Launch of Maasai Vision for Conservation & Land Sovereignty

The Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) is proud to announce the launch of the Maasai Conservation Vision, a comprehensive document developed by Maasai elders, women, and youth from 26 villages across five districts in Northern Tanzania (Ngorongoro, Longido, Monduli, Simanjiro, and Kiteto). This visionary document represents the collective voices of over 520 Maasai community members who have united to assert their rights to land, pastoralism and peaceful coexistence with wildlife.

The Maasai Conservation Vision provides a powerful alternative to the colonial, fortress-style conservation models that have been imposed on Maasai, leading to the displacement and alienation of the community. It outlines the community’s demands for an alternative approach to conservation grounded in the right to communal land, the protection of traditional pastoralist practices, and the transfer of wildlife management and tourism in community hands.

See the full press release in English here. The one-page visual summary of the Maasai vision for conservation can be found here in Swahili, English, French, German and Spanish; and the full 24-page vision document can be found here in Swahili, English, French, German and Spanish.

Posted on 16 September 2024 in Pastoralism & Natural Resources