Green List
Explore

Ol Kinyei Conservancy
Ol Kinyei

kenya 

First Listed

2018

Area
34.4km2

Why is it Green Listed?

This 18,700 acre Kenyan wildlife conservancy is on a tranche of land belonging to a Maasai community who leased it to Gamewatchers Safaris to be set aside for the purposes of wildlife conservation.

Located within the Serengeti-Mara eco-system, Ol Kinyei is renowned for its unspoilt and breathtaking scenery with diverse terrain offering on one hand open savannah plains and rolling hills on the other.
The land, with its abundance of water sources in the form of springs, streams and rivers, coupled with spectacular views across the Mara plains, is home to a wide variety of animal species. There is a resident lion pride of over 20 animals and several leopards also have their territories within the conservancy and are often sighted by guests from Porini Mara Camp on evening or early morning drives. Cheetahs are frequently seen and it is not rare to come across large numbers of giraffe as well as Cape buffalo and elephants.

Site Attributes

WDPA ID

Size
34.4km2

Designation(s)
Community Conservancy

IUCN Category
VI

Year Established
2005

Marine Protected Area
No

Governance Type
For-profit organisations

Site Agency
Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps

Site Manager
Daniel Njaga

Application
28.6.17

EAGL Evaluation
31.8.18

GL Committee Submission
15.10.18

EAGL Chair
Nigel Hunter

ASI Reviewer
Etienne kuzong

Site Summary

Ol Kinyei is an established Kenyan wildlife conservancy is on a  tranche of land belonging to a Maasai community who leased it  to Gamewatchers Safaris to be set aside for the purposes of  wildlife conservation. Located within the Serengeti-Mara eco-  system, Ol Kinyei displays open savannah plains and rolling  hills. The land, with its abundance of water sources in the form  of springs, streams and rivers, connected to the wider Mara  plain, is home to a wide variety of animal species. Local Maasai  tour guides are employed to ensure that visitors safely  experience natural and cultural values with low impact and  mutual benefits.

Major Site Values:

There is a resident lion pride of over 20 animals and several  leopards also have their territories within the conservancy.

Cheetahs, giraffe as well as Cape buffalo and elephants are  present in viable populations. The great Wildebeest Migration  (generally June to October) passes through Ol Kinyei, and there  is another Wildebeest Migration from Kenya’s Loita Plains to the  Mara which moves into Ol Kinyei Conservancy earlier, usually  by January. The calving takes place there during February and  March when the plains of the conservancy are teeming with  wildebeest before they move through Naboisho Conservancy  and into Olare Motorogi and the Mara Reserve.

Conservation Summary


EAGL statement:

  • OKC was the first conservancy to be established in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem along this model, in 2005 with approximately 5,000 acres (2032 ha) of private land leased to Porini Ol Kinyei Ltd on a 5-year initial lease (Figure 1). The conservancy lies between the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Loita Plains, directly in the wildlife dispersal zone and critical habitat for the Loita wildebeest migration. It comprises open savannah plains, riverine forest, springs, streams  and rivers, rolling hills and spectacular views across the Mara. Since 2005, the conservancy has steadily grown and is currently 18,500 acres and is now one  of the best habitats for the large cats like lions, cheetahs and leopards. Recent studies have documented Ol Kinyei as having one of the highest densities of  lions in Kenya. EAGL’s chair statement on Ol Kinyei GL application: “We [Kenyan EAGL] agree that Ol KInyei application meets the requirements and can go  forward to the next step of the Green List process which is the review by the independent reviewer.”

Reviewer statement:

  • The Reviewer confirms that all relevant requirements of the User Manual v1.1 (Aug 2018) have been fulfilled. The full compliance report is available. Sufficient evidence is presented by the Site to support each indicator. Each EAGL member was requested to review parts of the questionnaire (which contains the indicators and PA evidence) and clarifications were requested from the PA management. For the EAGL review process, each EAGL member was requested to  review parts of the questionnaire (based on EAGL member’s background and competence) and clarifications were requested from the PA management. The  PA considered all relevant questions from the different EAGL members and responded to them in a satisfactory manner. A site visit was conducted by the  EAGL from 19 – 21 July 2018. The site visit schedule was reviewed and approved by the reviewer, as required by the User Manual. Before the site visits, each  EAGL member was given a part of the checklist to be reviewed. Each member provided feedback and needs for clarification to be made during the site

visits. These were then followed up during the site visit. Following submission of the PA candidate phase to the Reviewer, a review was carried out and a  preliminary report was sent to the EAGLs on 27 September 2018 for their review and correction of findings. All findings have been addressed by the PA and  EAGL and corresponding updates were made in COMPASS as well. The review detailed report shows the EAGL and PA responses and

comments. Stakeholder consultation around Green List issues happened at various occasions throughout the process. The final voting took place during a  face to face meeting organized by the EAGL on 31 August 2018. Minutes of EAGL meetings have been reviewed and the Reviewer also watched the recording  of the EAGL meeting to ensure that the discussions were in line with the EAGL ToRs. Discussions were open and constructive. No EAGL member had any  Conflicts of Interests with respect to the Ol Kinyei site. All EAGL members (except the two new members who joined in June 2018) unanimously voted  positively for the Ol Kinyei PA, after review of the various documents and responses from the PA management. The outcome of voting is documented in the 31  August 2018 meeting report. The assessment process has been properly conducted and all aspects of the User Manual have been followed. Following the  outcome of the review and the process carried out by the EAGL in evaluating the PA, the Reviewer hereby confirms that all relevant requirements of the IUCN  Green List User Manual v1.1 (Aug 2018) have been fulfilled, as outlined above. The Reviewer, therefore, recommends that Ol Kinyei Conservancy, Kenya (S-  0096) be nominated for the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas.

  • Access to site website and other links (if applicable): Ol Kinyei
Please note that our website is in a BETA phase and is still undergoing final testing before our official launch.
IUCN Green List

IUCN Green List
Protected | Conserved Areas


Subscribe to our mailing list

Privacy Policy Legal Sitemap

© 2023 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature
Site by Design Factory
This website is possible thanks to the support from:

Join the conversation


IUCN Green List