About Nareto
We protect wildlife, restore the land, and build sustainable livelihoods with the Maasai communities of Northern Kenya.
Explore the storyOne landscape.
One shared future.
At Nareto Conservancy, conservation and community are not two separate goals. They are the same goal. Our name, Nareto, reflects unity and shared purpose: the belief that this land only stays wild if the people who live on it can build a future here.
We are a Maasai-led community organization based in Laikipia County. The conservancy was founded by landowners who brought their individual parcels together under one governing body, and it is governed today by a Board of Management made up of those same landowners or their authorized representatives.
We work at the intersection of wildlife protection, land restoration, water access, and community empowerment, not because it is fashionable to combine them, but because in this landscape they were never separable to begin with.
The future we see
A community conservancy where communities are enriched by being connected to natural resources and wildlife.
The work we commit to
To protect and preserve the rich biodiversity of the region through innovative conservation practices, sustainable environmental initiatives and inclusive community engagement.
What we do
Conservation
Protecting wildlife, restoring habitat, and safeguarding water and rangeland for the generations after us.
Community Empowerment
Building skills, income, and leadership so that the communities have a genuine economic reason to choose conservation, not just a moral one.
Partnership
Working alongside government, technical partners, and funders who share this model of conservation, so we compound impact instead of duplicating it.
Our Approach
Protecting Wildlife and Habitats
Conservation starts with the people, land and the wildlife it holds. We work to reduce poaching, habitat loss, and unsustainable land use through community rangers, awareness campaigns, and local stewardship. That secures water, grazing, and cultural identity for the people who depend on this land, alongside the wildlife that shares it.
A New Generation of Custodians
Conservation only lasts if the next generation understands their role as custodians of this land. Through youth programs, and community dialogue, we connect traditional knowledge with modern conservation practice, raising a generation that carries this responsibility forward as their own.
Community in the Lead
Every initiative we run, from habitat restoration to water management to new livelihoods, is designed and implemented with the full participation of the households it affects. That is not a courtesy. It is the only way conservation here builds real, lasting ownership.
No One Does This Alone
In conservation there is no competition, only collaboration and partnerships. No single organization protects a landscape. We work with government agencies, NGOs, technical and funding partners, and neighboring community organizations to pool expertise and resources, aligning what we do here with landscape and national conservation priorities.
Livelihoods, Not Just Land
Conservation has to improve people's lives, not just protect wildlife. We support beekeeping, climate-smart agriculture, and nature-based tourism as income sources that reduce pressure on fragile land. Protecting nature and improving livelihoods are the same project here, not competing ones.
Built on Our Members
Our strength is our members: the community households, scouts, and community leaders who make this conservancy real every day. Through membership, advocacy, and partnership, we carry the message that conservation here is a shared responsibility, not an outside intervention.