Fisheries biodiversity and production in Lake Malawi has undergone major changes including the collapse of the chambo and Labeo fishery, the exploitation of the ecologically diverse but specialized mbuna fish for food and the surge in Usipa fish production.
Protected areas are often designed around terrestrial conservation priorities, raising questions about their value in conserving aquatic habitats and species. Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park represents a unique approach by creating a no-fishing zone along the shore of the largest reserve in the Lake Tanganyika catchment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits of these protections for aquatic habitats, water quality, and littoral fauna.
Lake Chilwa Basin in Southern Malawi has experienced environmental degradation, climate variability and change that have manifested negative impacts on people's livelihoods, food security and health, particularly among the most vulnerable groups such as women and children. However, what has not been established has been the linkages of climate variability and change, and population dynamics particularly migration and public and reproductive health.
This project was completed as part of the Conservation Leadership Programme's (CLP) internship program. CLP supports projects that develop the skills of early career conservationists working to conserve the planet's most threatened species and habitats. This project allowed an intern to acquire the skills and knowledge required to be well-positioned to take a lead role in developing the capacities of local communities to sustainably manage and benefit from their natural resources.
This project will facilitate APRN/BEPB staff to organize a meeting with local authorities and organization members at Mutumba Commune for discussing new implementation of the organization plan. It will also facilitate identification and purchase of one hectare of land of for the center's site research. This land will host an agropastoral experimentation, the core of sustainable development for the community.
Yala wetland is a biodiversity rich and diverse ecosystem comprised of the Yala River, Yala swamp and numerous satellite lakes which serve as habitat for birds, haplochromines and cichlid fish species that long disappeared in Lake Victoria and numerous other species. The wetland faces anthropogenic threats such as reclamation of wetlands for farming, burning and over-harvesting for papyrus crafts and cooking fuel, fishing grounds, accessibility paths and sand harvesting.
Luzira Wetland (the lower part of Nakivubo Swamp) is a mixed papyrus-miscanthus swamp that is part of the greater network of wetlands in the Lake Victoria Basin. Although not a designated site of international importance under The Ramsar Convention, the wetland has been proposed for protection as a conservation area because of its water purification role. The wetland constitutes a critical buffer zone between the run-off from Kampala City and Lake Victoria the biggest water body in Africa.
In 2005, work began on_assessing the presence and habitat requirements of spotted-necked otters (Lutra maculicollis) in Kenya and Tanzania. During the project team's trip to Kenya they visited a school conservation club presenting information on the otters and involving students in a field trip experience. As a result of this visit, a small group of teachers formed the Kisumu Science Teachers Lake Victoria Otter and Wetlands Conservation Development Group (KISTOC).
Lake Victoria's Yala Wetland is made up of mainly papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) stands. It is an internationally recognized Important Bird Area that hosts many bird species found only in papyrus stands, some of which can only be found in Lake Victoria swamps. Two of these birds, papyrus yellow warbler (Chloroptera gracilinostris) and papyrus gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri) are listed as globally threatened species which require urgent conservation action.1 The swamp provides social, economic and ecological benefits, values and functions to the community and its biodiversity.