"Hunters of the Mara Triangle" All funds generated from the sale of this painting will go to the Mara Conservancy.
Oil on canvas.
24 x 36in

.

A Donation for the Mara Conservancy

The Mara conservancy is the first of what I believe could become a new deal for the management of national wildlife areas in countries such as Kenya. Private management, not ownership, of these priceless reservoirs of wilderness offers a way forward where lean and effective programs can bring dramatic and long lasting benefits to conservation, tourism and community development. We all know that government agencies simply cannot get free from bureaucratic and political handicaps. With the world in the mess it is in, nature is under increasing pressure. The human population is still growing, resources such as water and food are getting scarce, politicians seem more selfish and distracted, tourism is unreliable because of security and of course, the economics of the worldÕs nations does not help. Add to this climate change, and one realises why private, lean and effective management is so critical for places such as the famous Mara. Of course, even private management has problems, and with tourism having been adversely affected by the recent instability (now behind us) in Kenya, the Mara Conservancy needs to seek support from where it can. The generosity of Paul Augustinus in donating his wonderful painting of two cheetahs (opposite page) is much appreciated and I applaud the sale of this painting. The funds raised through the sale of this item will go directly to the conservancy, where it will be used on anti-poaching, road improvement and conservation management. This part of the Mara, falling along the border between Kenya and Tanzania, is particularly critical, both as the extension of the northern Serengeti, and as the frontier with the farms and settlements. Poaching can easily get out of hand, and the Mara Conservancy has done wonderful work.

Richard Leakey

Chairman WildlifeDirect