The Mara River Ecological Zones have been
established on either side of the Mara River to ensure the
protection
of the sensitive habitats and wildlife that these
areas contain. This includes not only the Mara
River
itself, but also the riverine forests that run
along its banks, Black rhino breeding areas, and wildebeest
crossing
points. In order to protect these exceptional
resources, strict prescriptions on off-road driving, behaviour
at
crossings, and a surcharge on entry during peak
times apply in this zone. However, the road network
in
these zones is currently inadequate to enable
visitors to access the zone and its key attractions, and to
clearly
demarcate the zone boundaries. To address these
issues, MMNR management will upgrade the
north-south
oriented track running the entire length of the
zone on either side of the Mara River, including the
establishment
of new sections of track where no suitable
existing track is available. In this regard, a suitable
track
already exists in the CCTM section of the Reserve
for much of its length, but a new track will need to
be
established in much of the MRZ on the Narok side.
In addition, a series of east-west oriented side-tracks
will
need to be developed from these major access
tracks to provide access to key attractions along the river
(such
as the hippo pools and wildebeest crossing points)
without needing to drive off-road. Finally, in order to
enable
access to the zone for 2WD vehicles on the CCN
side of the Reserve existing roads will be
upgraded
where needed, and clearly marked to ensure any 2WD
vehicles transiting through the adjacent Low
Use
Zone remain on the designated access road. This
will be done from Musiara Gate to the MRZ, and along
the
road south of the Talek River.
