| Summary: | Much of the effort to include communities in conservation of large
landscapes has been driven by interests outside the savannas, either by national
governments, NGOs, or foreign conservationists (Neumann 2002,
Brockington et al. 2008). Once included in conservation planning only as
an afterthought, local communities are now major stakeholders. However,
initiatives driven, led, and managed by local leaders, communities, and institutions
to meet the needs of both wildlife and people remain rare. The
science of community- based conservation rarely answers the questions
posed by local communities, integrates local knowledge, or builds the capacity
of communities to do their own research. This chapter is the story
of our efforts to turn community- based conservation around so that it is
driven, led, and managed by local interests, needs, and people in Kenya’s
northern Serengeti- Mara ecosystem, or the Mara.
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