Lake of superlatives in danger: Lake Malawi is “Threatened Lake of the Year 2022”

Radolfzell am Bodensee / Blantyre, Malawi, 02.02.2022: The species richness is immense: with 700 to 800 cichlid species, many of which only occur here and nowhere else in the world, Lake Malawi is one of the most species-rich ecosystems on earth. The surface area of the lake is as large as the federal state of Brandenburg, making Lake Malawi one of the ten largest lakes in the world. It is also the third largest and second deepest on the African continent. With an estimated age of several million years, Lake Malawi is also one of the oldest lakes on earth, the so-called “Ancient Lakes”. In the course of evolution, an extraordinary diversity of species has developed here.

It can take a while for the negative effects of human activity to become apparent in such a gigantic lake – and yet unfortunately Lake Malawi has already clearly passed this point. That is why the Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the international Living Lakes network have named it “Threatened Lake of the Year 2022”. Every year, on World Wetlands Day on February 2, this title is used to draw attention to a lake or wetland that is severely threatened by human intervention. The aim is also to identify ways to protect this unique habitat in the long term.

Over the last two decades, the amount of rainfall in East Africa has decreased significantly and the water level of the huge lake has fallen. This threatens the livelihoods of millions of local fishermen and their families in Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half of the population lives below the poverty line, with a quarter of people living in extreme poverty. Especially in communities in the immediate vicinity of the lake, people often lack the most basic necessities. Out of necessity, environmentally harmful fishing methods are used, which often ignore closed seasons and the legal framework.

So far, these problems, coupled with natural disasters, a lack of financial and technical capacity, a lack of knowledge about protecting water ecosystems and weak political coordination, have hampered efforts to protect Lake Malawi. However, it is not yet too late to change the situation at the lake for the better. Therefore, GNF and Living Lakes together with AfES Malawi demand the immediate implementation of the following measures:

1. Rehabilitation of all degraded areas on Lake Malawi and in its catchment area, including the promotion of biodiversity-friendly agriculture;
2. Reducing direct pressure on the lake by raising awareness and providing alternative livelihoods, e.g. fish farming in ponds;
3. Improving capacities and knowledge of aquatic ecosystems among the local population and decision-makers and giving greater consideration to the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems in development planning;
4. Targeted training of relevant professionals and communities on how to collect, process and store data for informed decision-making to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems;
5. Fairer sharing of access to the lake’s biodiversity and ecosystem services.

First steps in the right direction AfES is carrying out concrete projects in cooperation with the GNF to combat threats to Lake Malawi. For Thies Geertz, project manager at GNF, raising awareness and educating local people play a central role: “We want to support decision-makers in the relevant authorities, fishing associations, management committees and village committees in the sustainable use of natural resources. Farmers receive training in biodiversity-friendly agriculture, agroforestry and fish pond management. If we develop alternative income opportunities together with the local people, they have a chance of maintaining their own livelihoods.”