic activities of the business.