Rapid population growth and intensified human activities present increasing threats to the biological richness and natural resources in the Lake Tanganyika basin. The governments of the lake 's riparian countries Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia recognised these threats and collaborated to establish a sustainable development and management plan for the lake and its catchment basin. After an extensive research and consulting process, the Lake Tanganyika Regional Integrated Management Programme (LTRIMP) started its first implementation phase in 2008.
The LTRIMP was designed to facilitate the implementation of the Convention on the Sustainable Management of Lake Tanganyika, Lake Tanganyika Strategic Action Programme (SAP) and the Lake Tanganyika Framework Fisheries Management Plan (FFMP).The programme falls within the policies of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) which were developed by each of the four governments to provide sustainable economic growth for poverty reduction.
The LTRIMP has two immediate objectives:
- To achieve sustainable management of the natural resources of Lake Tanganyika through implementation of activities prioritized in the SAP
- To improve livelihoods through physical and social infrastructure development
The first immediate objective of LTRIMP is supported by UNDP/GEF funding through its project on Partnership Interventions for the Implementation of the SAP for Lake Tanganyika. The second immediate objective of LTRIMP is supported through the ADB and NDF funded Project to Support the Lake Tanganyika Integrated Regional Development Programme (PRODAP).