ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates how the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Maasai societies combined with their social capital facilitates coexistence between pastoralists and wildlife. This case study is situated in Kenya’s southern Maasailand, on the group ranches of Olkiramatian and Shompole, an area inhabited by roughly 20,000 people in approximately 1,000 km2 with the two ranches used as a single management area. The traditional seasonal livestock movements and herding practices in this area are planned and governed by local committees, which primarily dictate where settlement and grazing are allowed in a given season. The chapter reports that in Shompole and Olkiramatian a culture of coexistence with wildlife exists and is influenced by societal beliefs relating to wildlife. The chapter provides novel insight into how Maasai living in the region are able to coexist with lions.
