Dipping into the Soda Lakes of East Africa

Abstract

Saline alkaline lakes are the focus of this book, but how do they form and how do they differ from freshwater lakes? We provide a brief introduction to soda lakes, their origin and their inhabitants, many of which are extremophiles. These closed lakes are highly sensitive ecosystems, and many experience the impacts of climate change. Some saline alkaline lakes provide economic resources, for both tourism (‘flamingo lakes’) and industry. A few lakes have long been commercially exploited but are ecologically damaged; others are threatened because of their potential mineral resources and changing land use in their drainage basins, including siltation and pollution from both agricultural and industrial sources. These unusual ecosystems must be protected (1) because they are ‘hot spots’ of haloalkaliphiles and rich genetic pools that might soon be tapped for biotechnological applications, and (2) for their exceptional natural environments, threatened increasingly by anthropogenic intervention. These environments must be preserved for future generations.