Lake Victoria species under threat: report

Lake Victoria species under threat: report

Context

Report – “Freshwater biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin” by IUCN

Observations made in the report

• Three quarters of freshwater species endemic to East Africa’s Lake Victoria basin face the threat of extinction, conservationists said on Monday, warning the biodiversity there was being “decimated”
• A full 20% of these species were threatened with extinction
• Freshwater species are important sources of food, medicine and construction material for the millions of people living in the area surrounding the lake
• African Lungfish, a long eel-like fish, has seen its numbers dwindle due largely to overfishing, poor fishing practices and environmental degradation as wetlands are converted to agricultural land

Lake Victoria

The lake, stretches into Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and its catchment also touches Burundi and Rwanda, is known for its high-level of unique biodiversity

• Largest lake in Africa
• 2^nd largest freshwater lake in the world