LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

Mount Elgon

Sebei hunting area

200 km

Kapchorwa

UGANDA

Mount Elgon National Park

Suam

Kapsokwony

Kamukywa

KENYA

Population Density People per Km²

Plantations inside Forest Reserve Plantations inside National Park Nyayo Tea Zone Development Corporations Chepyuk Settlement Scheme (Government Trust land for settlement)

200-500

District boundary

Forest reserve

Bududa district: most a ected area of fatal slides in the last years

>500

National reserve

Hunting area

Sources: E. Soini , 2007, “Land tenure managemenin the districts around Mount Elgon”, World Agroforestry Centre; R. Formo and B. Pandegimas, 2012, “ Feasibility Study Report Mt. Elgon Landslide Information Needs”, Grid-Arendal. Copyright © 2016 GRID-Arendal · Cartografare il presente/ Nieves López Izquierdo

Figure 1.9: Mount Elgon

Wildlife Conservation and Tourism The LVB is endowed with some of the world’s most pristine wildlife areas, offering a variety of sceneries and huge potential for nature-based conservation and ecotourism. Important sites for tourism include national parks, game reserves, lakeshore beaches, wetlands, forests and unique physical landscapes. The Kagera and Mara sub-basins, as well the Mount Elgon ecosystem, are examples of landscapes that have nature reserves rich in biodiversity. Other important areas include the Akagera National Park, the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti National Park – the latter being partly in the Basin.

Some sections of the Basin enjoy international recognition and special protection under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Basin has a high diversity of fish, birds, wild animals and plants. Some parts of the Basin with fragile ecosystems have been designated as Ramsar sites of wetlands of international importance. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, part of which is located in the Basin, and the Maasai Mara in Kenya are world famous. Seventy sites in the Basin have also been designated as Important Bird Areas (IBA) (Kimbowa 2013). Despite huge conservation efforts,

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