TITLE:
Living Off Wetlands: A Case Study of Mara Bay and Masirori Wetlands, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
David Omolo, Philip Kibet Langat, Richard Koech, Yong Jiang
KEYWORDS:
Wetlands, Wetlands Goods, Wetlands Ecosystem Services, Wetland Marks, Economic Sustenance, Livelihoods
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.6 No.12,
December
6,
2018
ABSTRACT: This study was undertaken to help highlight the negative impacts of economic
activities on wetlands in East Africa with a specific focus on Mara Bay and
Masirori wetlands, Tanzania, a region where the local communities still harness
wetland resources for economic sustenance. Key economic activities and
the negative impacts of the income-generating activities on the wetlands are
identified, including the main goods harnessed, level of dependency of the
locals to the wetlands, and the level of environmental knowledge of the locals
on the wetlands’ ecosystem services. Both qualitative and quantitative tools
and techniques viz.: questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, market surveys
and spreadsheet analysis were used in this study. The proportion of wetland
users involved in papyrus harvesting, food crop cultivation and fishing
was 30%, 25% and 24%, respectively while charcoal/firewood and grass for livestock
accounted for 12% and 7%, respectively. Significant differences in incomes
for charcoal (p