Add to ORKGInternational audienceThe flood peaks of the Tana River in Kenya that, twice a year, inundate its delta are a key element in the local economy. A flood scenario that optimizes the provisioning ecosystem services delivery was defined on the basis of a water balance model, an estimate of flooded surface area, a description of the flood-dependent ecosystem services and an analysis of the practices and strategies of the local users. For livestock-keeping, agriculture and fisheries, an ideal year would comprise two rainy seasons and two flooding seasons of which at least one would exceed a discharge 170 m3/s at Garsen, thus flooding some 200 km². In contrast, a small flood peak with a discharge of less than 140 m3/s, would exert constraints on t...