Karisia Conservation

Karisia Walking Safaris have been involved in conservation and community empowerment since their inception. 

At the heart of these efforts is Tumaren. Once a degraded ranch land used for livestock, visitors to Tumaren will now find a thriving wildlife haven. On Tumaren as well as on unfenced, adjacent properties, the Karisia rangers manage 10,500 acres exclusively for wildlife, complimenting many other large neighboring conservation areas to the south and west. 

“After only a few years of good management the wildlife began a steady rebound. Plains game increased sharply and our Reticulated Giraffe, Oryx and Eland began assembling in larger and larger herds.  The predators also began appearing more and more, leopard, cheetah and wild dogs have frequented the area in recent years along side the lion prides one could now almost regard as residents. The Elephant herds that once just passed through began stopping for longer, eventually making Tumaren a preferred maternity area, for giving birth to their young. “

Tumaren neighbours several Laikipia Masaai ranches and the majority of the Karisia Safari teams represent those immediate communities. The walking safaris pass through community and private land and each guest pays a conservation and community fee. This not only provides a revenue to the local community but it is instrumental to the conservation of increasing wildlife populations across a much broader area.

Conservation starts with people and it is hard to make concessions for wildlife when families are badly in need. Karisia put people at the forefront of their outreach assisting their neighbors so that their own lives as well as the lives of the wildlife they live alongside can improve.

Nurture             Empower                      Protect

Security Team: The 12 rangers are a crucial part of the team at Tumaren, patrolling over 10,500 acres amongst increasing numbers of wildlife. They work to prevent poaching and engage local communities in conservation and monitoring wildlife. Contribute to the ongoing training and equipping of our rangers on the ground.

Conservation Leases: We always are looking for ways to expand our conservation footprint and by leasing neighboring land otherwise dedicated exclusivly to livestock we can easily achieve that goal. Contribute to our ecosystem impact across Laikipia. 

School Food Program : We currently supplement food that the government provides for the local Primary schools, Kimanjo and II Motiok. We aim to facilitate a more nutritional balanced diet for these children, allowing the school and students to focus more upon their studies. Between the two schools we feed over 1,000 students every day and across the two schools headteachers have reported a 25% improvement in attendance since the projects began.

Educational Bursaries: Many local children and families can not afford their school fees, consequentially we provide a bursary opportunity for these students to assist them in finishing their studies. The bursaries range form $150 – $1,000 per year dependent upon age and schools they wish to attend.  

Invasive Species Control: While there are few invasive species in Laikipia, a significant issue are invasive cactuses. A team of payed community members physically dig cactuses up and dispose of them to prevent their spread and safeguard our indigenous flora and fauna.

Restoration: Overgrazing has been an issue across Laikipia, resulting in a reduction of ground cover which enables erosion and compaction of the land. While reducing the extent of grazing has helped, there are areas where soil still needs assistance in order to absorb rainfall and enabling successful vegetation. These areas are identified and helped by our team with a small tractor that ploughs swales which catch rainfall, seeds and slowly restore grassland.