| What is LTBP? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Participants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regional Offices | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Calendar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Photo Gallery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Programmes: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Biodiversity |
| Environmental Edu. |
| Fishing Practices |
| Geogr. Info. Syst. |
| Pollution |
| Sedimentation |
| Socio-economics |
| Training |
Processes: |
| Legal Convention |
| Strat. Action Prog. |
Management: |
| Reg. Co-ordination |
Projects: |
| Nyanza Course |
| Uvira Renovations |
| World Environ. Day |
Administration: | Project Resources | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Lake
Lake Tanganyika (see Map) is exceptionally old. Its present basins have been water-filled for at least ten million years and some sediments date back twice this period. With a surface area of 33,000 km2 and mean depth of almost 600 m, it is also very large. The lake is almost one and a half kilometres at its deepest point and the total volume of water is some 19,000 km3
- almost one sixth of the world's liquid freshwater. For students of evolution the lake is a unique natural laboratory - many of the organisms that live in Lake Tanganyika are found nowhere else. There are at least 300 fish species (more are continually being discovered) of which two thirds are unique to the lake (endemic). The most successful family, the Cichlidae, has over two hundred species, and all except five are found only in this lake. As well as the famous freshwater jellyfish, there is an abundance of endemic species among the molluscs and crustaceans of the lake and two endemic aquatic snakes.
While populations of some of the endemic fish are naturally low, six species, occupying the open waters of the lake, occur in vast numbers. These are an important source of food and income for the local population.
Despite its long existence, the lake and its life are in a delicate balance. Its future is uncertain: the lake's flora and fauna may not be able to adapt to the changes brought about by human activity. The results of millions of years of evolution may be lost in just a short time. The Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Project aims to help prevent this.
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