Mara River Basin is a Transboundary Basin

The Mara River Basin stretches across territory in Kenya and Tanzania making it a transboundary basin. There are more than 300 transboundary basins throughout the world. Many of these are shared by just two countries like the Mara. However, even between just two countries management of transboundary resources can be complicated.

Transboundary basins require coordination between national governments, local communities, and regional bodies to ensure equitable and sustainable management of shared water resources. The East African Community (EAC) and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) play important roles in facilitating this coordination for the Mara River Basin.

SELVA's research contributes to this transboundary management effort by providing data and analysis on the Tanzanian portion of the lower Mara River Basin — a region that has historically received less research attention than the Kenyan upper basin. By bridging this knowledge gap, SELVA supports more informed, basin-wide decision-making.