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Executive Report EcoStorm Masai Mara

1. Participants

The number of participants who registered for the EcoStorm workshop came to a total of 60 people (see attached participant list). As each EcoStorm focuses on the destination where the workshop is held, the representation from the community should have been higher, otherwise we reached 90 % of our ideal participant distribution.

Communities: local and other community representatives
Government and authorities: local, regional, national level representatives
Private sector: tour operators, resource owners, tourism investors, sustainable tourism consultants, marketing agencies, destination managers,
Academia: students, researchers, professors, teachers, international and national experts of sustainable tourism

A. The participants represented institutions as follows:

B. The ideal distribution of participants would look as below ensuring the objectives of EcoStorm to gather several stakeholders under one roof achieved:

The participants represented the below origins:

D. The ideal distribution of origins would look as below:


2. Presenters

A. EcoStorm is a participatory and engaging process. The active contributions during the Masai Mara workshop were made by:

Local Masai Mara managers
Olare Orok Conservancy, Dickson Kaelo

Management Masai Mara Game Reserve
Senior Warden Ole Sindiyo

Local Group ranch leaders
MMMA Ole Francis Nkoitoi

Community
Koyiaki Guiding School: Simon Nkoitoi
HIV/Aids Outreach Talek, Jackson Njabit

International expertise on tourism and climate change
Professor Murray Simpson, Oxfrod University, UK

Private sector/ tourism
Maasai Mara online: Johan De Toit and Adam Whitey, Kenya
&Beyond : Les Carlisle, South Africa
Cheli & Peacock David Hewett

International NGO's
Conservation Development Centre: Rob Malpas and Dave Henson, UK
Netherlands Development Organisation: Morgan Siloma

National NGO's
Eco Tourism Kenya: Edith Alusa Bosire, Aru Willets
African Conservation Centre: Johnson Sipitiek

Government
Kenya Wildlife Service, Erastus Kanga
ENSDA Ole Nkaku
Hon Judge Keiuwa Moijo

Basecamp Foundation
Lars Lindkvist
Judy Kepher Gona
James Simiren

3. Evaluation

To improve and develop the workshops is an ongoing process. Our benchmark is to score higher than 4, any score below is not accepted and will be focused on for the next EcoStorm. We share a few comments, both positive and negative for each part as below:

 

Secretariat: well organised, smooth, flexible, earlier communication to local operators requested, communication good but best for people with daily access to emails,

Facilities and service:
Waiver park fees excellent, innovative with tent seminar, food substandard, last evening bush dinner good, friendly staff, best site with good environmental practises, unique, more nyama choma, expensive by road package, hot water missing at bush camp

Workshop sessions:
All sessions interesting, inspiring, good mix of receiving info and followed by stimulating discussions, too little networking time, broad coverage and expertise, well balanced, more examples on destinations requested, educative, time constraints

Workshop structure:
Lectures mixed quality, could be more practical, exchange some talks to excursions, better time management, good mix of everything, some duplication in challenge formulations, exciting approach, introductions of participants missing, excursions sometimes disrupted program,

Overall:
Extremely useful and worthwhile, impressive arrangement, EcoStorm Mara should be sustained, very good atmosphere, great and relaxed working environment, venue excellent and charming, relevant,

4. Media attention:

Published:

"Masai Mara goes Carbon neutral to draw in the herds" Solomon Mburu, Business Daily - Tuesday December 2 2008

"Eco Tourism is all the hype" Jevans Nyyabiage Daily Nation - Tuesday December 9 2008

"Tourists' donations to support local communities", Solomon Mburu Business Daily - Wednesday December 10 2008

“Groups propose new management plan for the Mara” , Solomon Mburu, Business Daily - Friday December 12 th 2008

To be published:

1. East African Newspaper (Nation group) Due publication date mid December - article submitted

2. Swara - next issue (not written) Due publication date Jan – March 2009   - news bulletin

3. Twende - February issue Due publication date - February 2009 - news bulletin

4. Africa Geographic (as part of a larger story on the Mara e.g Box) submission date April 2009

 

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