Cattle and sheep cross bridge at Nyasurura.
Jennifer Veilleux © 2016
The Lower Mara River Basin in Tanzania is home to the Kuria people, a group of people known for pastoralism, similar to the Masai people known throughout Kenya and Tanzania for their cattle culture. There are roughly 800,000 Kuria people living in the Mara Region of Tanzania and across the border into Kenya. Pastoralism is considered a type of agriculture where herds of animals are kept and grazed for personal consumption and for livelihood. Animals feature as currency, like money in the bank, and cultural identity with pastoralists. Dowries are paid in numbers of cows or sheep. Meat and skin are used for trade or to capture cash in the local and regional markets. Shepherds travel with their herds in some cases. Animals are bled for the restorative properties in their blood. Pastoralism is a common practice in East Africa, though private property and increased population have created some barriers to free ranging animals.
In the Mara Region, SELVA came across herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, often times with children tending the animals. The local people in the Mara do not practice the type of nomad pastoralism that would take them out of the valley, rather they keep their animals within range of the village. Groups of animals do cause some problems for the security of the Mara resources for several reasons. Moving animals can graze an area of all vegetation, leaving behind exposed topsoil and in turn, increased erosion. Forests are cut to make way for herds of animals. Animal waste is high in nutrients and when washed into the river, can pose a threat to human health and the chemical balance of the river. Wild animals are killed due to the threat of predation on domestic herds. Herds erode riverbanks in their approach to water for either crossing to other pastures, bathing, or drinking.
The Tanzanian Government keeps track of numbers of animals across the country in census documentation. Keeping track of the number of animals can help predict issues before they happen for periods of drought or for keeping numbers in check with the carrying capacity of a given area. While I do not think that the Mara has been assessed for carrying capacity of animals living there, such an assessment would help toward sustainable management of the basin. Also, restricting animal movement away from riparian zones could help ensure the health of plants and trees planted on the riversides in order to stave off further problems with erosion (for a discussion of erosion in the Mara, please see our previous post).
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