Need for harmonized long-term multi-lake monitoring of African Great Lakes

Plisnier, Pierre‐Denis; Kayanda, Robert; MacIntyre, Sally; Obiero, Kevin; Okello, William; Vodacek, Anthony; Cocquyt, Christine; Abegaz, Hussein; Achieng, Alfred O.; Balagizi, Akonkwa; Albrecht, Christian; Balagizi, Charles M.; Barasa, James E.; Bashonga, Rafiki Abel; Bishobibiri, Alexis Bashonga; Bootsma, Harvey A.; Borges, Alberto; Chavula, Geoffrey; Dadi, Tallent; Keyzer, Els L. R. De; Doran, Patrick J.; Gabagambi, Nestory P.; Gatare, Robert; Gemmell, Andrew; Getahun, Abebe; Haambiya, Lloyd; Higgins, Scott N.; Hyangya, Béni L.; Irvine, Ken; Isumbisho, Mwapu; Jonasse, Carlos; Katongo, Cyprian; Katsev, Sergei; Keyombe, James Last; Kimirei, Ismael A.; Kisekelwa, Tchalondawa; Kishe, Mary A.; Koding, Simon Otoung A.; Kolding, Jeppe; Kraemer, Benjamin M.; Limbu, Peter; Lomodei, Evans; Mahongo, Shigalla B.; Malala, John; Mbabazi, Stella; Masilya, Pascal Mulungula; McCandless, Matt; Medard, Modesta; Ajode, Zephaniah Migeni; Mrosso, Hillary D. J.; Mudakikwa, Eric R.; Mulimbwa, N’sibula; Mushagalusa, Déo; Muvundja, Fabrice A.; Nankabirwa, Angela; Nahimana, David; Ngatunga, Benjamin P.; Ngochera, Maxon; Nicholson, Sharon E.; Muderhwa, Nshombo; Ntakimazi, Gaspard; Nyamweya, Chrisphine S.; Nyeko, Joyce Ikwaput; Olago, Daniel; Olbamo, Tekle; O’Reilly, Catherine M.; Pasche, Natacha; Phiri, Harris; Raasakka, Nina; Salyani, Anham; Sibomana, Claver; Silsbe, Greg M.; Smith, Stephanie M.; Sterner, Robert W.; Thiery, Wim; Tuyisenge, Janviere; Knaap, Martin Van der; Steenberge, Maarten Van; Zwieten, P.A.M. van; Verheyen, Erik; Wakjira, Mulugeta; Walakira, John; Wembo, Oscar Ndeo; Lawrence, Theodore

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2022.01.016

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 122 publications

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“…Lack of adequate time series and presence of aspects that require updating or consideration in research can be explained by lack of established monitoring programmes for regular data collection, a characteristic of most inland fisheries (Cooke et al., 2016; Plisnier et al., 2022). Routine monitoring programmes with a wide scope covering all aspects of aquatic ecosystem health and fisheries have been recommended on water bodies in the region, including lakes Edward and George, to sustain data collection efforts and avoid the data gaps (Plisnier et al., 2022). In these water bodies, monitoring programmes could be designed to fill all the established data gaps above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State of knowledge of aquatic ecosystem and fisheries of the Lake Edward System, East Africa

Musinguzi,

Vranken,

Natugonza

et al. 2023

Aquaculture Fish & Fisheries

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Poor and unreliable knowledge of the status of freshwater fisheries limits their inclusion in governance processes, thereby impeding effective management measures. This threatens the livelihoods of people, particularly in developing countries. Improved knowledge is required to draw the attention of policymakers and stimulate effective management measures to accelerate the sustainability of the freshwater fisheries. In line with this requirement, this paper provides the state of knowledge of the aquatic ecosystem and fisheries of the Lake Edward system, East Africa, focusing on lakes Edward, George and the Kazinga channel. The state of knowledge was accomplished by reviewing existing data and information on aspects of primary productivity and water quality, invertebrates, fish fauna, fish life history and ecology, and fisheries. The waterbodies have been monitored since the 1930s, albeit sporadically, providing data on all the above aspects but with substantial temporal gaps. Adequate and updated data and information exist on the water quality status of the water bodies, extant aquatic taxa (including fishes) and fish catches but with uncertainties in the latter. Data and information gaps exist on the abundance of biotic communities, fish life history, quantitative trophic ecology and fisheries management reference points. The aggregated data and information can directly support decisions for fisheries management. We recommend regular monitoring to fill the data and information gaps, more comprehensive stock assessments and the development of aquatic ecosystem models.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State of knowledge of aquatic ecosystem and fisheries of the Lake Edward System, East Africa

Musinguzi,

Vranken,

Natugonza

et al. 2023

Aquaculture Fish & Fisheries

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“…Africa's Great Rift Valley, with extraordinary geographical features of numerous deep and spectacular gorges cutting into the margins of a plateau, is a source of many rivers and streams [34], flowing either into the inland lentic ecosystems or into the sea. The region also harbours the African Great Lakes that hold over 25% of the world's unfrozen freshwater [35,36] and more than 90% of Africa's total freshwater [37]. Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in Africa also support numerous habitats with exclusive reservoirs of the world's biodiversity, including eight of the world's 36 recognized biodiversity hot spots [38]; they host approximately one-quarter of the world's mammals and birds [39] and have the second largest tropical rainforest with unmatched endemic species globally [40], in addition to aquatic inland and marine amphibians, reptiles and fish [41].…”

Section: Ecosystems In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring biodiversity loss in rapidly changing Afrotropical ecosystems: an emerging imperative for governance and research

Achieng

Arhonditsis

Mandrak

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Africa is experiencing extensive biodiversity loss due to rapid changes in the environment, where natural resources constitute the main instrument for socioeconomic development and a mainstay source of livelihoods for an increasing population. Lack of data and information deficiency on biodiversity, but also budget constraints and insufficient financial and technical capacity, impede sound policy design and effective implementation of conservation and management measures. The problem is further exacerbated by the lack of harmonized indicators and databases to assess conservation needs and monitor biodiversity losses. We review challenges with biodiversity data (availability, quality, usability and database access) as a key limiting factor that impacts funding and governance. We also evaluate the drivers of both ecosystems change and biodiversity loss as a central piece of knowledge to develop and implement effective policies. While the continent focuses more on the latter, we argue that the two are complementary in shaping restoration and management solutions. We thus underscore the importance of establishing monitoring programmes focusing on biodiversity–ecosystem linkages in order to inform evidence-based decisions in ecosystem conservation and restoration in Africa. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions’.

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“…Operational surveys have been conducted on some well-studied lakes, such as Lake Taihu and Lake Erie. However, most lakes cannot be well monitored, which should largely limit our understanding of aquatic health and ecology (Plisnier et al, 2022). Our approach provides a practical idea of employing satellite images to monitor DO in lakes.…”

Section: Implications For Lake Monitoring and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using MODIS data to track the long-term variations of dissolved oxygen in Lake Taihu

Liu

Wang

Fang-dao

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Dissolved oxygen (DO) is crucial for the health of aquatic ecosystems, and plays an essential role in regulating biogeochemical processes in inland lakes. Traditional measurements of DO using the probe or analysis in a laboratory are time-consuming and cannot obtain data with high frequency and broad coverage. Satellites can provide daily/hourly observations within a broad scale and have been used as an important technique for aquatic environments monitoring. However, satellite-derived DO in waters is challenging due to its non-optically active property. Here, we developed a two-step model for retrieving DO concentration in Lake Taihu from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua images. A machine learning model (eXtreme gradient boosting) was developed to estimate DO from field water temperature, water clarity, and chlorophyll-a (Chla) (root-mean-square error (RMSE) = 0.98 mg L−1, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 7.9%) and subsequently was validated on MODIS-derived water temperature, water clarity, and Chla matchups with a satisfactory accuracy (RMSE = 1.28 mg L−1, MAPE = 9.9%). MODIS-derived DO in Lake Taihu from 2002 to 2021 demonstrated that DO ranged from 7.2 mg L−1 to 14.2 mg L−1, with a mean value of 9.3 mg L−1. DO in the northern region was higher than in the central and southern regions, and higher in winter than in summer. We revealed that DO in this decade (2010–2021) was considerably lower than that in the last decade (2002–2009). Meanwhile, annual mean of DO increased in 2002–2009 and decreased from 2010 to 2021. The spatial distribution of DO in Lake Taihu was related to Chla and water clarity, while seasonal and interannual variations in DO resulted from air temperature primarily. This research enhances the potential use of machine learning approaches in monitoring non-optically active constituents from satellite imagery and indicates the possibility of long-term and high-range variations in more water quality parameters in lakes.

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Need for harmonized long-term multi-lake monitoring of African Great Lakes

Cited by 23 publications

References 122 publications

State of knowledge of aquatic ecosystem and fisheries of the Lake Edward System, East Africa

State of knowledge of aquatic ecosystem and fisheries of the Lake Edward System, East Africa

Monitoring biodiversity loss in rapidly changing Afrotropical ecosystems: an emerging imperative for governance and research

Using MODIS data to track the long-term variations of dissolved oxygen in Lake Taihu

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