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Forgotten Waters: Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems in Africa

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Forgotten Waters: Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems in Africa FORGOTTEN WATERS: FRESHWATER AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS IN AFRICA Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development Caroly A. Shumway The Biodiversity Support Program A USAID-Funded Consortium of World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and World Resources Institute i Shumway, Caroly A. 1999. Forgotten waters: Freshwater and marine ecosystems in Africa. Strategies for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. © Boston University. This publication was prepared under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Printing and distribution were made possible through support provided to the Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) by the Global Bureau of USAID, under the terms of Cooperative Agreement number DHR-5554-A-00-8044-00, and the New England Aquarium. The Biodiversity Sup- port Program is a consortium of World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and World Resources Institute, funded by the USAID. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the other supporting institutions. Cover art and design by Javene Jones, Design Dept., New England Aquarium. Copy editing by Jennifer Goebel, New England Aquarium. Layout by Michael Matthews, AMEX International. For more information and/or copies of this publication, contact: Dr. Caroly Shumway, Departments of Conservation and Research, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston, MA, USA 02110-3399. Tel.: 617-973-6570, Fax: 617-973-0242, email: [email protected]; web:http://www.neaq.org. Printed by Global Printing, Inc., Alexandria, VA Printed on recycled paper ii ERRATA Page For Read vii. right column, 3rd paragraph, last line: pages 67-87 pages 67-69 ix, left column, section 3, 1st bullet: page 77 pages 77-83 67, right column, 4th line: Olson et al. (1997) Olson et al. (1998) 84, left column, middle of page: [email protected]. [email protected]. 92, right column, 2nd line: Table 8 Table 9 97, right column, 2nd line: See Chapter 6 See pp. 67-68 162, right column, 2nd paragraph, 9th line Figure 68 Figure 69 166, left column, 7th line: Figure 69 Figure 68 Forgotten Waters: Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems – Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development / Caroly A. Shumway Table of Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................................................................v Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Why Has Aquatic Conservation Been Neglected? ..............................................................................4 Chapter 3: Why Should African Aquatic Conservation Be Supported Now? ....................................................7 A. It Makes Developmental Sense .......................................................................................................................8 B. The Value of African Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems..............................................................................8 1. Their socio-economic value ........................................................................................................................8 2. Their ecological value ...............................................................................................................................13 C. The Link Between Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems ................................................................................15 Box: The Importance of Rivers to Terrestrial Conservation: Ephemeral Rivers in Namibia........................16 D. The Link Between Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems ...............................................................................17 E. It Makes Conservation Sense ........................................................................................................................17 Chapter 4: Overview of Important African Freshwater/Marine Habitats........................................................19 A. Freshwater Habitats ......................................................................................................................................20 1. Geographic overview of diversity .............................................................................................................20 2. Freshwater species.....................................................................................................................................22 3. Rivers and streams.....................................................................................................................................22 4. Lakes .........................................................................................................................................................23 5. Freshwater wetlands ..................................................................................................................................25 B. Marine/Coastal Habitats ................................................................................................................................29 1. Geographic overview ................................................................................................................................29 2. Marine species ...........................................................................................................................................31 3. Mangroves .................................................................................................................................................32 4. Coastal wetlands and associated habitats ..................................................................................................34 5. Coral reefs .................................................................................................................................................35 C. Summary Maps .............................................................................................................................................36 D. Internationally Recognized Protected Areas .................................................................................................42 Chapter 5: Threats To Africa’s Aquatic Ecosystems ...........................................................................................49 A. Policy Deficiencies and Inadequate Planning ...............................................................................................50 B. Introduction of Exotic Species ......................................................................................................................51 Box: Introduced Species and African Lakes ..................................................................................................53 C. Overfishing ....................................................................................................................................................54 D. Deforestation .................................................................................................................................................56 E. Agricultural, Municipal and Industrial Pollution...........................................................................................57 Case Study: The Rivers and Streams of Madagascar....................................................................................58 F. Conversion of Sites for Agricultural Production ............................................................................................59 G. Conversion of Sites for Aquaculture .............................................................................................................60 H. Water Diversion.............................................................................................................................................61 I. Global Climate Change ..................................................................................................................................63 J. Synergistic Effects ..........................................................................................................................................65 Case Study: Multiple Threats to West African Mangroves ............................................................................65 iii Chapter 6: What Can Be Done? ............................................................................................................................66 A. How Should Sites Be Selected For Conservation Action?............................................................................67 B. Improve Institutional Capacity ......................................................................................................................69 C. Encourage Appropriate Policies ....................................................................................................................71 1. Principles of integrated coastal zone management ....................................................................................72 Box: A New Approach: Using Market
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