Storymap: Collaborative Monitoring for Sustainable Development of Lake Tana UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Ethiopia's Lake Tana is the largest freshwater body in the country. Its rich biological and cultural diversity earned Lake Tana the status of UNESCO biopshere reserve in 2015.

Lake Tana has recently been invaded by a highly aggressive invasive species (neophyte) - water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Water hyacinth is spreading rapidly, which causes significant damage to the biodiversity and threatens the livelyhood of the local population. 

This is the story of Africa-UniNet Project P049 in which two scientific institutions joined forces with the local population to keep track of the spread of water hyacinth by using an innovative collaborative monitoring approach. Such a monitoring of biodiversity enables informed decision making necessary to ensure the very existance of Lake Tana for future generations.

See storymap