Lake Naivasha is a shallow basin lake, situated 80km Northwest of Nairobi in the Kenyan Rift Valley.

Lake Naivasha is a shallow basin lake, situated 80km Northwest of Nairobi in the Kenyan Rift Valley. The recent developments around the lake constitute an interesting case for natural resource management that is discussed in this brief.The lake contains freshwater supporting a rich ecosystem, with hundreds of bird species, papyrus fringes filled with hippos, riparian grass lands where waterbuck, giraffe, zebra and various antelopes graze, dense patches of riparian acacia forest with buffaloes, bushbuck and other creatures, beautiful swampy areas where waterfowl breed and feed and, at the same time, magnificent views of the nearby volcanoes. Local fishermen depend on the lake for fish and crayfish.

Although the lake is situated in a semi-arid zone, after the rainy seasons, the fragile soils of the surrounding hills and the valley bottom produce grass where the pastoral Maasai bring their herds for dry-weather grazing, thereby depending on the lake and its various watering points.

Situated west of the main lake is Lake Sonachi, a small paradise on its own. Sonachi (or Crater Lake as itsalso known) is in the caldera of a small volcano, with its own microclimate. A dense forest covers the steep walls of the crater. High biomass production has been recorded in this highly alkaline lake, which often hosts flocks of flamingos.Lake Naivasha has no surface outlet, with the natural water level changes over the last 100 years being more than 12 meters. The water level can change several meters within just a few months, causing a shift of the shoreline of several kilometers. These dynamics add an extra dimension to the riparian ecosystem, as well as complicating the water resource management issues.