Nancy Ogonje, Executive Director of East
African Wildlife Society
Kenya and Tanzania’s economies depend heavily tourism, most of which takes place in the Mara and Serengeti National Parks. The Mara River passes through these National Parks. It supports about 1.1 million people and livelihoods both downstream and upstream.
Sadly, the river is drying up due to:
- Massive deforestation in the upper Mau escarpment.
- The abstraction of water for to irrigation.
The death of this river could spell doom to rich biodiversity that thrives on the existence of the river., tourism industry that thrives on the existence of this ecosystem and livelihoods that benefit from this river.
The East African Wildlife Society is calling out all stakeholders to join hands in salvaging this ecosystem. Some of the initiatives that would help save the river
include:
- A complete stakeholder mapping to identify key players in the Mara Ecosystem.
- A comprehensive feasibility study on how the Mara River can be saved.
