Organization: Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Project

Location: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Web address: http://www.kmfri.co.ke/

Title of Grant: “Lake Victoria Biodiversity Informatics Planning Grant”

Grant Amount: $25,349 over 6 months

Principal Investigator: W. O. Ojwang

Organization Background:

The mandate of Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) as defined by the Science and Technology Act, Cap 250, passed by Parliament in 1979, is to undertake research in “marine and freshwater fisheries, aquaculture, environmental and ecological studies, and marine research including chemical and physical oceanography”, in order to provide scientific data and information for sustainable exploitation, management and conservation of Kenya’s fisheries resources and aquatic environment, and contribute to National strategies towards food security, poverty alleviation, and creation of employment.

Grant Description:

Lake Victoria is a global hot spot of aquatic biodiversity and a socio-economic backbone of the region. It is a major source of food, potable water, power production, agriculture, and a medium of transportation. Despite its importance the Lake has for 2 decades undergone ecological deterioration causing widespread changes in species composition and distribution, thus affecting the general biodiversity of the area, and its ability to continue to support the range of ecosystem services on which the region depends.

Although there has been significant biological research on the Lake, the current uncoordinated nature of the resulting data and associated scientific materials has made their access and usage cumbersome, leading in many instances to duplication of effort. The purpose of this project is to explore the feasibility of an initiative to create a biodiversity database on the Lake with the sole purpose of organizing existing datasets and other published materials into a central regional node to improve its accessibility to end users.

The Problem:

Four decades ago, Lake Victoria basin was considered by many as one of the biological diversity power houses in the tropics. The basin, a mosaic of realms and habitats, comprises satellite lakes, rivers and dams. However, recent surveys indicate widespread loss of several components of biodiversity in the Basin including wet land resources, macro and micro invertebrates, birds, mammals and herps. The high rate of species endemism in the Lake Victoria Basin predisposes the biodiversity to be highly sensitive to environmental perturbations attributable to anthropogenic related activities in the region.

Despite massive amount of research carried out in the region including the just concluded World Bank funded Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMPI), it is still almost impossible to obtain information in any aspect of biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin. Whenever such information is available, its distribution is either highly restricted or accessibility limited. The inaccessibility has actually compounded taxonomic problems and slowed down studies on reemerging fish species. In fact there is no complete list and description (including field guides) 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.

The Solution:

The grant will facilitate 10 lead scientists from the Lake Victoria region (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) to prepare a full proposal for submission to JRS Biodiversity Foundation. In preparation for a planning workshop, representatives from respective countries/institutions will make available for joint review necessary background and other related information. Four days of meetings will be used to synthesize the available information and develop a proposal. The grant will also be use to bring together head of institutions actively participating in biodiversity related studies in the Lake Victoria basin for a consensus building forum to jump start in the shortest period possible the process of successfully launching and accomplishing what is considered as a long overdue undertaking.

Global Impact:

It is hoped that out of this grant a plan will evolve for a Lake Victoria biodiversity blueprint bringing together compatible groups in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.