NAIROBI, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Environment and its partners will scale up investment to support conservation of Mara ecosystem which is facing new climatic and human induced threats, officials said on Thursday.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, Judi Wakhungu, said the conservation of Mara ecosystem was key to supporting the tourism, energy and agriculture sectors in Kenya and across the eastern Africa region.
East African states in 2012 designated Sept.15 as Mara Day in order to raise awareness on the importance of conserving a transboundary ecosystem that is part of the Lake Victoria Basin.
"The Mara ecosystem offers lifeline to millions of people in Kenya and the larger eastern African region. Sustainable utilization of this resource is therefore crucial to promote regional integration," Wakhungu said in a statement to mark the day.
Wakhungu said the east African governments, their partners and private sector had endorsed a regional pact to promote conservation of Mara ecosystem through reforestation and community outreach.
She decried rapid depletion of Mara ecosystem occasioned by human encroachment and climatic stresses.
"The Mara basin faces many pressures related to illegal settlements and climate change. Destruction of forested watersheds through farming has undermined its capacity to provide vital ecosystem services," said Wakhungu.
The Mara basin is home to iconic wildlife species that generates 2 billion dollars annually to Kenya and Tanzania through tourism.
The Ministry of Environment has developed a raft of policy and legislative tools to strengthen conservation of the Mara basin.
Principal Secretary in the State Department of Natural Resources, Margaret Mwakima, said that Kenyan and Tanzanian governments had developed a cooperative framework to boost sustainable use of resources in the Mara basin.
"Our governments are at the forefront to promote sustainable economic development along the Mara-Serengeti ecosystems," said Mwakima.
