National Parks and Conservation Areas: Impacts on the Maasai and Opportunities for Sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism

Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania, focusing on key reserves like the Maasai Mara and Amboseli. It examines how these protected areas have disrupted the Maasai’s traditional semi-nomadic pastoralist and transhumant lifestyle through land displacement, restricted grazing, and cultural commodification. The chapter also highlights opportunities for empowering the Maasai through sustainable, culturally respectful tourism initiatives, guided by frameworks such as the Larrakia Declaration. Success stories of indigenous-led ecotourism demonstrate models that support economic benefits, cultural preservation, and environmental conservation. The shift towards sustainable tourism models requires coordinated efforts at both local and global levels, with a focus on long-term solutions that respect and empower indigenous populations.