Devail, StéphaneHamerlynck, OlivierParon, PaoloHervé, DominiqueNyingi, Wanja D.Leone, Michele2020-01-172020-01-172017-10-01http://hdl.handle.net/10625/58362This paper details common characteristics of the rivers flowing into the Western Indian Ocean as well as their specificities, the changes affecting their hydro-ecological rhythms, and their consequences downstream, especially in the deltas. In the river systems of the Western Indian Ocean, the flood pulse is the engine of productivity through the direct relationship between flood extent and ecosystem production. Large scale land conversions and the construction of dams create salt water intrusion and catchment degradation. On a multi-decadal time scale, the current approach is not sustainable. Coastal wetland systems are rapidly losing their value: between 1997 and 2011 swamps and floodplains lost 64% of their surface area, while tidal marshes and mangroves lost 22% globally.application/pdfenHYDROLOGYDELTASCATCHMENT HYDROLOGYWETLANDSFLOODSRUNOFF WATERDAMSSALT WATER INTRUSIONELECTRICITYINDIAN OCEANSOUTH ASIAJournal Article (peer-reviewed)