AFLANET- African Lakes Network

AFLANET - African Lakes Network
Plot 34A, Gabula Road, Jinja.
P. O. Box 474, Jinja, Uganda
Tel: +256 772 421 094 or +256 706 021 094
Email: secretariat@aflanet.org
URL: www.aflanet.org

Why we exist

The human population in Africa is growing at a very fast rate of ~2.5% per annum and is expected to increase from 1.4 billion in 2021 to 2.5 billion by 2050. By 2021, one fifth of the people in Africa were malnourished and 489 million lived in absolute poverty. Deliberate interventions are required to produce more food, jobs, clean water and other livelihoods if Africa is to advance in SDG goals of zero poverty and hunger by 2030. The highest population density in Africa is along lakes, associated rivers and in their basins. The lakes and their basins are therefore important economic growth zones. The lakes are sources of fish which is a highly nutritious food, employment, income and exports; Are biodiversity hotspots; Modulates local climate; Provide water for domestic and industrial use, hydropower generation, and irrigation; Are used for waste disposal; Are navigation routes, and; Are tourism destinations. The lake basins are important in: Agriculture; Urban and industrial development; Mining, oil and gas.

The resources of the African lakes are diminishing and becoming degraded by a multitude of factors driven by the rapidly increasing human population. These include: Catchment degradation (agriculture, deforestation, wetland degradation, damming, urbanization, mineral exploitation); Nutrient enrichment that alter lake productivity processes; Invasive weeds; Pollutants and contaminants; Climate change; Biodiversity loss; Over-exploitation; Inadequate knowledge and skills; Weak policies and implementation mechanisms, and; Limited and capacity. This is threatening the livelihoods of dependent communities. However, virtually all the lakes lack management plans and a system to prepare and update them, share information, improve skills, and advocate for action for ...sustaining their health and productivity. The factors influencing the health and productivity of African lakes continue to change and need to be monitored and managed if the lakes are to sustain ecosystem and livelihood services. Most lakes and their basins traverse jurisdictions and collaboration are required in development of harmonized management actions to be implemented at national level. The influencing factors though common among many lakes vary in intensity across lakes depending on local conditions and require specific interventions. This intervention was conceived out of the need for networks and partnerships to build capacity, mobilize, package the information and translate into lake-specific management plans, increase awareness, knowledge and skills, and advocate for actions required to increase the health and productivity of the lakes.



What We Are

The African Lakes Network - AFLANET was established to network scientists and policy makers to mobilizes, analyzes, and packages information on the factors that influence the health and productivity of individual African lakes, translates it into lake-specific management plans, shares the information, advocate for actions, and continuously update the information.

AFLANET is registered in Uganda with a Secretariat in Jinja that coordinates mobilization and synthesis of information and is establishing working groups in specific influencing factors, on individual lakes, and in specific countries.

AFLANET mobilizes especially African scientists both in service and retired to mobilize and synthesize information and data on the factors influencing productivity and health of African lakes, develop management plans, share the information to increase awareness and skills, and advocate for actions in management of the resources of individual African lakes.

AFLANET has a team of scientists at the Secretariat that coordinates collection, synthesis and sharing of the information in collaboration with experts from different parts of Africa and the world and making it freely available in print and online.

It is anticipated that, when fully formed, AFLANET will have: A General Assembly; Board of Directors; and a Secretariat. The General Assembly will be the supreme policy body of the network comprising of registered members. The Board of Directors will be responsible for management of the network and the Secretariat for the day to day running of the network. These roles are being played by founding members until the network is adequately established to convene a General Assembly.

Vision

Our Vision is to have a coordinated and collective availability of scientific information for conservation, development, and management of the resources of individual African lakes to improve their health and productivity.

Mission

Our Mission is to form a network institutions and experts to mobilize, analyze and package information and data, prepare lake-specific management plans, share information to increase awareness and skills, and advocate for actions towards improvement of the health and productivity of the lakes.

Goal

Our Goal is to improve availability of up-to-date science-based information for management of the health, productivity, and value of the resources of individual African lakes.

Objectives

  1. Provide a forum for institutions, scientists, policy makers and stakeholders to network and contribute information and data for management of individual African lakes.
  2. Improve availability of up-to-date information and data on the factors that influence health and productivity of African lakes, management plans to address them.
  3. Improve access to information, increase knowledge, awareness, skills, advocacy for management of individual African lakes.
  4. Improve capacity in science and policy for management of African lakes through partnership and mentorship.

Activities

  1. Develop a database of public and private national, and regional lake and basin management institutions and experts and form networks to collect information and data on the factors influencing health and productivity and their status on individual African lakes.

  2. Prepare status reports on specific influencing factors and management plans for individual lakes and update them regularly.

  3. Share the information generated and promote advocacy through the AFLANET website, print, electronic media and social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook).

  4. Organize and participate in conferences and training to share the information and improve skills

Influencing Factors

The factors we consider in development of lake-specific management plans are summarized in the graphics below.

Guiding Principles

The development of the lake-specific management plans is guided the global, continental, regional, national, local, and community guidelines such as the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy of the AU.

Lake-specific management plans

The status and trends of the influencing factors and how they impact health, productivity, and livelihoods are analyzed to identify the issues to be addressed on individual lakes. Priority interventions, and activities to be undertaken, indicators of progress, and actors are defined to arrive at lake-specific management plans. The indicators are monitored and evaluated periodically and appropriate adjustments made.

The intervention is initially focusing is on: Natural lakes (Albert-4; Chad-6; Edward-8; Kivu-10; Kyoga-11; Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa-15; Tana-19; Tanganyika-20; Turkana-16; Victoria-23; and Man-made lakes (Cahora Bassa-A, Kariba-C; Nasser/Nubia-D; Kainji-B; Volta-E) indicated in the map and will be incrementally extended.

Information sharing

Summary information on: Influencing factors; Management guidelines; Lake-specific management plans is posted on AFLANET website . This is continuously improved by the technical team at the AFLANET coordination office in collaboration with participating experts. Messages are regularly posted and discussed on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn). Online discussions and dialogues on specific topics are periodically organized through Zoom meetings. More detailed submissions on specific influencing factors and on individual lakes will be prepared by the respective working groups and posted on the website. International conferences will be held periodically once the network is adequately operational. This process is expected to grow overtime and to provide free access to up-to-date information to guide management of the lakes and fill the gap on those lakes with no management plans.

This is expected to contribute to: UN Agenda 2030, especially SDGs, 1 and 2 - ending poverty and hunger, 3 - healthy lives and well-being, 6 - clean water and sanitation, 14 - Life below water, and 17 - partnerships; AU Agenda 2063; regional, and national sector goals, strategies, and plans targeting sustainable use of the lakes and their resources and promoting blue economy growth.

Membership

Membership of AFLANET is open to lake management organizations, government agencies, NGOs, academic and research institutions, students, CBOs, resource users, and individual experts in specific influencing factors and lakes. Those interested in contributing to this initiative are requested to fill in the Registration Form on AFLANET website (www.aflanet.org)

Membership Registration

Registered Members

Networking

The formation of networks has started with registration of individual experts and institutions interested in participating in the intervention. These are organized in working groups according to expertise in specific influencing factors, individual lakes, and countries.

Funding

The funds for carrying out activities of AFLANET are from: Members; Promoters; Project proposals; Fundraising activities; Donations; and Other lawful sources. Individuals and institutions who wish to contribute to the activities of AFLANET are requested to make donations using the provision on the AFLANET website.