Restoring Lake Victoria’s Ecology Could Help End Fish-For-Sex Culture

Local Efforts to Restore Lake Victoria Ecosystem and Reduce Gender-Based Violence

Efforts are underway to restore the ecosystem of Lake Victoria, the world’s second biggest lake, with a significant emphasis on reducing gender-based violence. The collapse of fishing stocks in the lake has led to the emergence of Jaboya culture, where women, who make up 90% of fish traders, engage in transactional sex to gain access to fish from fishermen.

The Importance of Restoring Fisheries Resources

Leonard Akwany, volunteer coordinator at Ecofinder Kenya and freshwater director at Conservation International, highlights the critical importance of restoring fisheries resources in terms of freshwater biodiversity, food security, secure livelihoods, and empowering women. He explains that the decline in fish stocks has led to an increase in gender-based violence, such as the Jaboya culture. Therefore, the restoration of fisheries is essential for reducing these pressures and empowering women.

The Threat to Biodiversity

A 2018 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature reveals that over 75% of the biodiversity endemic to Africa’s Lake Victoria is at risk of extinction.

A New Project for Conservation

Akwany’s new project will focus on the Winam Gulf area, covering Kisumu, Siaya, and Busia Counties in western Kenya. The project aims to target three Critically Endangered native fish species: Ngege, Mbiru, and Ningu. The plan includes the creation of a 3,000-hectare community-managed fishery reserve and grassroots interventions in fishing villages to control overfishing and aquatic environment degradation.

Building Capacity for Conservation

Akwany emphasizes the importance of building the capacity of fisherfolk communities for grassroots freshwater fisheries conservation stewardship and alternative friendly livelihoods. This involves establishing community fish reserves for fish breeding, promoting right fishing methods, and bringing together fishers, fish traders, boat owners, and stakeholders to effectively manage fisheries and reduce environmentally damaging practices.

Recognition for Conservation Work

In 2023, Leonard Akwany was honored with a Whitley Award by the Whitley Fund for Nature for his conservation work with the fisheries of Lake Victoria.

Lake Victoria: A Personal Connection

Akwany, who grew up in Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria, has a personal connection to the lake. His love and passion for aquatic ecosystems and fisheries conservation were sparked by his experiences of enjoying the lake’s beauty, swimming in its waters, and consuming its delicious and nutritious fish, particularly the native tilapia known as Ngege.

From Costa Rica to Lake Tanganyika

Another scientist from the Global South, Jimena Golcher-Benavides, has extensively studied the ecosystem of Lake Tanganyika. As a researcher at Iowa State University in the US, she has focused on studying cichlids, an important fish species for small-scale fisheries, aquaculture, and the global aquarium trade. However, she highlights the shrinking habitat due to climate warming, which threatens both unique species and human livelihoods.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres
   • Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual, or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months

2. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
   • Indicator 14.4.1: Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels

3. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
   • Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index

The article discusses the issues related to gender-based violence and the collapse of fishing stocks in Lake Victoria. These issues are connected to SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 14: Life Below Water, and SDG 15: Life on Land.

Under SDG 5, the specific target identified is Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. The article mentions the Jaboya culture, where women engage in transactional sex to access fish from fishermen. This culture is a manifestation of gender-based violence.

Under SDG 14, the specific target identified is Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics. The article highlights the collapse of fishing stocks in Lake Victoria and the need for restoration efforts to control overfishing and aquatic environment degradation.

Under SDG 15, the specific target identified is Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The article mentions that more than 75% of the biodiversity endemic to Lake Victoria is at risk of becoming extinct.

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Source: forbes.com

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