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The Mara Wetlands are associated with the Mara River
that originates in Masai Mara in Kenya. The river is 155 km
long with a catchment area of 1.35 million ha. The river
enters Tanzania through the Serengeti National Park in the
Mara Region. It forms the border of Tarime and Serengeti
districts as well as Tarime and Musoma districts. It enters
Lake Victoria through Mara Bay. Pools and satellite lakes
such as Lake Kubigena near Buswahili village are found in
theWetlands (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007).
The area of permanent wetlands is dominated by heavy
sedges (
Cyperus papyrus
) and bulrush (
Typha
). Reeds
(
Phragmites
spp), sesbani, fig trees (
Ficus
spp) and
grasses are also found in the Wetlands. Bulrushes are
MaraWetlands, Tanzania
expanding and displacing sedges. They are dominant in
areas with salty soils.
TheWetlands support many species of animals. Common
species include crocodiles (
Clocodillus niloticus
) and
hippopotamuses (
Hippopotamus amphibius
), while
sitatunga (
Tragelaphus spekei
) are an endangered
species. Others include monitor lizards (
Vanellus
spp),
otters, turtles and snakes. The Mara Wetlands are an
important breeding habitat for fish. Species found in
theWetlands include cichlids (
Oreochromis
spp and
Tilapia
spp), lungfish (
Protopterus aethiopicus
), catfishes
(
Clarias
spp,
Schilbe
spp and
Synodontis
spp), and cyprinids
(
Labeo
spp). (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007).
Wetlands