The African Great Lakes (AGL) harbor over 28% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, host the most biologically diverse fisheries in the world, and provide over 62 million people with food and livelihood support. The lakes: Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa, Tanganyika, Turkana, and Victoria, are seeing increasing human populations and accelerating economic growth, leading to deteriorating conditions from pollution, over-extraction of natural resources, and agricultural intensification. Because each of these lakes is multi-jurisdictional in nature, shared by two or more of the ten riparian countries, and biodiversity-rich, enhanced interactions must take place between experts and decision-makers. Without shared efforts and defined collaboration frameworks, research is often disparate, and information not shared, leading to incomplete understanding of these resources and thus difficulty in properly managing these lakes. While regional efforts are being made to coordinate science and management, the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education was established to strengthen collaboration through a network of AGL freshwater experts. This network is realized through an Advisory Groups program, a model by which each lake’s freshwater experts collaborate to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of their lake or basin, harmonize priorities, seek financial and research resources, and collectively work together to ensure the health of these lakes are well cared for.
This presentation aims to explore the experiences, lessons learnt, opportunities, ways forward, and solutions for further, successful future implementation of the Advisory Groups Program.
Key words: collaboration, freshwater, multi-jurisdictional, biodiversity, sustainable management