Ecohydrology as a tool for the survival of the threatened Serengeti ecosystem

Gereta, Emmanuel; Mwangomo, Ephraim; Wolanski, Eric

doi:10.2478/v10104-009-0035-7

Cited by 28 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Mara mines sub-catchment has significant semi-arid regions typically associated with high ET compared to Nyangores and Amala that are situated at a higher altitude with higher forest land cover. It can be argued that there is higher infiltration in Nyangores and Amala thus supporting the arguments by previous studies which attribute the high infiltration in the two sub-catchments to their relatively higher forest cover as compared to Mara mines (Dessu et al, 2014;Dessu & Mellesse, 2012;Gereta et al, 2009;Mango et al, 2011;Mati et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…A study by Mango et al (2011) showed that conversion of forest areas to agriculture and grasslands in the upstream of the basin was most likely reducing dry season flows, while increasing quick peak flows. Human activity in the basin is affecting both the flow regime and the water quality of the Mara River (Gereta et al, 2009). A study by Juston et al (2013) using 44 years of historical data detected a reduction in the lowest base flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Runoff modeling of the Mara River using satellite observed soil moisture and rainfall

Mwania¹,

Velde²,

Vekerdy³

et al. 2017

RWJour

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Hydrological models are essential in water resources management. However modeling in poorly gauged catchments is a big challenge. Recent studies have shown that satellite based hydrological and meteorological data has the potential of being part of the solution towards overcoming this challenge. In this study, we modify the conceptual lumped rainfall-runoff model by Meier et al. (2011) season runoff, but needs further improvement to be able to reliably simulate wet season runoff. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates the potential role operational satellite based soil moisture and rainfall products can play in quantifying the available water resources particularly in the many un-gauged river basins across Africa.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Runoff modeling of the Mara River using satellite observed soil moisture and rainfall

Mwania¹,

Velde²,

Vekerdy³

et al. 2017

RWJour

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“…The land-use changes, especially deforestation in the Mau Forest at the headwaters in Kenya, have been blamed for change in the flow regime of the Mara River as well as deterioration of river water quality [26,27]. Mwangi et al [6] estimated that about 97% of change in the streamflow of the Nyangores River, a tributary of the Mara River, was caused by land-use change, particularly deforestation and expansion of agriculture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Intensity and Dynamics of Land-Use Change in the Mara River Basin, East Africa

Mwangi

Lariu

Jülich

et al. 2017

Forests

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Abstract:The objective of this study was to analyze patterns, dynamics and processes of land-use/cover changes in the transboundary Mara River Basin in East Africa. We specifically focused on deforestation and expansion of agriculture in the watershed. The intensity analysis approach was used to analyze data from satellite imagery-derived land-use/cover maps. Results indicate that swap change accounted for more than 50% of the overall change, which shows a very dynamic landscape transformation. Transition from closed forest to open forest was found to be a dominant landscape change, as opposed to a random change. Similarly, transition from open forest to small-scale agriculture was also found to be a dominant transition. This suggests a trend (pathway) of deforestation from closed forest to small-scale agriculture, with open forest as a transitional land cover. The observed deforestation may be attributed to continuous encroachment and a series of excisions of the forest reserve. Transition from rangeland to mechanized agriculture was found to be a dominant land-use change, which was attributed to change in land tenure. These findings are crucial for designing strategies and integrated watershed management policies to arrest further deforestation in the forest reserves as well as to sustainably control expansion of agriculture.

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“…In the Serengeti, excessive salinity (>5000 ppm) in the southern grasslands may trigger the annual mass migration of wildebeest towards the north where the water is less saline (Gereta et al, 2004;Gereta, Mwangomo & Wolanski, 2009). There was no indication that extraction led to a marked deterioration in downstream water quality, and hence, water quality would not be a limiting factor to wildlife distribution in the ANP.…”

Section: ) Whereas Elephants In the Tarangire Ecosystem Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of surface water extraction on water quality and ecological integrity in Arusha National Park, Tanzania

2016

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Surface water has been extracted from Arusha National Park (ANP) to meet human demand for over 30 years; however, there has been no evaluation of the impact of extraction on surface water quality, budget or ecological integrity. A reduction in water availability and flow is likely to also have impacts on the distribution and space use of large mammals. To assess the surface water quality and budget, 30 water sources were measured for three months over the dry and wet seasons. Nearly 70% of water is extracted, with the complete extraction of surface water common during the dry and early wet seasons. However, extraction did not lead to a decrease in downstream water quality, but wetland plant diversity was highest in areas with no surface water extraction. Extraction also influences large mammal space use: abundance along seven transects was typically higher upstream of extraction sites, especially in the case of large herbivores. Impacts of extraction therefore include the disconnection of streams, changes in space use of large mammals, decreases in plant diversity and changes in species composition of the riparian wetlands. We therefore recommend that monitoring and evaluation of extraction as well as sustainable water use practices be introduced as a matter of urgency.

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Ecohydrology as a tool for the survival of the threatened Serengeti ecosystem

Cited by 28 publications

References 23 publications

Runoff modeling of the Mara River using satellite observed soil moisture and rainfall

Runoff modeling of the Mara River using satellite observed soil moisture and rainfall

Characterizing the Intensity and Dynamics of Land-Use Change in the Mara River Basin, East Africa

Impact of surface water extraction on water quality and ecological integrity in Arusha National Park, Tanzania

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