LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

there are a number of endangered bird species in the

Basin, including the papyrus yellow warbler (

Chrolopeta

gracillostris

) and papyrus gonolek (

Laniarius mufumbiri

)

(Kimbowa 2013).

In Rwanda, there are three protected areas: the

Nyungwe Forest National Park in the west, Akagera

National Park in the east and the Volcano National

Park in the north, all of which are situated in the LVB

and are critical watersheds for the Basin (Lake Victoria

Basin Commission 2007a). These ecosystems have

unique physical and geographical characteristics

that support a variety of different life forms spread

over different altitudinal ranges. In addition to the

economic returns from tourism, these parks provide

habitats to some of the rarest species in the world,

making them internationally important biodiversity

sites. The parks in Rwanda are a major tourist

attraction, contributing substantially to the economy

through tourism revenue.

With its huge potential, the Basin could be fully

developed as a major tourist destination. The

development of an extensive transport network across

the Lake, in particular, would help to boost tourism.

The Ssese Islands in Uganda and the Ukerewe Islands

in Tanzania have beautiful sandy beaches with huge

tourism potential but remain undeveloped, with few

visitors. Tourist attractions include water sports, bird

watching, angling and other natural attractions. In

addition to contributions from governments, the

private sector has also taken steps to develop facilities

to support the tourism industry in the Basin. This

includes hotel accommodation, the provision of travel

and tour operations, professional tour guiding and

tourism promotion.

Mining

The mining industry in the LVB is a developing

economic and land-use activity, making an annual

contribution of about 2.3 per cent to the Basin’s GDP

(Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007a). Artisanal

mining is prevalent in the Burundian portion of the LVB,

where the most common mined minerals are alluvial

gold, cassiterite, columbo-tantalite and wolframite.

These activities have, however, a negative impact on

the environment because their solid loads cause river

pollution and excessive silting of river floors, rendering

them unsuitable for agriculture.

The Kenyan part of the Basin has minerals that include

Kisii soapstone, phosphate, sulfur, wollastonite and

nephelinite, manganese, tin, kaolin, clay, fluorspar, iron

ore, graphite and diatomaceous soil. Industrial mining

of limestone is carried out at Koru in Nyando District,

while the extraction of building material such as

granite, brick clay, sand, tuffs, murrum and material for

ballast is widespread.

A range of minerals – cassiterite, coltan, wolfram and

colombo tentalum – and other valuable materials such

as sand, gravel and stones are extracted in various parts

of the Basin in Rwanda. Mining sand and stones is largely

unregulated and there are concerns about the destruction

of other natural resources, particularly wetlands and

fragile hillsides. Mining activities support a significant

proportion of livelihoods and local economies but there

are concerns that current mining activities in Rwanda are

unsustainable (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007a).

The Government of Rwanda has intervened by outlawing

mining in some areas, but appropriate mechanisms are

needed to ensure the delicate balance between the

environment and livelihoods.

Diamond mining in Tanzania