Ecosystem and biodiversity in the Nile Basin “Case study: Lake Nasser”

Abstract

The Nile Basin consists of a number of ecological zones between two extreme opposites: the rainforest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Sahara desert, which receives almost no rain. Some regions receive most or exclusively all of their water from the Nile, while others receive most of the water from rain, or from a combination of water sources. Still, it is the water in the Nile which links the otherwise different ecological zones together. It is the rains in the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia which provide the Nile with water so the river can flow and give life to barren and desert areas in Sudan and Egypt. Some places become drier and experience more droughts, whereas others are more regularly flooded or experience more fluctuations in precipitation patterns. These are overall climatic premises, but there are also human factors. The richness of species depends partly on climate variables such as temperature and rainfall patterns but also on population pressure and human activities and their interaction with the environment. This chapter describes aspects of environmental issues of ecosystem and biodiversity, endangered species, and threats to biodiversity in the Nile Basin countries to provide a partial illustration of the diversity of ecosystem and the habitat types that exist to support a variety of living organisms. In addition, the chapter describes the case study of Lake Nasser. The study showed that there are several problems that can reduce the species biodiversity in the Nile Basin countries. Some of these problems are, but not limited to, inefficient water use, water pollution, population pressure and land degradation, deforestation and soil loss, over hunting and fishing, and sedimentation. In addition, the study concluded that the main sources of biodiversity degradation in Lake Nasser are development of land, expansion of agricultural land, and disappearance of habitat from excessive grazing or application of agrochemicals, and also habitats are being polluted and hunting, fishing, and tourism activities are disturbing the natural habitat especially within the shoreline zone.