A Study on Aquatic Biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY LAKE VICTORIA BASIN COMMISSION A Study on Aquatic Biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin © Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) Lake Victoria Basin Commission P.O. Box 1510 Kisumu, Kenya African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) P.O. Box 459178-00100 Nairobi, Kenya Printed and bound in Kenya by: Eyedentity Ltd. P.O. Box 20760-00100 Nairobi, Kenya Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A Study on Aquatic Biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya: ACTS Press, African Centre for Technology Studies, Lake Victoria Basin Commission, 2011 ISBN 9966-41153-4 This report cannot be reproduced in any form for commercial purposes. However, it can be reproduced and/or translated for educational use provided that the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) is acknowledged as the original publisher and provided that a copy of the new version is received by Lake Victoria Basin Commission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Copyright i ACRONYMS iii FOREWORD v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vi 1. BACKGROUND 1 1.1. The Lake Victoria Basin and Its Aquatic Resources 1 1.2. The Lake Victoria Basin Commission 1 1.3. Justification for the Study 2 1.4. Previous efforts to develop Database on Lake Victoria 3 1.5. Global perspective of biodiversity 4 1.6. The Purpose, Objectives and Expected Outputs of the study 5 2. METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSMENT OF BIODIVERSITY 5 2.1. Introduction 5 2.2. Data collection formats 7 2.3. Data Formats for Socio-Economic Values 10 2.5. Data Formats on Institutions and Experts 11 2.6. Bibliographic Data Formats 11 2.7. Data collection and analysis 11 3. THE STATUS OF AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION AND DATA 13 3.1. SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUES OF AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY 13 3.2. LAKE ECOSYSTEMS DIVERSITY IN THE LAKE VICTORIA BASIN 20 3.3. RIVERINE ECOSYSTEMS IN THE LAKE VICTORIA BASIN 27 3.4. WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS IN LAKE VICTORIA BASIN 32 3.5. THE DIVERSITY OF MACROPHYTES 38 3.6. ALGAL SPECIES DIVERSITY 43 3.7. AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES’ DIVERSITY 50 3.8. FISH SPECIES DIVERSITY 57 3.9. DIVERSITY OF NON FISH VERTEBRATES (AMPHIBIANS, REPTILES, BIRDS AND MAMMALS) 67 3.10. GENETIC DIVERSITY 73 3.11. GUIDELINES ON NETWORKING OF INSTITUTIONS AND EXPERTS FOR DATA SHARING AND UPDATES 78 3.12. POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY IN THE LAKE VICTORIA BASIN 81 4. A SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE THE THREATS AND FILL THE GAPS 88 5. THE META-DATABASE PROTOTYPE 93 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 100 ANNEX I. INSTITUTIONS AND EXPERTS CONSULTED 112 ANNEX II. TERMS OF REFERENCE 117 ii ACRONYMS CBD Convention on Biological Diversity COP Conference of Parties EAC East African Community EAFRO East African Fisheries Organization EU European Union IFMP Integrated Fisheries Management Plan KMFRI Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute KWS Kenya Wildlife Service LVB Lake Victoria Basin LVBC Lake Victoria Basin Commission LVEMP Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project NaFIRRI National Fisheries Resources Research Institute TAFIRI Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute TANFIS Tanzanian Fisheries Information System TDA Trans-boundary Diagnostic Analysis TORs Terms of Reference UNDP United Nations Development Program UNEP United Nations Environmental Program WCMC World Conservation Monitoring Centre FAS Foreign Agricultural Service PECAD Production Estimates & Crop Assessment Division CITES International Trade in Endangered Species CBD Convention on Biological Diversity BOD Biological Oxygen Demand CAS Catch Assessment Surveys CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species GISP Global Invasive Species Programme IMCE Inter-ministerial Committee for Environment ILRI International Livestock Research Institute IUCEA Inter-University Council for East Africa IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUU Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported KEPHIS Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services MDGs Millennium Development Goals NAWESCO National Wetland Steering Committee iii NEMA National Environmental Management Authority NORAD Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation NWP National Wetlands Programme NWSC National Wetlands Standing Committee RELMA Regional Land Management Unit SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SIMMORS Sustainable and Integrated Management of the Malagarasi-Muyovozi Ramsar Site SOPs Standard Operating Procedures SWBs Small Water Bodies VicRes Lake Victoria Research Initiative (SIDA) iv FOREWORD The Lake Victoria the second largest lake in the world with an area of 68,800 km2 is well connected to a number of satellite lakes and rivers. The lake had by the turn of 20th century high fish species diversity of over 500 species most of which were endemic to the lake and were of economic and scientific value. he Lake attracts a lot of interest as demonstrated by the massive amount of research carried out and number of projects implemented. This has generated considerable amount of data and information which is available in different places and forms. Whenever such information is available, its distribution is either highly restricted or accessibility is very limited. There is no complete list and description of the diversity of both flora and fauna in the Basin. Current efforts are uncoordinated as there is no single centralized database on lake’s biodiversity to provide information on existing data, ongoing data requisition or even new initiatives. In view of the above, Lake Victoria Basin Commission with financial support from the Lake Victoria Basin Partnership Fund, commissioned a study on aquatic biodiversity in the Lake Victoria with the objective of providing a centralized access point for information and data for management of aquatic biodiversity in the LVB. The study involved review aquatic LVB biodiversity information and data, developing formats, collating, transcribing and archiving existing information. The end product was the designing and implementing Bio-diversity Meta-Database which is anchored and accessible for free at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission website (www.lvbcom.org). The meta-database on aquatic biodiversity of the LVB brings together data and information on aquatic biodiversity which is in the public domain and referenced data which is under the experts and institutions that collect it. The database provides a central location where the aforesaid data and information can be accessed, processed and used by various stakehold- ers for conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, and equitable sharing of the benefits from the genetic resources. This report provides a beginning point for data and information sharing among the stake- holders in the Lake Basin. I urge all players in the LVB to continuously update the database with current data and information. Dr. Tom. O. Okurut Executive Secretary Lake Victoria Basin Commission v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction This is the final report of the study “Data and Information on the aquatic Biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin East Africa’’. This Executive Summary sketches out how the assign- ment was carried out and the main findings from the study. In chapter 1, the background highlights major geographical features of the Lake Victoria Basin, why aquatic biodiversity is important and the objectives of the study. Methodological aspects of the study are presented in Chapter2. In Chapter 3, a detailed assessment of the components of aquatic biodiversity is given. The components studied are ecosystem (lakes, rivers and wetlands), plants (algae and macrophytes), invertebrates, fish and non-fish vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), genetic diversity and the needs of institutions dealing with aquatic biodi- versity including policy frameworks. Chapter 4 highlights proposals for tackling biodiversity threats. A prototype meta-database illustrating features from a home page through various screens and populated structure is presented in chapter 5. The report is backed by a Bibli- ography in Chapter 6, which is also incorporated in the meta-database. Two annexes, one on the consultations made and the other is the Terms of Reference. Therefore, the extended Executive Summary provides outcomes of the assignment from Background through Biodi- versity categories to the prototype biodiversity meta-database. This part of the assignment is supplied with the software on CD that was successfully trial-hosted on the web for three weeks and ready for installation. The Partner States of the East African Community (EAC) designated the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) as an economic growth zone to be developed jointly by the Partner States. The LVB covers 194,000 km2, shared amongst Tanzania (44%), Kenya (22%), Uganda (16%), Rwanda (11%) and Burundi (7%). It has about 35 million people with a population density of about 300 persons per km2 which is higher than national averages for Uganda (235), Burundi (210) and Tanzania (190) but lower than that of Kenya (342) and Rwanda (378). The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) is an institution of the East African Community (EAC) responsible for harmonised and coordinated development of the LVB. The vision of the LVBC for the LVB is to have “A prosperous population living in a healthy and sustainably managed environment providing equitable opportunities and benefits”. The LVB has immense natural resources including fisheries, forests, and rangelands which provide livelihood for the communities around the basin. The demands to meet the needs of the rapidly increasing population and domestic animals in form of space,