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African Lakes Reviewed: Creation and Destruction of Biodiversity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

E. Barton Worthington  and
Rosemary Lowe-McConnell
E. Barton Worthington
Affiliation:
Colin Godmans, Furners Green, Nr Uckfield, West Sussex TN22 3RR, England, UK; Formerly Secretary-General, Scientific Council for Africa South of the Sahara & Deputy Director-General, Nature Conservancy of the United Kingdom; Scientific Director of the International Biological Programme 1964–74
Rosemary Lowe-McConnell
Affiliation:
Streatwick, Streat Nr Hassocks, Sussex BN6 8RT, England, UK; Formerly Associate, Fish Section, British Museum (Natural History), African Lakes Group, International Association of Limnology (SIL).
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Extract

The lakes of Africa provide outstanding examples of biodiversity. Some hundreds of species of aquatic fauna, especially fishes, have been created through evolution taking place in environments which became isolated from each other. The lakes also provide an outstanding example of the loss of biodiversity: in Lake Victoria at least 200 species of fish have almost certainly become extinct through human activities. These lakes have, since Mankind's origin in Africa, provided high-quality animal protein food and with improved management they could provide much more, which adds greatly to their scientific and economic interest.

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Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , Autumn 1994 , pp. 199 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1994

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