The trans-boundary Mara River Basin strategic environmental assessment (MRB SEA)

Abstract

The Mara is not a large river, and ever increasing abstractions are certain to, at some point in the future, severely degrade the riverine ecosystem and even impinge upon the most basic needs of people living along the river. The effects of such a dry down would be profound, both for people, livestock, wildlife and the basin’s economy. For example it could very likely cause a crash in the wildebeest populations, leading to a breakdown in the entire migration cycle that sustains the Masai Mara – Serengeti ecosystem. The implications of a disruption to such a significant nature process are far-reaching, including not only devastation for the tourism industry that supports so much of Kenya’s and Tanzania’s economies but also a change in the entire structure of the ecosystem”. Source: BSAP-MRB Report LVBC/WWF 2008