Migration crossings of the Mara River are one of
the Reserve’s outstanding and unique wildlife
spectacles, and in recent years have been a driving force in
attracting the high numbers of visitors to the area.
From many visitors’ perspective, these crossings
are synonymous with the migration, and as a result they are
a must-see and lead to huge concentrations of
vehicles building up at crossing points during the tourism
high season. In some instances, around 100 vehicles
have been recorded at a single crossing, which not only
severely undermines the impression of the Mara that
visitors go away with, and the overall quality of the
tourism experience, but also has potentially serious
environmental impacts (concentrations of
vehicles have in the past even interrupted the crossings
themselves). The management of visitors at
migration crossings is therefore one of the major challenges
for this tourism programme and, alongside the
development and dissemination of specific rules and
regulations governing visitor behaviour (included in the
Visitor Code of Conduct detailed under the previous
action), Reserve managers will take specific steps during
the lifespan of this management plan to strengthen
controls of these trademark MMNR wildlife viewing
events.
Initially, this will involve the seasonal
demarcation of parking areas around crossing points within which
cars will be permitted to wait and watch crossings,
while leaving a corridor wide enough for animals to
pass through undisturbed. These areas will be
demarcated using stones (which could be painted white to
make them more obvious) or other barriers, which can
then be removed once the migration has moved on.
Managers
from both sides of the Reserve will coordinate
with each other when establishing these
temporary viewing areas to ensure that wherever possible
viewing is staggered between crossings, leading to a more
desirable outcome from both a tourism product and ecological
impact perspective. In addition, a small,
unobtrusive viewing platform, with a parking area a short
distance away, will be developed on the Mara
Triangle side of the Serena Crossing. The area is well
shaded by trees, and only minimal development including a
clear path, some seating and a barrier, need to be
developed in order for it to provide a good alternative to
viewing crossings from vehicles. Finally, although the
crossings on the Mara River are the most well known,
they also occur along parts of the Talek and Sand
Rivers. Additional, similar management approaches may
also need to be implemented along the sections of the
Talek River in the High Use Zone, as and when
crossings occur in this area. All these initiatives will be
complemented by the increased policing of visitor
activities, discussed in more detail under the Action 2.3
below.
