Imagine a scenario where you have the opportunity to embark on a wildlife safari to four different destinations simultaneously. Sounds impossible, right? This is an exclusive package that only the Meru Conservation Area presents.
The Meru Conservation Area (MCA) is a protected area of about 5,000 square kilometers. It is made up of two national parks, Meru and Kora National Parks, and two national reserves, Mwingi and Bisanadi National Reserves, all under the protection of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Becoming a Conservation Area
The making of MCA began in 1966 with the gazettement of Meru National Park. A few years later, the park begot about 606 square kilometres of a paradise unspoiled northwards with the gazettement of Bisanadi National Reserve in 1979.
A humble acreage at the beginning, this protected area saw a leap in expanse following the death of George Adamson. George, commonly known as the father of lions, was a game warden in Northern Kenya who ran a lion rehabilitation programme at Kora National Reserve. Although a dedicated caretaker to lions orphaned and rescued from captivity, George was brutally murdered by poachers in 1989 in Kora on his way to rescue a tourist from bandits. His death shook the conservation world. In honour of his empowering legacy that safeguarded many lions, including Elsa, the legendary lioness, the Kora National Reserve was elevated to a park in 1990 to further his rehabilitation work. Kora is the largest of the four.
Besides these parks and reserve, MCA’s puzzle is completed by Mwingi National Reserve’s subtle but powerful presence. Tucked remotely away from her three sisters, Mwingi is untamed and unspoiled, making it not only the MCA’s last frontier but also the wilderness zone that lets in only intrepid travelers to its fold.
Altogether, MCA is the second-largest conservation area in the country after the Tsavo National Park and is said to be the only remaining true wilderness in Kenya.
Wildlife Haven
These varying areas make MCA an intermix of well-watered and hot and dry complexes. As the Meru National Park complex drinks from the refreshing streams snaking their way from the Nyambene Hills towards the Tana River, Bisanadi and Mwingi National Reserves remain content in semi-aridity and aridity, only quenching their thirst in Tana’s unfailing providence alongside temporary streams.
This stark contrast in precipitation is responsible for MCA’s biodiversity. The protected area hosts sixty-seven of the ninety-two recorded Somali-Maasai biome species. Collectively, the protected area is home to over 720 plant species, 500 animal species, and an avifaunal presence of over 280 bird species.
A Natural Heritage Site
A site of varied bio-geographies, endemism, and biological diversity, the Meru Conservation Area is more than just a stretch of land. It is a place of species richness, conservation history, and untamed wildlife experience. As one of the only remaining true wildernesses in the world, MCA is a salient point in the world’s conservation story that deserves the official UNESCO stamp as a World Heritage Site.