Shared aquatic ecosystems of East Africa: status and trends

Abstract

The East African Community (EAC) has initiated a process to prepare common guidelines for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of shared aquatic ecosystems of East Africa. The analysis of shared aquatic ecosystems assumed an extended concept of cross-border sharing. This concept of transboundary resources could promote joint and coordinated research involving sharing of manpower and facilities. The four aquatic ecosystems selected for study were Lake Victoria, shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda; Lake Jipe, shared by Kenya and Tanzania; the Minziro-Sango Bay swamp forests located in southwestern Uganda and northwestern Tanzania beside Lake Victoria; and the marine coastal strip of the western Indian Ocean in Kenya and Tanzania. Information is presented on the status of each of the aquatic ecosystems with respect to major resources, causes and impacts of resource degradation, key management issues, priority areas for management and major regional efforts to manage the resources.