LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

Forest cover

Table 2.2: Distribution of LVB ecosystems per sub-basin (Lake Victoria excluded)

Lake Victoria consists of moist forest areas on the shores and fringes of the Lake, as well as on the islands in the Lake. According to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (2012) – which has designated a number of Ecological Sensitive Areas (ESAs) – there are 222 forest units occupying an area of 1,120 km² on islands in Lake Victoria, as well as along and near the shoreline (3 km² in Kenya, 401 km² in Tanzania and 716 km² in Uganda). Indigenous trees dominate these forests, which influence, and in turn are strongly influenced by, the microclimate of the Lake. The wider LVB has about 7,200 km² of forest cover (as shown in Table 2.2). Pockets of the LVB are losing significant amounts of forests due to the growing pressure for land for crops, grazing, settlement and firewood. In addition to large- scale deforestation, selective logging, debarking and charcoal burning are also responsible for the reduction in the extent of forests and in the diversity of plant species through loss of seedling species richness (Chazdon 2008). Deforestation in the LVB is more acute outside of protected areas, and on forested private and public/ communal lands that are not regulated or managed by government authorities. Communities living in these non-regulated forest lands depend on forest resources for firewood, building materials and medicinal plants, prompting over-exploitation. The deforestation rate in the Basin is estimated at 55,000 – 100,000 ha per year, equivalent to a forest loss ratio of 1.1 - 3.15 per cent per year (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007).

Forest Ecosystems Tropical highland forests (km 2 ) 501 1 21 212 0

Mountain forests (km 2 )

Name of the Forest Ecosystem Biharamulo Bukora Gucha-Migori Katonga Lake Victoria Islands Lower Kagera Mara Middle Kagera North Awach Northern shore streams Nyabarongo Nyando Nzoia Ruvubu

LakeVictoria forests (km 2 )

32 47 0 27 1 177 281

0 0 0 0 0 0 456

475 227 110

0 0 0 374 0 0 0 0 5 0 10 209 2 0 987

0 0 0

2 7 5

379 408 654 17 0 406

386 597

9 0 347 24 248 0 640 3812

Simiyu Sondu South Awach

0 0 0 119 2439

Southern shore streams Western shore streams

Yala LVB

Source: LVBCWRMP study by BRL Ingénierie 2014

Deforestation in Tanzania

40