Drought in East Africa

These Landsat images show Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve on December 4, 1994, a year with normal rainfall, and November 27, 2009, a year when the rains failed and a severe drought overtook the land. The image to the right clearly shows that the only thriving vegetation is in small patches close to the larger rivers and streams; much of the remaining land is completely barren. The year 2009 saw massive mortality among Kenya's wildlife, affecting nearly all species; only the vultures did well. Normal variation in rainfall has always produced periodic drought in Kenya. But in recent years drought has been more frequent and more severe, and is expected to intensify in the future, thanks to climate change. Together with rapid growth of the human population and poaching, drought poses a grave threat to Kenya’s wildlife.