Sanitation and Hygiene
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Petro karungamye
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30 June 2026
20
19
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Volume 3 Issue 1
Page 1 - 15
Safeguarding the Future of Lake Tanganyika: A Review of Environmental and Socioeconomic Sustainability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56542/wi.jwempo.v3.i1.a7.2026
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Keywords:
Lake Tanganyika, Human activities, Pollution, Biodiversity loss, Climate change, Transboundary cooperation.
Abstract
Lake Tanganyika is one of the oldest and biggest freshwater lakes in Africa. This lake is facing serious pressure from growing human activity which affect its ecosystem and sustainability. Pollution of the lake which mostly comes from farming runoff and deforestation, along with shifting climate patterns, have steadily damaged the lake’s water quality and pushed its diverse ecosystem to the brink. Invasive species keep gaining ground, while small-scale fishing, often careless and unsustainable, threatens native fish and throws the local environment out of balance. This review uses the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses (DPSIR) framework to dig into Lake Tanganyika’s sustainability issues, looking at both environmental and socioeconomic angles. Quantitative studies show fish catches have dropped by around 30% over the past forty years. Even more troubling, recent numbers from 2020–2024 reveal another 20% plunge in production. It is clear that quick action is needed. The review pushes for global and local collaboration. When communities implement sustainable fishing practices and establish cross-border conservation agreements, they can mitigate human impacts and facilitate ecosystem recovery. Through the establishment of sustainable fishing quotas and the promotion of eco-tourism, the lake's environmental integrity and economic benefits can be preserved for posterity, contingent upon strengthened cross-border cooperation. This analysis highlights the critical need for sustainable management to ensure the enduring health and socioeconomic viability of the lake and its associated ecosystems.
