The local community relies heavily on their livestock including goats and camels.  Livestock shares the land with local wildlife, placing extra pressure on the land and creating potential conflict between wildlife and livestock.

Livestock
The Rendille traditionally keep camel, goat and sheep, which are adapted to the arid and semiarid environment that these nomadic pastoralists inhabit. In the 1950s the Rendille adopted cattle keeping from the neighbouring Samburu tribe, however cattle require more water to survive than other livestock, and are therefore more susceptible in times of drought.

The aim of Melako's livestock program is to reduce the communities reliance on cattle by:

• providing access to alternative forms of income;
• reducing herd numbers by 25%;
• creating better access to cattle markets and;
• ensuring that stock is as healthy as possible to obtain the best price at market.

This reduction in livestock, particularly cattle, will mean less competition for grazing and water with wildlife and less pressure on the environment. It also means less risk for the community in times of drought if they are able to earn income through wildlife related activities or other enterprises, rather than livestock

Wildlife
Thanks to the Melako Community Conservancy scouts who have provided increased security for wildlife and people in Melako, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and variety of wildlife returning to Melako.

The community has designated part of their conservancy to be "livestock free" which means that only wildlife is allowed into this area to graze. The community is saying that buffalo are returning to Melako after an absence of 50 years, as well as cheetah, elephant and the endangered African wilddog.

Melako scouts track and keep an eye on wildlife around the clock, noting the location of individuals and species and recording data on GPS monitors. This information helps the conservancy to create "Wildlife distribution maps" and assists the community in formulating management plans related to wildlife, such as the location of boreholes or wells for wildlife during dry periods.