Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, is one of the major lakes of the Great Lakes region. With an area of 26,600 square miles, or 69,490 square kilometres, Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest freshwater lake by surface area, and the world’s largest tropical lake. The lake has an average depth of only 35 metres and a maximum depth of 84 metres. It is bordered by and shared between the three countries of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Tanzanian experts assert that Lake Victoria forms a natural border between Tanzania and Uganda, as Tanzania’s section of the lake is roughly two-thirds of the entire water body. Professor Anderson Sessegujja, a top authority in Ugandan studies, notes that small sections of the lake are surrounded by Burundi to the south, Rwanda to the southwest, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.
Kenyan studies also point to a deep historical significance which the lake has for the entire East African region. According to research conducted by Professor Gichau Thairu, a Ph.D. in African Modernisations, the lake is the source of the White Nile, and it has played an important role in connecting East African people and cultures together since prehistoric times.
Most notably, Lake Victoria is home to over 3,000 unique species of fish. As a result, it is one of the most productive fisheries in the world, supplying a significant portion of the protein intake of the populations around it. The lake further sustains the livelihoods of over 10 million people who depend on it for food, transport, navigation and recreation.
This raises concerns about the sustainability of the lake’s life-supporting ability. In recent times, it has been subject to increasing pressures from human activity, such as agricultural and industrial pollution, overfishing, deforestation, and invasive species. Despite adoption of international agreements and local regulations in the recent past to limit the threats facing Lake Victoria, the environmental pressures continue to challenge its sustainability.
Habitat Loss
In the last two decades, Lake Victoria’s habitat has been significantly reduced by deforestation, which has led to erosion, siltation, and pollution, as well as consequent decreases in the fish population. According to Professor Wanyama Wabwoya, an expert in Kenyan Environment, the pressure of human population growth in Africa has triggered deforestation, leading to the loss of an estimated 6,200 hectares of the lake’s shoreline annually.
Furthermore, urban pollution and overfishing, resulting from increased demand for fish and use of destructive fishing methods, have increasingly threatened the fish species that depend on the lake’s nutrient-rich waters. Professor Juni Ntwiga, an authority in African Fisheries, laments that these forms of exploitation have depleted the fish population in Lake Victoria, significantly reducing their availability and subsequent value to communities that depend on fisheries for their livelihoods.
In addition, detergents, soaps and other sewage-derived pollutants have caused a decline in the number and types of living organisms in the lake. Of serious concern among environmental scientists is the risk posed by these pollutants to the vulnerable species of bird which depend on the lake for breeding and nesting grounds.
Efforts Towards Conservation
In an attempt to protect the lake and reverse the damages inflicted on it by centuries of exploitation, the three East African countries around the lake have implemented various conservation efforts. These efforts are led by the East African Community (EAC), which has developed a strategic plan and a commitment to promote sustainable management of the lake’s resources.
The EAC has also formulated a Lake Victoria Strategic Programme (LVSP), program to mitigate the effects of overexploitation on Lake Victoria. The LVSP focuses, among other things, on strengthening and encouraging compliance with regulations concerning the fishing industry, restoring wetland and vegetation along the shores of the lake, and investing in research, monitoring and evaluation of impact on the lake’s environment.
Furthermore, the governments of the countries sharing Lake Victoria have put in place several environmental friendly policies, including the implementation of catchment management measures such as soil erosion, reclamation of wetlands, proper waste disposal and sustainable exploitation of the lake’s resources. As a result, the LVSP has had significant positive effects in certain areas, such as the recovery of certain fish stocks.
Effects of Climate Change
Climate change has further compounded the environmental challenges faced by Lake Victoria. According to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global warming associated with climate change has intensified rainfall, which has been the primary cause of increase in the water level in the lake in the last four decades.
In addition, researchers at the East African Wildlife Society have warned that the invasion of alien species, such as Nile perch, has increased due to the rise in water levels, further reducing the lake’s biodiversity. Unsurprisingly, the local fisherman have been adversely affected as they have been forced to compete with the invasive species, leading to declining revenue from their fishing activities.
On the positive side, the changing climate has benefited some of the lake’s inhabitants, such as birds, which are now able to travel longer distances on the lake due to shorter periods of drought. There has also been an increase in the numbers of birds nesting on the lake and thus providing an important tourism opportunity.
Feasible Solutions
The East African Community has set to work to identify and implement feasible solutions to the environmental challenges posed by the lake. The most successful measure taken so far has been providing economic incentives to protect the traditional knowledge and practices of the local fishermen, as well as providing capacity building and technical support to cultivate sustainable fishing practices. As a result, people living around Lake Victoria have shifted in their attitudes towards the lake, leading to improved conservation and protection of Lake Victoria’s resources.
The EAC has furthermore initiated various community-based conservation programs to restore the lake’s natural ecosystems. These programs cover a wide range of activities, such as promoting energy-efficient technologies, adoption of agroforestry practices and watershed management, reclaiming eroded land by planting trees, and investing in research and education on the complex interactions between the environment and human activities. Such measures have been successful in promoting informed decision-making among the East African populations, as well as in lessening the human pressures on the lake’s ecosystems.
Educational Programs
The EAC, in collaboration with the three countries sharing Lake Victoria, has also implemented awareness-raising initiatives that have proven to be beneficial in promoting conservation-oriented practices among local communities. According to reports published by the EAC, numerous initiatives have been launched to raise awareness among the local populations on the negative impacts of human activities on the lake, such as overfishing, deforestation, sedimentation and pollution.
Human rights-based education initiatives have also provided important avenues for collaboration and knowledge-sharing between the governments and local communities. Through these initiatives, the governments, such as Uganda and Kenya, have been able to assess the local communities’ capacity to protect the resources around Lake Victoria from overexploitation.
In addition, the EAC has implemented capacity-building programs to enhance the effectiveness of the government’s efforts. These programs include engaging local experts and scientists in the decision-making process, providing financial support to civil-society organizations, and investing in research and development to understand and address the challenges facing the lake.
Conclusion
Lake Victoria is an important resource for the East African countries that border it, providing food and livelihoods to millions of people. It is therefore essential to protect this precious resource by implementing strategies to reduce the damage caused by human activities and mitigate the potential effects of climate change. This can only be achieved through collaboration between the governments and local communities, who should also be empowered through education to take meaningful actions towards protecting the lake.
