Mara Wetland
A riverine floodplain wetland fed by the Mara River.
via Wikipedia: Mara Wetland · see source
The Mara Wetland is a riverine floodplain wetland near Lake Victoria, where the Mara River discharges. It is mainly fed by the Mara River, which originates in the Kenyan Mau escarpment.
Quick Facts
- Population dependent on fishing
- over 80%
- Papyrus harvested per year
- 5%
- Dominant plant species
- papyrus (matende/matete) and cattail (mabilimbili)
Facts from the source article.
Main Issues
The wetland provides natural resources and habitat for diverse flora and fauna, with papyrus and cattail as major plants. Local communities rely on its services, primarily fishing and papyrus harvesting. Over 80% of adjacent residents fish daily, while only 5% of papyrus is harvested annually, used for household items like mats, baskets, and ceiling tiles.
The threats
Despite conservation efforts, the Mara Wetland faces ongoing degradation. Land use change in the Mara River basin is the primary problem, altering seasonal water quantities since the 1950s with higher peaks and lows in river flow due to reduced vegetation cover causing faster rainwater runoff. Near the river mouth in Tanzania, fluctuating Lake Victoria water levels have worsened discharge difficulties, increasing floods and making parts of the Tanzanian wetlands more permanent. This has shifted land cover from dryland to wetland forests and then to vegetation dominated by Cyperus papyrus. These changes affect ecology and livelihoods: cattle farmers lose pasture, fishermen see open water bodies fluctuate, and papyrus mat-making has grown.
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