LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

Habitats and biodiversity

Despite its very rich biodiversity, the LVB’s natural habitats are threatened by a rapidly increasing human population. The Basin’s biodiversity consists of fish, birds and higher vertebrates such as amphibians, reptiles and mammals, as well as an abundance of plant species. These include 31 amphibian, 28 reptilian and 44 mammalian species recorded at various sites in the Basin. The inshore waters, satellite water bodies and fringe wetlands support many species of reptiles, including the Nile crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus ), and snakes such as African rock pythons ( Python sebae ), mambas and cobras (Chisara et al. 2001). The most common terrestrial vegetation comprises of dry forest and woodland, primarily in the southern parts of the Basin in Tanzania; deciduous bush thickets in Uganda; and semi-evergreen rainforest and scrub forest in the eastern parts of the Basin in Kenya. Several species in the Basin are threatened, particularly those in fragile habitats such as wetlands. In the 1960s, Lake Victoria supported over 400 species of endemic cichlid fish (Seehausen 1996), but these have progressively disappeared. The loss in fish species is due to habitat degradation, land-use changes, the introduction of exotic species such as the Nile perch and over-fishing. In 1998, about 100 native fish species endemic to the Lake were entered on to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (UN Habitat 2008).

national parks and game reserves as part of efforts towards conservation. These include Rumanyika, Biharamulo, Burigi, Maswa and Saanane Game Reserves in Tanzania, and Kagera, Rubondo and Serengeti National Parks, also in Tanzania. Maasai Mara is the most prominent wildlife conservation area in the Kenyan part of the LVB, while in Burundi protected areas include Kibira, Ruvubu and Rusizi National Parks. Kibira National Park faces the threat of forest clearance for tea plantations and gold mining. Rwanda’s Ibanda Game Reserve and Akagera National Park are the country’s major conservation areas (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007). Lake Victoria supports one of the world’s most productive inland fishing industries, with a total catch of around 800,000 metric tonnes per year, of which 66.6 per cent is from the Tanzanian part of Lake, 18.6 per cent from Uganda and 14.8 per cent from Kenya (LVFO 2011). Commercial species include the Nile perch ( Lates niloticus ), Dagaa/Omena/Mukene ( Rastreneobola argentae ), tilapia and Haplochromines spp (fulu/furu/ nkejje). The value of the catch at source is estimated at more than USD 500 million, with an export value of USD 260million. The fishery sector contributes significantly to the GDP of the countries that share the Lake: 2 per cent for Kenya, 2.8 per cent for Tanzania and 3 per cent for Uganda (World Bank 2012). Lake Victoria is also very important to the wider economies of the EAC. It provides high protein food, employment, income, and water for domestic and industrial use.

The abundance of wildlife in the LVB, especially in the southern regions, led to the establishment of several

Invasive Partheniumhysterophorus

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