Saving Nairobi’s Lions: The Maasai Community Keeping Wildlife Corridors Alive

In Nairobi, Kenya, a rare harmony is unfolding between wildlife and the Maasai community living just south of the city’s famed Nairobi National Park. As urban sprawl squeezes wildlife into shrinking spaces, a vital corridor on unfenced Maasai land allows animals like lions and wildebeests to roam and breed freely, preserving fragile genetic diversity. Despite losing livestock to hungry predators, locals are choosing conservation over conflict, supported by modest government payments. Innovative programs now reward landowners with “biodiversity credits,” aiming to scale community-led conservation. With the stakes so high, residents are keeping ancient paths open—not just for lions but for the future of all Kenya’s iconic wildlife.

The Guardian