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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