LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

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Environmental stresses faced by the LVB which are

highlighted in this report include:

• Stresses within the Lake

such as over-fishing, oil

spills, untreated liquid waste, invasive alien species

(particularly water hyacinth) and over-abstraction of

water from the Lake Basin;

• Stresses on littoral zones

such as construction and

farming on the shoreline, conversion of wetlands,

and poor solid waste management;

• Stresses on the wider Basin

such as land

degradation, deforestation, proliferation of water

weeds (particularly water hyacinth), pollution from

agro-chemicals, sediment loads, and poor solid waste

management; and

• Stresses from outside the Basin

such as atmospheric

nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorous that

are transported into the Basin through the air.

If the water and land resources in the LVB continue to

deteriorate, the Basin will reach a point when it will no

longer be able to adequately support the livelihood

demands of the growing population. The stresses on

the Lake Basin, which manifest themselves through

deteriorating water quality, fluctuating lake levels, the

overexploitation of natural resources, the resurgence

of water hyacinth, and climate change, are partly

responsible for the lake’s reduced capacity to provide

some of its ecosystem goods and services.

The establishment of Lake Victoria Basin Commission

in 2006 has provided a starting point for exploring

solutions to the environmental challenges faced by the

Basin. The LVBC has a mandate to coordinate, promote

and facilitate conservation and sustainable utilization of

resources in the Basin. It aims to encourage appropriate

stakeholder participation in conservation and

management of resources at various levels, including

at village, local, national and regional levels.

Challenges

Fisherman clears Lake Victoria of water hyacinth near Junga, Uganda

Deforestation in Rwanda