Major degradation problems in the Ethiopian Rift valley Lakes: Is the state of affairs improving or declining?
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Abstract
The Ethiopian rift-valley lakes (ERVL) are the most studied of the Ethiopian water bodies and some of them (Lake Awassa for instance) are probably among the most studied of the lakes in tropical Africa - especially with respect to limnology and fisheries biology. A substantial amount of data on ERVL which accumulated over several years was synthesized in a book entitled: Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes edited by C. Tudorancea and W. D. Taylor in 2002. The final chapter of this book was on threats and strategies for the conservation of the lakes. The chapter dealt a lot with environmental degradation problems which were apparent then. It is of enormous importance to look back and relate the events then with what is noticeable at present. The objective of this keynote address is to discuss how much has changed or persisted and what has emerged with respect to degradation problems that was outlined in this chapter of thisparticular book.
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