Nsumbu Elephants are critical to the wider ecosystem and
protecting them provides for many other species benefits
Fighting to protect
Conservation Lake Tanganyika
Promoting and preserving a biological wonder under threat
Craig Zytkow
Photograph by Conservation Lake Tanganyika
L
ake Tanganyika is astounding by any
measure; the world’s longest lake at over
600kms holding an estimated 15% of all
surface freshwater on earth provides daily
protein needs through its fish stocks to some
10 million people on a daily basis. Over 300
species of fish and an even greater number
of invertebrates are found nowhere else, Lake Tanganyika is
one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems known and
a window into evolutionary processes due to its great age
and stability.
Sadly there is very little effort on the ground to address
the issues of unsustainable resource use and abuse
throughout Lake Tanganyika. Now confirmed overfishing
on the lake puts at risk not only the biodiversity of this
amazing body of water, but also the lives of the millions
of people that rely on it; a collapse of this fishery would be
catastrophic.
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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
In the southwest corner of Lake Tanganyika lies Nsumbu
National Park (NNP) an area that can be considered a
representation of many of the problems facing the lake,
as well as providing an opportunity to overcome these
difficulties. The protected area of Nsumbu encompasses
some 100kms of pristine shoreline and is critical in
providing breeding areas for fish stocks, and a clean
watershed to feed the lake. It is the whole system that needs
protection to ensure this complex web of life is maintained
in a healthy state. Recognizing the immense importance of
Nsumbu and the high level of threats being faced there, CLT
was born out of a necessity to ensure this beautiful national
park was not lost forever. Conservation Lake Tanganyika
(CLT) seeks to promote and preserve the biodiversity of
Lake Tanganyika for the sustainable benefit for all, and we
focus our efforts on Nsumbu National Park and surrounds.
Our approach is to support the government mandated
wildlife department in protecting the park, whilst engaging