Project

This project aimed to improve the protection and sound management of the natural resources and critical ecosystems that sustain livelihoods in the Great Lakes region of Africa, an area that is experiencing significant pressures from human migration. To achieve this objective, IISD collaborated with the Conservation Development Center, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Frankfurt Zoological Society to research migration and conservation issues, conducting three main activities:

IUCN is fighting this impunity with support of the European Union. Together with partner organization ACEDH, the organization pushes for better legal protection of Virunga and local communities.

The project aims at strengthening local resource-user groups to participate effectively in safeguarding, sustainably utilize and manage Mabamba Ramsar site ecosystem’s ecosystem that faces increasing over-exploitation of sand, forests and other resources by private business operators leading to ecosystem alteration, destruction of breeding grounds leading to reducing species populations of birds, fish, mammals and plants that give the wetland its international importance status and provide a basis for sustainable pro-poor eco-tourism.

The project intends to achieve its objectives through:

This project aimed at promoting local community members participation and to kindle their support in conservation and wise use of Mabamba Bay Wetland of international importance through community policing, sustainable resource-based and alternative income-generating activities and an effective information exchange system. The project involvesd an Awareness and Education campaign about the benefits of protecting this Ramsar site; providing skills of alternative income generating opportunities and wise use of the resource: and, developing an ecotourism information center. 

The Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods in Lake Malawi program, or REFRESH, is conserving the freshwater biodiversity of Lake Malawi by restoring natural fisheries productivity in the lakeshore districts of Karonga, Rumphi, Likoma, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Salima, Dedza and Mangochi.

The ‘Lake Tanganyika Water Management’ project aims to sustainably improve the management and control of the cross-border waters of Lake Tanganyika. This 4-year project is entrusted to Enabel and is financed by the European Union as part of a regional program.

This project aims at improving the hydrological and operational management of Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River, while pursuing an integrated and Nexus-based approach.

In 2012, RIPPLE Africa worked with local community members and district authorities to develop local bylaws to protect a 40km stretch of lakeshore along Lake Malawi in Nkhata Bay District, Malawi, Africa. To support, advocate, and regulate these fish conservation bylaws, RIPPLE Africa has set up local Fish Conservation Committees whose members include fishers and non-fishers. The Committees, together with the District Fisheries Department, manage the local permit system, and monitor and regulate illegal activity in each Committee’s designated area.

Cage aquaculture is spreading rapidly on AGLs without lake-specific best management practices (BMPs) to ensure long-term socio-economic and environmental sustainability. PESCA project is developing a decision support tool (DST) and BMPs to guide development or improvement of policies and regulations to improve fish production and profitability from cage aquaculture with minimal impacts on the aquatic environment of the AGLs.

e-CAS is a software developed to manage fish catch and related statistics. The software provides an opportunity for fisheries authorities to engage Beach Management Units in collecting fisheries and related statistics which are then sent by use of mobile phones to a central computer system for processing and utilization. The system increases the frequency of data collection as per the LTA and LVFO standard operating procedure.

Building on BirdLife sediment fingerprinting study on the impacts of climate change in the Lakes Kivu and Tanganyika basins, this project will enhance the resilience of communities within the Sebeya and Ruhwa catchments through agroforestry and sustainable agriculture, building capacity for climate change adaptation and disseminating best practices in the African Great Lakes Region. This project is implemented in partnership with ABN – Burundi, NaFIRRI and BirdLife.

Members of this project will host an applied, collaborative workshop which creates lake committees on each of the African Great Lakes. Each lake committee will consist of relevant freshwater experts to harmonize and prioritize research, guide regional research efforts, and facilitate communications between partner countries to positively affect freshwater policy and management using regular in-person meetings, the African Great Lakes Inform, and other relevant means.

The 2017 African Great Lakes Conference, Entebbe, Uganda resolved to advance the African Great Lakes Information Platform (AGLI) (this platform) established by The Nature Conservancy. AGLI was created to promote research and collaboration and support decision-making to ensure the inter-generational sustainability of the lakes and their basins. AGLI will be hosted at the University of Nairobi and managed jointly with the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education. 

African Great Lakes (AGLs) contribute 2.7 million tonnes (~25%) to global inland fisheries production (11.9 mt) annually. This is composed of large species (> 20 cm total length, TL) and small pelagic species (< 20 cm, TL). At the turn of the 20th century, fisheries of the AGLs were dominated by large species (tilapine cichlids, Lates spp, cat fishes, Mormyrids, etc.) and management concentrated on these species.

The Metu district is located in the southwestern part of Ethiopia, where the UNESCO registered biosphere is one of the few remnants of natural forest and home of forest coffee Arabica. Over time, the population increased tremendously and over-used the banks the rivers for agriculture severe deforestation and over grazing has completely changed the environment of the district and the Wuchi wetland lost its water and remained bare.

This paper is based on a study that was carried out to investigate the linkages between population dynamics and climate change among both in school and out of school youth aged between 10 and 35 in southern Malawi to inform the development of behavioral change interventions for the PaMawa project. The overall purpose of the project is to promote increased adoption of positive behaviors related to climate change adaptation and sexual reproductive health (SRH) by identifying motivators, barriers and gaps in the uptake of SRH that have a bearing on climate change adaptation.

This project aims to improve understanding of the importance of wetlands, highlighting the ecological and economic value of Ruvubu National Park through trainings on ecosystem services assessments and identification of biodiversity and ecosystem services characteristics and spatial trends.

Tanzania's Northern Lake Nyasa basin contains montane forests that are renowned for their endemic plants and critically endangered fauna (e.g., Kipunji). The region's wetlands are rich in species diversity and among the world's most biologically productive ecosystems. The significant ecosystem services linkages between these areas with downstream aquatic biodiversity, fisheries production, and human well-being, however, receive little attention. The basin's rural human population is expected to grow rapidly, further straining the natural resource base.

Thirty-six countries in sub-Saharan Africa have severe shortages of health workers. At least 2.3 trained health care providers are needed per 1,000 people to provide 80 percent of the population with skilled care at birth and child immunisation coverage. Nurses and midwives are on the frontline of health services in Africa. Ensuring that they are provided with the necessary competencies to work and function properly is key in reducing the alarmingly high maternal and mortality rates in Africa.