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FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY of the MARA RIVER BASIN of KENYA and TANZANIA 2 About This Review Contents 3

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FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY of the MARA RIVER BASIN of KENYA and TANZANIA 2 About This Review Contents 3 FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY OF THE MARA RIVER BASIN OF KENYA AND TANZANIA 2 About this review Contents 3 ABOUT THIS REVIEW CONTENTS This review is the first stocktake of the freshwater biodiversity in the transboundary FOREWORD 5 Mara river basin of Kenya and Tanzania. Information was collated from available EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 literature and acts as a baseline of the basin’s RECOMMENDATIONS 9 freshwater biodiversity, its distribution and INTRODUCTION 10 status. Of necessity the review is incomplete as many THE MARA BASIN 12 regions of the basin have been poorly studied, Geography and geology 12 many species are data deficient, and many Habitat types 13 remain undescribed. The information set out in FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY IN THE this review also reflects a baseline already likely MARA RIVER BASIN 15 to have been shifted by existing threats within the basin. Section summary 15 Mammals 19 The review is accompanied by the Mara Freshwater Biodiversity Database, www. Birds 21 wwfkenya.org/marafreshwaterbiodiversity.cfm, Reptiles 31 an online active reference database. Amphibians 33 Fishes 36 Invertebrates 42 Vascular plants 57 Non-vascular plants 65 THREATS TO FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY IN THE MARA BASIN 66 DISCUSSION 70 RECOMMENDATIONS 71 ANNEX 1: IUCN RED LIST CATEGORIES 72 Authors: Holly Pringle, Kathy Hughes, William Ojwang, ANNEX 2: GLOSSARY OF TERMS 73 Christian Joseph, Kennedy Onyango, Novati Kessy and Dave Tickner BIBLIOGRAPHY 74 Citation: Pringle H., Hughes K., Ojwang W., Joseph C., Onyango K., Kessy, N. and Tickner, D. (2020) Freshwater biodiversity of the Mara river basin of Kenya and Tanzania. WWF-UK, Woking, England. August 2020 Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Neil Baker and Richard Hearn their support reviewing the birds included in this report; Paul Loiselle for reviewing fishes and providing images; Kevin Murphy for reviewing macropytes; and Solomon David, Daniel L. Graf, Kevin S. Cummings and Neil Cumberlidge for providing selected photographs. This review was funded by the WWF-HSBC Water Partnership. SHOEBILLED STORK (BALAENICEPS REX) 4 FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY OF THE MARA RIVER BASIN OF KENYA AND TANZANIA 5 TABLES Table 1. Number of freshwater species Table 12. Orders, families and species Table 22. Conservation status of in the Mara river basin of freshwater amphibians in the Mara freshwater insects in the Mara FOREWORD river basin river basin Table 2. Threatened freshwater species in the Mara river basin Table 13. Conservation status of Table 23. Phyla, families and species The Mara river is globally iconic and regionally priceless: as an essential resource for the highest density and diversity freshwater amphibians in the Mara of freshwater worms in the Mara of large herbivores on Earth, including the great wildebeest migration; and as a transboundary resource, shared between Table 3. Invasive non-native species in river basin river basin Kenya and Tanzania, it provides the ecosystem services that underpin the economy of the 1.1 million people living in the Mara river basin its basin. Table 14. Orders, families and species Table 24. Conservation status of Table 4. Orders, families and species of fishes in the Mara river basin freshwater worms in the Mara Today, however, the river is under immense pressure from human-related activities including unsustainable agriculture, of freshwater mammals in the Mara river basin unsustainable tourist facilities, deforestation and riparian land degradation, water pollution, overexploitation of natural river basin Table 15. Conservation status of fishes resources including through illegal fishing, and the introduction of invasive non-native species. in the Mara river basin Table 25. Orders, families and species Table 5. Conservation status of of aquatic plants in the Mara The Mara river and its tributaries are characterized by rich freshwater biodiversity. However, due to a dearth of freshwater mammals in the Mara Table 16. Introduced and invasive non- river basin information much is still unknown: several aquatic species have not been seen for many years and may be extinct before river basin native fishes in the Mara river basin they have been studied or described to the rest of the world. This review is the first stocktake of freshwater biodiversity in Table 26. Conservation status of Table 6. Orders, families and species Table 17. Orders, families and species the Mara river basin. It documents the freshwater species present in the entire Mara basin, including their distribution, aquatic plants in the Mara river basin of waterbirds in the Mara river basin of crustaceans in the Mara river basin conservation status and known threats. Table 27. Introduced and invasive Table 7. Conservation status of Table 18. Conservation status of This review could not have come at a better time; a time non-native aquatic plants in the Mara waterbirds in the Mara river basin freshwater crustaceans in the Mara when the world is grappling with the massive decline of river basin river basin freshwater biodiversity and identifying actions to bend Table 8. Orders, families and species Table 28. Orders, families and species the curve of loss. WWF is in the forefront advocating for of freshwater-associated birds in the Table 19. Orders, families and species of freshwater-associated plants in the collective action to better manage freshwater resources Mara river basin of freshwater molluscs in the Mara Mara river basin and is continuing to invest considerably in the basin. river basin Table 9. Conservation status of This review reiterates the need to work together across Table 29. Conservation status of freshwater-associated birds in the Table 20. Conservation status of sectors and build back better a healthy perennial river freshwater-associated plants in the Mara river basin freshwater molluscs in the Mara with sufficient water of good quality to support livelihoods, Mara river basin river basin biodiversity and unique ecological processes in the Table 10. Orders, families and species Table 30. Introduced and invasive Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. of freshwater reptiles in the Mara Table 21. Orders, families and species non-native freshwater-associated river basin of freshwater insects in the Mara plants in the Mara river basin river basin Amani Ngusaru Table 11. Conservation status of Mohamed Awer Country Director, freshwater reptiles in the Mara CEO, WWF-Kenya WWF-Tanzania river basin FIGURES Figure 1. Map of the Mara river basin Figure 6. Selection of waterbirds in Figure 11. Selection of freshwater the Mara river basin invertebrates in the Mara river basin Figure 2. Soil types of the Mara river basin Figure 7. Selection of freshwater- Figure 12. Selection of aquatic plants associated birds in the Mara in the Mara river basin Figure 3. Status of threatened river basin freshwater species in the Mara Figure 13. Selection of freshwater- river basin Figure 8. Freshwater reptiles in the associated plants in the Mara Mara river basin river basin Figure 4. Invasive non-native species in the Mara river basin Figure 9. Selection of freshwater amphibians in the Mara river basin Figure 5. Freshwater mammals in the Mara river basin Figure 10. Selection of fishes in the Mara river basin BOXES Box 1. The Mara Freshwater Biodiversity Database: www. Box 2. What is a freshwater species? wwfkenya.org/marafreshwaterbiodiversity.cfm Box 3. The undescribed Haplochromine fishes GREY-CROWNED CRANE (BALEARICA REGULORUM) 6 FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY OF THE MARA RIVER BASIN OF KENYA AND TANZANIA FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY OF THE MARA RIVER BASIN OF KENYA AND TANZANIA 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Mara river basin is globally iconic. As the main perennial turtle (Pelomedusa surbrufa). Of the amphibians, 18 (Ageratum conzyoides), black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) source of water in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem it is an frogs and 2 toads were identified, most from the Serengeti and common wireweed (Sida acuta). at least National Park. The 40 species of fishes recorded in the The conservation status of 370 of the 473 native species essential resource for the highest density and diversity of large basin are dominated by barbs, catfishes and cichlids, the identified in this review has been assessed by the IUCN. Of herbivores on Earth, including the great wildebeest migration. latter of which include many undescribed Haplochromine these, ten (3%) are considered threatened and at high risk species. Freshwater invertebrates included 4 crabs, 1 The Mara River is a transboundary river, shared between Kenya and Tanzania, of extinction. This includes three Critically Endangered and it provides the ecosystem services that underpin the economy of the 1.1 473 shrimp and 18 mollusc species. Insects were mostly fishes; the ningu, Labeo victorianus, singidia tilapia/ only identified to family, sub-family or genera level; 28 million people living in its basin. More than half of the basin’s inhabitants ngege, Oreochromis esculentus and Victoria tilapia/ Native Freshwater species were recorded in total. Freshwater vascular plants directly rely upon the Mara for domestic water needs, and at least 73% of mbiru, Oreochromis variabilis, which are threatened recorded in the basin ranged from obligate aquatic species households around the Mara wetland in Tanzania harvest fish for both by a combination of unsustainable fisheries exploitation Species to facultative species which are often found in riparian subsistence and commercial purposes. However, the Mara is under immense and the introduction of invasive non-native fishes. The habitats; 40 species of aquatic
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