2021-11-05 16:03:23 Exellent Case
Over the last four decades, while the local economies have been developing, Lake Victoria has faced a number of environmental problems, including pollution, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction and soil erosion. It is estimated that the lake’s indigenous fish species have been reduced by 80 per cent and that over 70 per cent of the forest cover in the catchment area has been lost. In addition, due to the poor water quality of the rivers flowing into the lake, amounts of silt and nutrients are increasing, which adds to the siltation problem of Lake Victoria. Environmental degradation forces locals back into extreme poverty and deep into the vicious circles of pollution and poverty. The project introduces the concept and strategy of integrated watershed management (IWM) of Poyang Lake Basin: “To manage the lake, the rivers must be harnessed; to harness the rivers, the mountains must be developed; to develop the mountains, poverty must be alleviated.”