Payment for watershed services in the Mara River Basin: Part I: Institutions and stakeholder engagement
Book Chapter
Bhat, MG, McClain, M, Ombara, D et al. (2014). Payment for watershed services in the Mara River Basin: Part I: Institutions and stakeholder engagement
. 9783319027203 639-665. 10.1007/978-3-319-02720-3_31
Bhat, MG, McClain, M, Ombara, D et al. (2014). Payment for watershed services in the Mara River Basin: Part I: Institutions and stakeholder engagement
. 9783319027203 639-665. 10.1007/978-3-319-02720-3_31
This chapter develops a concise, but comprehensive, plan for designing and developing a payment for watershed services (PWSs) mechanism in the Mara River basin (MRB), Kenya. It will describe the current water situation in the Mara and future trends. It will make the case for improved land management practices and more efficient water use in the headwaters of the catchment (Nyangores and Amala sub-catchments), and it will introduce PWS as an effective mechanism to facilitate and support improved water research and management. There is a growing sense of optimism among stakeholders in the Kenyan and Tanzanian sides of MRB. National water resources management legislations in both countries have enabled the formation of water users associations (WUAs). Legislative provisions for introducing PWS have been made. Various government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and academic institutions have been conducting extensive studies to estimate a minimum environmental flow regime for the river. Efforts to educate resource users through WUAs are also being made. There is definitely no consensus among user groups as to who should be the lead agency for implementing intracountry or intercountry payment schemes as of yet. However, if the above-mentioned governmental and nongovernmental efforts continue, the prospect of PWS implementation in MRB in the future is promising.
