Our Story
Who We Are
RAMAT Wildlife Society is a representative body for conservancies in Central Kajiado. The bulk
of these conservancies are currently found in the Matapato Rangelands, a vast area at the
periphery of the Amboseli National Park Ecosystem.
The 3200 sq km landscape is a wildlife dispersal area that also borders the Kenya-Tanzania
border and has had minimal conservation investment for a very long time. The area is mostly
occupied by Maasai who subdivided community group ranches into individual holdings from the
1990s but have continued to co-exist with wildlife with many challenges. The transition from
community land tenure led to massive reduction of wildlife species due to closure of
traditional migratory routes (by settlements and fencing), harassment and poaching.
The organization was registered in 2022, a result of growth of community conservancies,
therefore the need for a coordinating body in the region. It serves as a vehicle for the
conservancies to raise resources and strengthen their governance systems as well as support
communities that are interested in the wildlife economy. A total of 10 conservancies (190,000
acres) have so far been formed in the last two years. The region has a potential to host 20
conservancies thus the possibility to being 300,000 acres into conservation.
RAMAT Wildlife Society is an advocacy vehicle for a region that has had minimal conservation
support, where communities continue suffer from Human Wildlife Conflict. The lack of
conservation investment is ironic since dozens of conservation organizations are congested
around the Amboseli Ecosystem, while the critical wildlife dispersal are left with no support.
To mitigate these challenges, RAMAT Wildlife Society will play a critical role in increasing
conservation investment by supporting the growth of conservancies and continue to expand
wildlife spaces and most importantly advocate for a better life for the people who share the
land with wildlife.
We believe that protecting and restoring the natural environment is not only essential for the
survival of wildlife species, but also for the well-being and prosperity of people who will
live in this critical rangeland.