Sera

Background of Sera
Set in 300,000 hectares of Trust land owned by the Group Ranches from Samburu, Marsabit and Isiolo, the Sera Conservation Trust has a co-tenure agreement with Samburu County Council and the Kenya Wildlife Service. Perennial natural springs at Kisima Hamsini or ’50 wells’ are a remarkable geographical feature and support both resident and migratory populations of wildlife. Large numbers of elephant pass through the area seasonally.

Traditionally pastoralist people have used the area as a seasonal watering point during drought when there is good grazing and water available. The Samburu communities formed the Sera Conservation Trust in 2001 with the long-term aim of linking three historically rival ethnic groups, the Samburu, Borana and Rendille, with a common objective for conservation, development and sustainable use of natural resources within the Sera area.

The objectives of the Trust are to:

• Establish increased security for people and wildlife within the conservation area;
• Develop environmentally sustainable natural resource-based enterprise;
• Strengthen the capacity of the community to manage the Trust and the conservation area;
• Establish necessary infrastructure for the development and management of the conservation area.

A potential challenge identified is the possibility that increased security in the Sera area as a result of this conservation initiative may lead to increased residency of pastoralists. This in turn may lead to increased grazing pressure in the buffer zone surrounding the conservation area. Establishment of baseline vegetation transects to monitor grassland condition and monitoring of livestock and boma (or homestead) numbers in the buffer zones surrounding the conservation area will enable Sera to measure this impact. Mitigation measures will be the establishment of a community-led grassland management plan, whereby grazing areas and numbers of livestock allowed into each area are managed and policed collectively by the three local communities. Two inter-tribal meetings have already been held regarding the management of grazing and a third is planned to finalise the agreement.

A joint security programme between the Sera Conservation Trust and the Rendille and Borana communities will also be established which will bring benefits to wildlife, people and their livestock.

Recently the BBC built a guest house close to the Sera Conservation Trust headquarters in Kauro. The guesthouse is built with materials found within Sera Conservancy and is located on the banks of a seasonal river. In addition to the guesthouse, the BBC is establishing a waterhole that will provide water throughout the year so that wildlife has access to water and visitors to the guest house will have a “front row seat” for viewing wildlife.

Future of Sera
The Sera Conservation Trust is looking to build one permanent tourist lodge and four satellite camps to encourage walking safaris. Vehicles would be prohibited and tourists would fly into the lodge and walk to the satellite camps with their supplies and luggage carried by camels. Increasing wildlife numbers in the area, together with the cultural and archaeological significance of Sera, will enhance the wilderness experience for visitors to this remote and unique part of northern Kenya

The conservation awareness campaign currently being carried out by the Trust management will continue, and grazing by-laws will be developed. Sera hopes to acquire its own radio repeater frequency, strengthen its management capacity, and support the women’s micro-credit scheme. The Trust is also planning to pump water from Kisima Hamsini to the periphery areas within the buffer zone to provide water to livestock ensuring that wildlife has access to the water within the core conservation area.