Mau destruction hurts Mara’s flora and fauna
What you need to know:
The Mara River basin covers 13,504 square kilometres, 65 per cent of which is located in Kenya and 35 per cent in Tanzania.
From its sources in the Mau Escarpment, the river flows for about 395km and drains into Lake Victoria.
Yet water levels in the river have reduced drastically, portending danger in the near future.
The Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Tanzania's Serengeti National Park and 17 adjoining private conservancies have only one permanent source of water: The Mara River.
The Mara River basin covers 13,504 square kilometres, 65 per cent of which is located in Kenya and 35 per cent in Tanzania.
From its sources in the Mau Escarpment, the river flows for about 395km and drains into Lake Victoria. Yet water levels in the river have reduced drastically, portending danger in the near future.
Inside the Mara reserve, where millions of wildlife depend on it, the once mighty river has almost been reduced to a stream. Rocks and sand on the river bed are visible. The destruction of this vital river and its tributaries spells doom for hundreds of wildlife species in its ecosystem.
ILLEGAL SETTLERS
Extensive deforestation of the Mau Forest Complex by farmers, herders, charcoal burners and tourism investors is at the core of Mara’s destruction.
A visit to the Mau Forest reveals that illegal settlers have planted crops up to the river's banks and its tributaries.
Excessive run-off causes flooding downstream especially in the counties of Kericho, Kisumu and Homa Bay. This is because there is no vegetation to break the speed of water whenever it rains, or help the water sip into the soil.
As a result, the river is heavily silted which reduces water volume. This is a characteristic of all other rivers emanating from the Mau Forest and which are an essential part of the Mau ecosystem.
MORE POLLUTED
Conservationists also argue that the Mara ecosystem is now more polluted than ever before and is still under enormous threats arising from human activities and climate change.
“This negatively affects wild animals and is causing changes in their breeding grounds, animal populations, deaths, changes in migration routes and patterns,” said Mr Parmataro Lemein, a wildlife scientist based at Matira Camp.
Mr Lemein’s concerns are caused by the irregular flow of the Mara River and its main tributary, Talek, with conservationists warning it might cause a collapse in the wildebeest population. This will adversely affect the entire migration cycle that sustains the Maasai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.
WILDEBEEST MIGRATION
Maasai Mara Game Reserve is not immune to human-wildlife conflict which has been witnessed in the past few years. As water levels decline, more and more wild animals get out of the park and into people’s farms and homes, as has been witnessed in the past few years.
Mr Jackson olé Looseyia, a wildlife guide who operates Tangulia Mara camp on the banks of the river in Mararianda, says the water level is worrying.
Local tour operators and hoteliers have raised the red flag over the current human population growth rate coupled with excessive exploitation of natural resources within the core areas of the Mara River basin.
Keekorok Lodge manager James olé Pere says the Mara reserve and Serengeti are synonymous with the world-famous wildebeest migration.
FISH BREEDING
Mara Serengeti ecosystem coordinator Nick ole Murero says silt, fertilisers and pesticides find their way into the river, a consequence of poor agricultural practices by the farming communities in the basin.
Mr Murero, who is also the chairman of Narok Wildlife Forum, said demand for sanitation services has increased considerably with the rise in population and hotels along the river. Flood flow regimes have been disrupted, affecting fish breeding in Mara wetlands.
He argued that a balance needs to be struck between allocating water for direct human use (agriculture, domestic supply, power generation) and indirect use (benefits provided by the ecosystem).
FOUR COUNTIES
The river covers four counties: Bomet, Narok, Kericho and Nakuru, which also are part of the Mau Forest ecosystem, a critical catchment of the Mara River basin.
Tourism players like the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association have come out to support government efforts to conserve the forest for posterity through eviction of settlers.
“We have an eternal responsibility of conserving this largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa,” Daniel ole Sopia, the Chief Executive Officer of MMWCA said.
