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Conservation and Management of East Africa’s Soda Lakes

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Soda Lakes of East Africa

Abstract

The conservation value of East African saline alkaline lakes is identified based on the spatial and temporal gradients of regional variability, landscapes, biodiversity and population changes. The present extent of their management is evaluated along a spatial gradient from international to local, through the perspective of international agreements, management plans and policies. Gaps in present-day conservation management are identified and the theoretical possibilities for improved management and more secure conservation outlined. The final section suggests ways in which improved management policies can be achieved in the next decade by simple knowledge collection at each lake and sharing using social media.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter has been made possible by funding from various donors over the past 15 years: the Earthwatch Institute, 2000–2007; the Darwin Initiative, 2003–2010; the British Council, 2010–2011; the University of Leicester graduate scholarship to EJT, 2008–2011, and the University of Leicester undergraduate and graduate students on field courses, 2004–2014. The Kenyan Government provided research permission through Permit NCST 5/002/R/020-D and its predecessors, supported by Professor Kenneth Mavuti who always provided endless intellectual support.

We dedicate this chapter to members of our team who died (of natural causes) too early: Dr. Brooks Childress, DMH’s Ph.D. student after a successful business career, who initiated and led East African satellite tracking of Lesser Flamingos and Dr Lindsay Oaks, avian veterinarian at Washington State University, who joined our team in 2004 after he had successfully identified the cause of vulture mortalities in India and Pakistan. And Prof. Ekkehard Vareschi and his wife Angelika, who started research on soda lakes at Nakuru in the 1970s and were about to begin coordinated parallel work in Tanzania to ours in Kenya, were tragically killed by a falling tree in Arusha National Park. Lastly, we also remember fondly the logistical support provided to our research camps by the late Mrs. Jill Simpson and Mrs. Velia Carn, the latter always helped by the late John Kaba.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

    David M. Harper

  2. Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK

    David M. Harper, Olivia Bell & Victoria J. Robinson

  3. Department of Geography, King’s College London, Strand Campus, London, WC2R 2LS, UK

    Emma Tebbs

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Correspondence to David M. Harper .

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  1. Department of Limnology and Bio-Oceanography, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Michael Schagerl

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Harper, D.M., Tebbs, E., Bell, O., Robinson, V.J. (2016). Conservation and Management of East Africa’s Soda Lakes. In: Schagerl, M. (eds) Soda Lakes of East Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28622-8_14

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