Scientists from Two Continents Working Together to Improve the Health of the African Great Lakes
World-class scientists and researchers from across North America and Africa are putting their heads, and expertise, together to tackle some of the most pressing issues—algal blooms, climate change, invasive species, fragile fisheries, to name but a few—facing the African Great Lakes (AGL) today.
What are the African Great Lakes?
The AGL are highly valuable natural resources, renowned for their rich fisheries and "biodiversity hotspots." Consequently, they, and the ecosystem services they provide, underpin the welfare and livelihoods of over 50 million people across 10 countries. Despite the recognized importance of the AGL, these vital ecosystems and their livelihood support systems are threatened by the impact of human activity by numerous anthropogenic stressors at local, regional, and global scales.
The African Great Lakes are lakes Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa, Tanganyika, Turkana, and Victoria. You can learn more about the African Great Lakes here.
How does this project work?
The partnership between the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE) provides an opportunity for the world’s freshwater laboratory and networks on the African Great Lakes to come together and strengthen science on large freshwater resources and the countries in which they reside.
IISD-ACARE combines the legal and policy expertise of IISD’s vast expert staff with ACARE’s newly created African network of large-lakes experts and scientists in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
What are we working on?
The partnership works to boost the activities of six advisory groups that were created to address specific issues on each of the African Great Lakes. Members of each group are harmonizing priorities on the lakes to advance work on scientific inquiry, monitoring, climate change, and education and training, among other issues.
An exciting flagship project of the initiative—the African Women in Science program—is a 10-month program designed by women, for women, to support the interests, needs, and goals of early-career scientists working on Africa’s freshwater issues. Dozens of women in science have now benefited from the program, including those who share their stories, and how the program has benefited their career, in the video below.
How can I learn more?
To learn more about the project, or to discuss research and collaboration opportunities, you can visit the ACARE website, or contact us directly.
Project team
Ted Lawrence
Senior Policy Advisor
Matthew McCandless
Board Member, IISD Experimental Lakes Area
Pauline Gerrard
Executive Director, IISD-ELA
Vince Palace
Head Research Scientist, IISD-ELA
Dimple Roy
Director, Water and Director, Manitoba Relations
Scott Higgins
Senior Research Scientist, IISD-ELA
Sumeep Bath
Editorial & Communications Manager, Water & IISD-ELA
Lisa Peters
Research Scientist, IISD-ELA
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