40 / 110
40
Lake Victoria consists of moist forest areas on the
shores and fringes of the Lake, as well as on the
islands in the Lake. According to the Lake Victoria
Basin Commission (2012) – which has designated a
number of Ecological Sensitive Areas (ESAs) – there
are 222 forest units occupying an area of 1,120 km²
on islands in Lake Victoria, as well as along and near
the shoreline (3 km² in Kenya, 401 km² in Tanzania
and 716 km² in Uganda). Indigenous trees dominate
these forests, which influence, and in turn are strongly
influenced by, the microclimate of the Lake. The wider
LVB has about 7,200 km² of forest cover (as shown in
Table 2.2).
Pockets of the LVB are losing significant amounts of
forests due to the growing pressure for land for crops,
grazing, settlement and firewood. In addition to large-
scale deforestation, selective logging, debarking and
charcoal burning are also responsible for the reduction
in the extent of forests and in the diversity of plant
species through loss of seedling species richness
(Chazdon 2008).
Deforestation in the LVB is more acute outside of
protected areas, and on forested private and public/
communal lands that are not regulated or managed by
government authorities. Communities living in these
non-regulated forest lands depend on forest resources
for firewood, building materials and medicinal plants,
prompting over-exploitation. The deforestation rate in
the Basin is estimated at 55,000 – 100,000 ha per year,
equivalent to a forest loss ratio of 1.1 - 3.15 per cent
per year (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007).
Forest cover
Table 2.2: Distribution of LVB ecosystems per sub-basin (Lake Victoria excluded)
Name of the
Forest Ecosystem
Biharamulo
Bukora
Gucha-Migori
Katonga
Lake Victoria Islands
Lower Kagera
Mara
Middle Kagera
North Awach
Northern shore streams
Nyabarongo
Nyando
Nzoia
Ruvubu
Simiyu
Sondu
South Awach
Southern shore streams
Western shore streams
Yala
LVB
Source: LVBCWRMP study by BRL Ingénierie 2014
LakeVictoria
forests (km
2
)
32
47
0
27
1 177
281
0
0
0
374
0
0
0
0
5
0
10
209
2
0
987
Forest Ecosystems
Tropical highland
forests (km
2
)
501
1
21
212
0
475
227
110
2
7
5
386
597
9
0
347
24
248
0
640
3812
Mountain
forests (km
2
)
0
0
0
0
0
0
456
0
0
0
379
408
654
17
0
406
0
0
0
119
2439
Deforestation in Tanzania