ESTUARIES: A LIFELINE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN

By P. ELMIS

CONTENTS THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: A WEALTH OF LIFE-SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEM GOODS AND SERVICES SECTION I WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN ESTUARIES, A SOURCE OF LIFE SPECIES COMPOSITION OF FISHERIES RESOURCES OF THE TANA AND SABAKI ESTUARIES IN THE MALINDI-UNGWANA BAY, KENYA ARE PERI-URBAN MANGROVES VULNERABLE? AN ASSESSMENT THROUGH LITTER FALL STUDIES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE THUKELA RIVER ESTUARY, EAST COAST OF SOUTH AFRICA, FOR THE BIOLOGY OF THE NEAR-SHORE ENVIRONMENT AND ASSOCIATED HUMAN ASPECTS: A REVIEW THE MANGROVES OF AMBANJA AND AMBARO BAYS, NORTHWEST MADAGASCAR: HISTORICAL DYNAMICS, CURRENT STATUS AND DEFORESTATION MITIGATION STRATEGY SECTION II MEANWHILE, THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN ESTUARIES ARE UNDER THREAT TANA DELTA AND SABAKI ESTUARIES OF KENYA: FRESHWATER AND SEDIMENT INPUT, UPSTREAM THREATS AND MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: THE IMPLICATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES ON THE TANA AND ATHI/SABAKI RIVERS WATER SYSTEM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THE SOCIOECONOMIC CAUSES AND IMPACTS OF MODI?CATION OF TANA RIVER FLOW REGIME HYDRODYNAMIC MODELLING ON TRANSPORT, DISPERSION AND DEPOSITION OF SUSPENDED PARTICULATE MATTER IN PANGANI ESTUARY, TANZANIA TANZANIAN REEF BUILDING CORALS MAY SUCCUMB TO BLEACHING EVENTS: EVIDENCES FROM CORAL-SYMBIODINIUM SYMBIOSES ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH UPLAND AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION AND HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENTS: THE CASE OF RU?JI AND PANGANI ESTUARIES, TANZANIA THE RU?JI ESTUARY: CLIMATE CHANGE, ANTHROPOGENIC PRESSURES, VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SMALL ESTUARINE AND NON-ESTUARINE MANGROVE ECOSYSTEMS OF TANZANIA: OVERLOOKED COASTAL HABITATS? LIMPOPO ESTUARY MANGROVE TRANSFORMATION, REHABILITATION AND MANAGEMENT SECTION III HOWEVER, EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO PROTECT ESTUARIES ARE A SOURCE OF HOPE RE-THINKING ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEM GOVERNANCE IN THE WIO REGION MAPPING FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CORAL REEF RESILIENCE USING IN SITU AND SATELLITE DATA IN EAST AFRICA CORAL RECRUITMENT AND CORAL REEF RESILIENCE ON PEMBA ISLAND, TANZANIA THE HYDRODYNAMICS OF THE INCOMATI ESTUARY – AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO ESTIMATE THE MINIMUM ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ESTUARY MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA – AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHALLENGES AND PROGRESS MADE TO DATE FUTURE OUTLOOK: THE IMPORTANCE OF A SCIENCE AND ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH FOR THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF ESTUARIES AND THEIR LIFE-SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN