Equity in the Loita/Purko Naimina Enkiyio forest in Kenya : securing Maasai rights to and responsibilities for the forest

The Loita/Purko Naimina Enkiyio forest is estimated to cover an area of 330 km2 in Kenya and serves several functions within the Loita Maasai community. When a change of the forest tenure to a reserve threatened this community, they challenged the decision and were successful in having the decision rescinded. Security of tenure can be considered the single most important factor in the sustainable management of natural resources. This publication compares three different tenure regimes and discusses how they might affect the local Maasai community.