Resources

There has been a considerable increase in the pace at which hydrocarbon reserves are being targeted in some of the most remote and pristine areas on our planet, often involving the use of controversial technologies such as hydraulic fracturing or deepwater drilling. Unnoticed by the public, initiatives for oil exploration are advanced in Africas largest freshwater reservoirs, including Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi and lately Albert, threatening their ecosystems and biota.

Lake Turkana is a transboundary resource, spanning the borders of Kenya and Ethiopia. The lakes importance to the well-being of local communities and national governments is not well documented compared to other Great Lakes of Africa. The lake basin is experiencing accelerated anthropogenic activities including construction of cascading dams and large scale irrigation projects along River Omo; oil discovery and ongoing exploration; associated resource use conflicts and construction of Africas largest wind power plant and episodic climatic changes.

Tourism in Uganda has over the years witnessed steady growth and is increasingly supporting economic growth and contributing to natural resource conservation. Although studies have been carried out to assess the impact of tourism on natural resources in Uganda, limited attention has been given to examining how tourism developments influence ecologically sensitive shore environments.

Lake Malawi in the Africa Great Lakes region is one of the deepest lakes in the world. The total number of fish species in Lake Malawi is estimated at approximately 15% of the global total of freshwater species and approximately 4% of the worlds fishes. Particularly noteworthy are the high diversity of haplochromine cichlids. It is listed as a world heritage site due to its outstanding universal values. Lake Malawi is about 586 km long and 16-80 km wide covering 20% of Malawis earth surface.

The TerrAfrica Partnership leverages funds to scale up sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a regional initiative to help African countries develop harmonised and programme-based initiatives in sustainable land and water management (SLWM). TerrAfrica also works to improve coordination between African governments, the international development community and other global and regional stakeholders. The programme contributes to realising the objectives of CAADP and the Action Plan of the NEPAD Environment Initiative.

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a partnership of the riparian states that has been active since 1999. It seeks to develop the river in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promote regional peace and security through its shared vision of sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources. The NBI is based in Entebbe, Uganda and includes Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

The East African Community has designated Lake Victoria and its Basin as an "area of common economic interest" and a "regional economic growth zone" to be developed jointly by the Partner States. Lake Victoria is the focus of new attention following the declaration by the East African Community Heads of State that a joint programme be developed for the overall management and rational utilization of the shared resources of the Lake.

The Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) was launched in December 2008. The overall objective is to ensure the protection and conservation of the biological diversity and sustainable use of the natural resources of Lake Tanganyika and its basin. To achieve the overall objectives of the Convention on the Sustainable Management of Lake Tanganyika (the Convention), a Strategic Action Program was developed and endorsed by the four riparian countries.

The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative focuses on the economic benefits of land and land-based ecosystems. The initiative highlights the value of sustainable land management and provides a global approach for analysis of the economics of land degradation. It aims to make economics of land degradation an integral part of policy strategies and decision making by increasing the political and public awareness of the costs and benefits of land and land-based ecosystems.