Lusaka: African Nations Meet for Lake Tanganyika Preservation

On Monday, experts from four African countries met in Zambia's capital Lusaka to discuss sustainable methods of managing a shared lake.

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According to official data, these four countries, namely Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia, convened to explore ways to protect and conserve the biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika and ensure the sustainable use of its natural resources.

Douty Chibamba, permanent secretary in Zambia's Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, emphasized the pressing need to address the escalating environmental deterioration of the lake due to pollution.

He also called for collaboration and a collective commitment to support ongoing initiatives aimed at restoring the ecological integrity of the lake basin.

The countries sharing the lake are facing unprecedented environmental degradation and other development challenges, such as seasonal flooding, increased environmental pollution and unsustainable use of natural resources. These challenges pose a major threat to the sustainable management of the lake.

Chibamba said that Zambia has intensified the implementation of sustainable fisheries and forestry management initiatives, the protection of fish breeding areas, and the promotion of conservation agriculture on its side of the lake, resulting in positive outcomes.

Kemilembe Mutasa, chairperson of the management committee of Lake Tanganyika, said that despite the lake's potential to meet a diverse range of social, economic and developmental needs for the four states, it faces several threats such as climate change, sedimentation, pollution, overfishing and habitat loss.

She also stressed that the lake's management and sustainability would require a coordinated and cooperative approach from all the countries involved.