Equitable Benefit Sharing of Natural Resources Policy Brief in Mara River Basin

Abstract

This policy brief aims at reviewing the status of equitable benefit sharing of natural resources within Mara River Basin and offering options for improving this state for the benefit of all stakeholders. Benefit sharing is widely recognized as essential to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. One of the main concerns behind the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and one of its central objectives is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits in the context of genetic resources. 2. In the context of the MRB given that both Kenya and Tanzania are signatory to the CBD, it is important that equitable benefit sharing of natural resources are promoted. However, this is not possible without understanding what these benefits are and how best they can be shared out among the various stakeholders. The situation is even worse with respect to the local communities who for a very long-time have been marginalized and have no say with respect to the benefits derived from biodiversity conservation. Instead this category of stakeholders is the one which bears the brunt of human-wildlife conflict and negligible benefits from tourism and other related services from the Mara River Basin