Preamble

The factors that influence the health and productivity of African lakes are changing and there is need for governance interventions to promote their sustainable use. This requires effective governance systems including programs, policies, institutions, funding, and management information systems. There are governance systems at global, continental, regional and national levels that address the factors influencing the health and productivity of African lakes that have been examined including: Improving livelihoods; Population regulation; Poverty reduction; Sanitation and water related diseases; Biodiversity; Fishery exploitation; Fish introductions; Aquaculture; Invasive weeds; Climate change; Sustainable land use management; Damming; Urban planning; Mineral, oil and gas exploration and exploitation; and Pollution. We discuss some of the available governance systems that can be applied to address identified management options and interventions to manage the factors influencing African lakes.

Global policies

The global community has agreed upon a number of policies and developed legal instruments within the context of the UN Charter to guide sustainable use of natural resources. These policies have evolved overtime and will continue to change with the changes in the resources. They include: The Declaration on Environment and Development; The Earth Summit; Millennium Development Goals; Johannesburg Declaration; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). These policies have included visions, goals, principles, programs, and targets for sustainable use of natural resources including lakes. In addition, global conventions, protocols, agreements, strategies and codes of practice have been developed to guide sustainable use of specific sectors. Some of these include: The Water Policy and Strategy; The World Heritage Convention; The Ramsar Convention; The Convention on Biological Diversity; The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); The Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals; The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; The Convention to Combat Desertification; and The Framework Convention on Climate Change, The Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Accord.

The Water Policy and Strategy provides for sustainable management of water resources, through an integrated ecosystem approaches. The World Heritage Convention provides for protection of valuable ecosystems and habitats such as those of African lakes many of which are biodiversity hot spots of scientific and economic value. The Ramsar Convention provides for protection of wetlands to enable them perform their ecological, economic, cultural, scientific and recreational functions. The Convention on Biological Diversity provided for sustainable use of components of biodiversity, and fair and equitable sharing of its benefits. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates trading in endangered species through control of their import and export. The Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals protects wild animals that migrate outside national boundaries such as birds. The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries provides guidelines for conservation, management and development of living aquatic resources and their environment including aquaculture. The International Plan of Action on Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing combat IUU fishing. The Convention to Combat Desertification provides guidelines for combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought especially in countries experiencing serious drought and desertification, particularly in Africa. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement provides mechanisms for cooperation on reducing greenhouse gases to combat climate change. These global policies have been customised to guide sustainable development of natural resources at continental, regional, and national levels.

Continental policies

The African Union Charter is the principal policy document of the AU. The Charter commits member states to harness the natural and human resources of the continent for total advancement of its people. It has, in addition, articulated continental policies to guide sustainable use of natural resources at continental level. Key among these is the African Convention for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This convention provides guidelines for sustainable use of natural resources on the African continent including water, land, vegetation covers, climate change, and environment and natural resources. The current policy of the AU, Agenda 2063 provides for management of natural resources to promote transformation of Africa into a global powerhouse by 2063. Agenda 2063 envisions “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena”. The resources of lakes expected to contribute greatly to this transformation and growth on the African continent through knowledge enhancement on marine resources, navigation, fishing and exploitation of other marine resources.

Regional policies

Regional Economic Communities (RECs) which include: The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU/UMA); The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); The East African Community (EAC); The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); The Southern African Development Community (SADC); The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); and The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CENSAD) are the building blocks of the AU. These RECs have regional visions, strategies and action plans developed in line with the SGDs and Agenda 2063 and provide guidelines for sustainable use natural resources including those of African lakes. For instance, the East African Community (EAC) has developed legal instruments and action plans that can be applied to guide sustainable use of the resources of lakes in the East African region. These include: The Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC; Vision 2050; The Protocol on Environment and Natural Resources Management; The Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin; The Convention for Establishment of Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization; The Regional Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, (RPOA-IUU); and The Regional Plan of Action for Management of Fishing Capacity (RPOA Capacity).
The EAC Treaty provides, for sustainable utilisation of natural resources through measures that protect the environment. The Protocol on Environment and Natural Resources Management provides for cooperation in management of the environment and natural resources including water resources, biological diversity, wetland resources, forest resources, wildlife, fisheries, genetic resources, and climate change. The Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin provides for sustainable development of natural resources including those of lakes. The Convention for Establishment of Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) provides for harmonization of measures for the sustainable development and management of the living resources of Lake Victoria. RPOA-IUU provides measures to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. RPOA Capacity provided to control of fishing capacity and mechanisms for allocation of fishing capacity.

National policies

Implementation of management measures for sustainable use of African lakes takes place at national level. Most of the lakes and their basins are shared between more than one country and each of these lakes require harmonised policies for their effective management. Many of the issues influencing the lakes are common between the lakes and sharing experiences between different lakes increases efficiency and reduces transaction costs.

Individual African countries have policies for sustainable use of natural resources including lakes developed in line with global, continental and regional policies. These are covered in national constitutions, and in sectoral policies especially of environment, water, wetlands, forests, wildlife, and fisheries. The national constitutions provide for measures to protect and preserve the environment and natural resources and to utilize them in a sustainable manner. Management of the environment is covered under the national environmental policies. The environmental policies provide for conservation and sustainable use of the environment including lakes, rivers, water, wetlands, forests, biodiversity, genetic resources, control of pollution, natural heritage sites, river banks and lake shores, soil, and air quality and provides for Environmental Impact Assessment EIA and audit. There are sector specific policies that provide for sustainable use of specific lake resources. The national water policies provide for: planning, use, protection and management of water resources and supply; water permits; waste discharge; effluent discharges; control of water abstraction; water quality monitoring, pollution control, water supply and sewerage treatment and contain water quality standards for different uses. Although forests are not strictly wetlands, they play an important role in stabilization of ground water, protecting water catchments, moderating climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases, are locus of high biodiversity and habitat for wildlife. Deforestation of forests exposed the soil to erosion and materials from biomass burning end up in and pollute aquatic systems. The forestry policy is therefore important in conservation of the lake habitat. The national fisheries policies provide for control of fishing, optimal and sustainable exploitation, management and development of fisheries resources. Conservation and sustainable use of some organisms not covered under specific sector policies are, in many of the countries, covered under Wildlife policies. Wildlife policies provide for sustainable management of wildlife covering wild plants and animals, setting up and management of wildlife protected areas, protection of species, wild life user rights and trade in wildlife.

There are, therefore similar policies from global, continental, RECs, and individual countries to guide sustainable use African lakes across the African continent. These can, where necessary be customised, improved and applied in sustainable use of the resources of African lakes.