A review of the water crisis in Tanzania's protected areas, with emphasis on the Katuma River—Lake Rukwa ecosystem

Elisa, Manase; Gara, John Ignase; Wolanski, Eric

doi:10.2478/v10104-011-0001-z

Cited by 30 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The land expansion exacerbated by rapid population growth and multiple competing uses and increase in water withdrawals for irrigation might result in environmental problems and conflicts. In fact, water related conflicts are not uncommon in many areas in Tanzania [18] [19] [20].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Hydrology of a Data-Scarce Tropical Watershed Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Case of the Little Ruaha River Watershed in Iringa, Tanzania

Mbungu¹,

Kashaigili²

2017

OJMH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The hydrology of the Little Ruaha River which is a major catchment of the Ihemi Cluster in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SA-GCOT) has been studied. The study focused on the hydrological assessment through analysis of the available data and developing a model that could be used for assessing impacts of environmental change. Pressures on land and water resources in the watershed are increasing mainly as a result of human activities, and understanding the hydrological regime is deemed necessary. In this study, modeling was conducted using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in which meteorological and streamflow data were used in the simulation, calibration and evaluation. Calibration and evaluation was done at three gauging stations and the results were deemed plausible with NSE ranging between 0.64 and 0.80 for the two stages. The simulated flows were used for gap filling the missing data and generation of complete daily time series of streamflow at three gauging stations of Makalala, Ihimbu and Mawande. Results of statistical trends and flow duration curves, revealed decline in magnitudes of seasonal and annual flows indicating that streamflows are changing with time and may have implications on envisioned development and the water dependent ecosystems.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Hydrology of a Data-Scarce Tropical Watershed Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Case of the Little Ruaha River Watershed in Iringa, Tanzania

Mbungu¹,

Kashaigili²

2017

OJMH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Temperatures normally vary from 20 to 30°C (Mombo et al, ). Human‐related activities such as overgrazing by livestock, agriculture and human settlement are threatening the Kilombero River basin (Elisa, Gara, & Wolanski, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microhabitat preferences of fish assemblages in the Udzungwa Mountains (Eastern Africa)

Muñoz‐Mas

Sánchez‐Hernández

Martínez‐Capel

et al. 2019

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environmental flow assessment (EFA) involving microhabitat preference models is a common approach to set ecologically friendly flow regimes in territories with ongoing or planned projects to develop river basins, such as many rivers of Eastern Africa. However, habitat requirements of many African fish species are poorly studied, which may impair EFAs. This study investigated habitat preferences of fish assemblages, based on species presence–absence data from 300 microhabitats collected in two tributaries of the Kilombero River (Tanzania), aiming to disentangle differences in habitat preferences of African species at two levels: assemblage (i.e. between tributaries) and species (i.e. species‐specific habitat preferences). Overall, flow velocity, which implies coarser substrates and shallower microhabitats, emerged as the most important driver responsible of the changes in stream‐dwelling assemblages at the microhabitat scale. At the assemblage level, we identified two important groups of species according to habitat preferences: (a) cover‐orientated and limnophilic species, including Barbus spp., Mormyridae and Chiloglanis deckenii, and (b) rheophilic species, including Labeo cylindricus, Amphilius uranoscopus and Parakneria spekii. Rheophilic species preferred boulders, fast flow velocity and deeper microhabitats. At the species level, we identified species‐specific habitat preferences. For instance, Barbus spp. preferred low flow velocity shallow depth and fine‐to‐medium substratum, whereas L. cylindricus and P. spekii mainly selected shallow microhabitats with coarse substrata. Knowledge of habitat preferences of these assemblages and species should enhance the implementation of ongoing and future EFA studies of the region.

show abstract

“…Most of the studies of water extraction have concentrated on how unsustainable practices affect downstream protected environments including national parks that depend on water sourcing from unprotected areas (Elisa, Gara & Wolanski, 2010). In contrast, this study focuses on the impact of extraction in an upstream protected area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Impact of surface water extraction on water quality and ecological integrity in Arusha National Park, Tanzania

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Surface water has been extracted from Arusha National Park (ANP) to meet human demand for over 30 years; however, there has been no evaluation of the impact of extraction on surface water quality, budget or ecological integrity. A reduction in water availability and flow is likely to also have impacts on the distribution and space use of large mammals. To assess the surface water quality and budget, 30 water sources were measured for three months over the dry and wet seasons. Nearly 70% of water is extracted, with the complete extraction of surface water common during the dry and early wet seasons. However, extraction did not lead to a decrease in downstream water quality, but wetland plant diversity was highest in areas with no surface water extraction. Extraction also influences large mammal space use: abundance along seven transects was typically higher upstream of extraction sites, especially in the case of large herbivores. Impacts of extraction therefore include the disconnection of streams, changes in space use of large mammals, decreases in plant diversity and changes in species composition of the riparian wetlands. We therefore recommend that monitoring and evaluation of extraction as well as sustainable water use practices be introduced as a matter of urgency.

show abstract

A review of the water crisis in Tanzania's protected areas, with emphasis on the Katuma River—Lake Rukwa ecosystem

Cited by 30 publications

References 33 publications

Assessing the Hydrology of a Data-Scarce Tropical Watershed Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Case of the Little Ruaha River Watershed in Iringa, Tanzania

Assessing the Hydrology of a Data-Scarce Tropical Watershed Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Case of the Little Ruaha River Watershed in Iringa, Tanzania

Microhabitat preferences of fish assemblages in the Udzungwa Mountains (Eastern Africa)

Impact of surface water extraction on water quality and ecological integrity in Arusha National Park, Tanzania

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About