uatorial rivers of East Africa exhibit unusually complex seasonal and inter-annual flow regimes,
and aqua adapted to cope with this
flow variability. This study examined the annual flow regime over the past 40 years for three
gauging stations on the Mara River in Kenya and Tanzania, which is of international importance
because it is the only perennial river traversing the Mara- Serengeti ecoregion. Select
environmental flow components were quantified and converted to ecologically relevant hydraulic
variables. Vegetation, macroinvertebrates, and fish were collected and identified at target study
sites during low and high flows. The results were compared with available knowledge of the life
histories and flow sensitivities of the riverine communities to infer flow–ecology relationships.
Management implica- tions are discussed, including the need to preserve a dynamic environmental
flow regime to protect ecosystems region. The results for the Mara may serve as a useful model for
river basins of the wider equatorial East
frica region.