THE Mara River Basin ecosystem is faced with various challenges which are threatening the continued existence of wildlife, water resources and human beings.

The entire Mara River Basin is under threat due to activities which are now threatening the survival of millions of wildlife and human beings who depend of the basin.

Unchecked developments, deforestation, poor farming, uncontrolled water abstraction, and pollution are some of the activities which have led to the degradation of the ecosystem.

However, all is not lost. The 10th meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers for the Lake Victoria Basin met in Kigali, Rwanda on May 5 last year and adopted the Mara Day to be held annually. Its aim is to raise awareness on the environmental and social challenges existing in Mara River Basin ecosystem and its resources.

The second edition of the Mara Day will be held in Tanzania in September. The inaugural celebrations were held at Mulot in Narok County last year.

Organisers have begun preparations for the annual day shared by Maasai Mara Game Reserve and Serengeti National Park.

According to the co-ordinator of the event, Fredrick Mngube, the celebrations will be held at Sokoine grounds in Mugumu town in Serengeti district on September 15.

Mngube, an environmental and natural resources officer at Lake Victoria Basin Commission, said the event will be sponsored by partner states - Kenya and Tanzania.

"We have begun preparations in earnest and our motto for this year is 'A Healthy Mara, Our Wealth," Mngube said.

The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) is co-ordinating the plans, Mngube added.

LVBC is an institution of the East African Community established through the Protocol for Sustainable Development of the Lake Victoria Basin.

It is mandated to co-ordinate, promote and facilitate sustainable management of the Lake Victoria Basin.

According to Mngube, there will be various activities during Pre-Mara Day and the actual day.

"We are raising awareness to communities to realise the dangers facing the Maasai Mara Basin and what they can do to address the issues," Mngube noted.

There will be exhibitions, inter-school competitions, road shows, a procession, tree planting and other activities aimed at raising awareness on challenges facing the Mara and Serengeti ecosystem.

This year, there will be a competition for hotels in Mara and Serengeti on liquid and solid waste management.

"The best hotels in waste management will be awarded. This is aimed at recognising their efforts in waste management. This year, people in the private sector, investors, civil society working in Mara and Serengeti have been brought on board," Mngube added.

Last year, hoteliers in Mara and Serengeti came together and formed the Serengeti Maasai Mara Hoteliers Forum to share experiences on waste management.

Mngube added that already they have invited the county governments of Bomet and Narok in Kenya. In Tanzania, Roria, Tarime, and Serengeti districts will participate in the celebrations.

National governments will also participate with Tanzania tasking the Mara Region Commissioner John Tupa with the mandate of organising the day.

"Stakeholder engagement on the opportunities for collaboration in MRB and raising the profile of Mara River Basin as an investment opportunity are some of the objectives we want to achieve," Mngube added.

He further noted that another objective of the day is to chart the way forward for co-ordinated implementation of activities and interventions in the entire ecosystem.

"The celebration also aims at promoting the private sector to participate and take the lead in the management of the water and biodiversity resources in the Mara River Basin," Mngube said.

Musoma acting district water officer Oscar Domosso was recently quoted in Tanzania's Daily News after a Mara Day preparatory meeting in Musoma saying the celebrations will create awareness on the importance of Mara River to the locals.

Nicholas ole Murero, the co-ordinator of Mara and Serengeti ecosystem, says human activities have negatively affected the ecosystem.

"It is through Mara Day that stakeholders will come together and approach conservation and protection efforts jointly," Murero said.

He added: "It is for the benefit of the communities depending on the ecosystem to protect it. Hotels and lodges should also be involved."

Murero noted that if Mau Forest is fully reclaimed, Tanzanians will be the biggest beneficiaries.

"Levels of water in Serengeti have reduced drastically that is why efforts to protect the ecosystem must be carried out jointly. Recognition and declaration of Mara Day was a milestone," he said on phone.

Murero noted that politicians, policymakers and those in government should allocate more resources to the conservation of Mara River Basin.

According to the concept paper on the celebrations, in order to add value and sustain the Mara Day activities, the Mara Day will be held back to back with other activities such as scientific conferences, investment forums and marathons, some of which are already being organised by stakeholders in the Mara Basin.

September 15 of each year was chosen to coincide with the famous wildebeest migration.

About Mara River Basin

Mara River basin ecosystem is approximately 13,325 Km2 and is home to more than 1.1 million people.

There are more than one million wildebeest, over 200,000 zebras and about 400,000 Thomson gazelles which migrate each year westward from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Game Reserve in Kenya.

The ecosystem also supports both large and small scale agriculture, livestock management, mining activities and other socioeconomic activities.