New LVBC Research Fund for the Mara River Basin

Announced on 21 July, the LVBC has signed MOUs with three universities to facilitate applied research in the Basin. The selected universities are Ardhi University (Tanzania), Egerton University (Kenya) and Maseno University (Kenya). The purpose of the MOUs is to facilitate improved management of water resources within the basin by building on the previous work of the EFA and BSAP. Initial funding of $60,000 USD will be divided equally among the universities to facilitate the applied research of "wildlife and habitat conservation; conservation enterprise; and, capacity building and leadership".

This collaboration between LVBC and these universities is exciting news for those interested in further enhancing our capacity to effectively manage the Mara River Basin. In addition to LVBC's work, another collaborative effort exists between UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education and four parter universities: University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Egerton University (Kenya), Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya). UNESCO-IHE is currently funding the research of 4 PhD students (3 at UNESCO-IHE, 1 at UDSM) with the objective of developing a better understanding of the relationships between flow regime, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. GLOWS will be providing funding to facilitate further research by 8 additional MSc students selected from the partner institutions. GLOWS will be facilitating this work over the coming months.

You can find out more about the LVBC initiative on their website, and about the MaraFlows program at the UNESCO-IHE website. Congratulations to LVBC staff and supporters on this exciting and important work.