As the Mara River snakes its way from its source in the South it is filled with power.
But as it drains towards Maasai Mara National Park and beyond, the surge, depth and and strength diminish.
Today, the river is faced with threats including loss of forest cover in the upper catchment and along river tributaries, unsustainable agricultural expansion and intensification, including irrigation.
The threats have been heightened as a result of population growth, poorly planned tourist facilities, water pollution and unregulated water abstraction by urban settlements, large-scale commercial farming, and industrial activities
Failures by local, national and regional legislation and institutional structures are also aggravating the problem of lowering river levels.
The Mara River drains into Lake Victoria at Musoma in Tanzania.
The Mara River Basin is about 13,750 km2 (337,699 acres), of which 65 per cent is located in Kenya and 35 per cent in Tanzania.
Known to those in the tourism sector as a lifeline, the river runs through the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the latter being a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve.
Both the Mara and Serengeti are of global conservation significance, and great economic importance at the local, national and regional levels.
The two ecosystems are now under threat from an assault on Mara River.
Around the source of the Mara River, a great chunk of forest land was in the early 1990s degazetted and allocated for human settlement.
River Mara has its main source at Enapuyapui swamp in the Mau Complex around Molo in Nakuru county.
Mara River runs through Bomet and Narok before snaking its way to Tanzania.
Immediately after they were allocated land, the new settlers cleared the forests at an alarming rate reducing the river flow, increasing erosion and siltation as well as flash floods downstream.
Experts have warned that unless urgent dramatic action is taken to protect and restore the destroyed river catchment, all efforts to sustainably manage and use the river will yield nought.
This will have a negative impact on both the Mara and Serengeti ecosystems.
Aware of the challenge, the two governments of Kenya and Tanzania are seeking sustainable solutions,
The two countries while signing an MOU in 2015 said the Mara River Catchment Area an important hydrologic system that serves the Kenya and Tanzania.
The MOU provided a way to jointly manage the water resources of the Mara basin between the two countries.
It is also a valuable input to Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake forming the headwaters of the White Nile River.
The Mara River contributes approximately five per cent of the total amount of water that flows into Lake Victoria.
As part of the wider plan, the Mara Day commemoration began in 2012 as an annual activity aimed at raising awareness about the River Mara basin.
The Mara Day celebrations that rotate between Kenya and Tanzania seek to find long-lasting solutions to some of these threats.
The previous six editions were held in Narok and Bomet counties.
The five partner states of the EAC Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania share many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
These ecosystems are primary assets and a store of wealth— wildlife, flora and fauna, which if well managed, could contribute to poverty alleviation.
EAC TREATY
The EAC treaty spells out how member states must manage such natural resources sustainably.
Article 7(a) of the EAC Treaty focuses on promoting people-centred EAC regional integration.
The treaty was signed on November 30, 1999, and entered into force on July 7, 2000.
Mara Day is celebrated every September 15 to coincide with the great migration of wildebeests and zebras from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.
On September 15, the 11th edition of Mara Day celebrations was held in Nakuru county.
The edition was aimed at shifting from awareness to ownership by the private sector and civil society actors.
The move was aimed at creating a forum for state and non-state parties to drive forward the Mara ecosystem management.
Studies have documented the myriad of challenges facing the ecosystem.
In 2015, Matano et al documented some of the challenges in a study: ‘Effects of Land Use Change on Land Degradation Reflected by Soil Properties along Mara River, Kenya and Tanzania'.
The researchers cited land degradation resulting from human activities as a major global challenge since the 20th century that will remain high on the international agenda in the 21st century.
Other studies have shown that land degradation is increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world, with more than 20 per cent of all cultivated areas, 30 per cent of forests and 10 per cent of grasslands undergoing degradation.
Matano et al said an increasing amount of riparian lands have been developed and utilised for agriculture, human settlements and the development of cities and towns.
“This has significantly impacted on critical catchment areas, thus altering water quality in aquatic ecosystems,” they said.
Land degradation encompasses the whole environment including individual factors such as soils, water resources (surface and ground), forests (woodlands), grasslands (rangelands), croplands (rain-fed and irrigated) and biodiversity (animals, vegetative cover and soil).
The effects of land use/cover change on soil Physico-chemical properties have also been highlighted in various studies.
The conversion of natural forests to other forms of land uses such as farmlands and pasturelands has caused soil erosion, reduced in soil nutrients and modification their soil structure.
During the commemoration of Mara day, experts said the threats to the basin have been increasing.
REVERSING THREATS
World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya senior subland scape coordinator for greater Mara Kevin Gichangi said the threats to Mara have intensified, fueled by climate change.
Gichangi said most tributaries dry up during droughts, risking the ecosystem at risk.
“The biggest threat will be when Mara River stops flowing. We need to protect Mau forest as it is the main source of the river draining to Enapuiyapui Swamp in Kiptunga forest,” he said.
Gichangi member states uset use the water sustainable,especially during the drought.
He said sectors of the economy such as large-scale agriculture and tourism depend on the Mara River.
“Maasai Mara and Serengeti bring a lot of tourists,” Gichangi said.
Gichangi said over the years, there have been efforts to try and reverse some of the threats.
“A lot of work is happening upstream to try and restore forests and by establishing some stakeholder forums like water resource users associations have dialogues on different sections of the basin so we do not over abstract,” Gichangi said.
Gichangi also called from bringing together the water users from Kenya and Tanzania in a transboundary to ensure there is dialogue from
upstream to downstream.
As part of the rehabilitation parties stakeholders have adopted several sites in Mau.
Gichangi said the most important impact he has seen in the 11 years since Mara Day commemoration began has been a collaboration between Kenya and Tanzania and partners keen to conserve Mara for future generations.
“Government and communities have come together with other organisations to help and restore Mara River,” he said.
State Department for East African Community PS Dr Kevit Desai said commemoration of the day provides a perfect opportunity and demonstration of EAC to jointly tackle all forms of environmental challenges.
Desai said the commemoration of the day is intended to coincide with the spectacular migration of wildebeest from Serengeti National Park to Maasai Mara National Reserve.
“The buildup activities that precede the celebrations continue to raise awareness of the basin remind stakeholders to intensify efforts to protect the ecosystem,” he said.
Article 114 of the EAC Treaty provides for cooperation in joint management and sustainable utilization of resources within the EAC.
The PS said the Mara River transboundary resource is of immense value to the people around the basin and beyond.
“The upper catchment of the Mara River basin is an important water tower that supports economic activities and livelihoods of the citizens in Counties of Bomet, Narok, Nakuru and Kericho,” he said.
Desai said the Mara River is a source of water for both people and biological diversity that depends on it.
“Indeed, without the Mara River, the great wildebeest migration will not only lose its marvele but certainly animal survival will be in doubt
Around July or August every year, tourists throng the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Narok to witness the great wildebeest migration.
More than 1.5 million wildebeests make a daring, perilous journey from Serengeti in Tanzania across the Mara River into the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
On the trip, they are joined by thousands of zebras, elands, and gazelles.
Predators incdluding lions and crocodiles wait to make a killing.
The wildebeest migration is deemed the biggest animal show on earth.
Desai said the spectacle is negatively impacted by tourism in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti.
The PS said the Mara River is an important source of water for Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world.
The head of the Tanzania delegation, Major Gen. Suleiman Mzee, said despite having had the last meeting two years ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the two countries have continued with the conservation efforts on the Mara basin, which he called commendable.
WALKING THE TALK
EAC Lake Victoria Basin Commission executive secretary Masinde Bwire called for the completion of the joint transboundary Mara Water allocation plan.
Bwire also called for the completion of a joint catchments conservation plan and a joint water users platform for sustainable conservation and use of the River Mara.
“There is a need for both Kenya and Tanzania to continue supporting the Mara Region in strengthening management approaches and initiatives within the Mara River Basin that are more inclusive from grassroots levels to the national government,” Bwire said.
During the commemoration, Bugando Community Based Organization from Tanzania showcased their natural honey products supported by the project.
Dala Rieko, a Community Based Organisation from Kenya, showcased their portal Solar Powered wheelbarrow technology for micro-irrigation and solar-powered eggs hatchery.
Friends of Mau watershed (FOMAWA) demonstrated to the delegation the new technologies of tree planting for Mara ecosystem conservation.(Edited by V. Graham)
