Collection of Anthropogenic Litter from the Shores of Lake Malawi: Characterization of Plastic Debris and the Implications of Public Involvement in the African Great Lakes

Anthropogenic debris is an environmental problem that affects beaches and coastlines worldwide. The abundance of beach debris is often documented with the use of public volunteers. To date, such community participations have been largely confined to the marine environment, but the presence and impact of anthropogenic debris on freshwater shorelines has been increasingly recognized. Our study presents the first such information from the African Great Lakes, specifically Lake Malawi. A total of 490,064 items of anthropogenic litter were collected by over 2000 volunteers in a clean-up campaign that took place annually between 2015 and 2018. Approximately 80% of the anthropogenic debris was comprised of plastic litter, with plastic carrier bags being the most common item. The dominance of plastic litter, and in particular the presence of plastic bags, which have subjected to bans in some African countries, is discussed. The broader implications of citizen science in the African Great Lakes area is also discussed.

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African Great Lakes Region: Governance and Politics

Polish Political Science Yearbook ◽

10.15804/ppsy202115 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Wioleta Gierszewska ◽

◽

Benjamin Mudaheranwa ◽

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Liberal Democracy ◽

Great Lakes Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Post Colonial ◽

African Great Lakes ◽

State Management ◽

Internal Conflicts ◽

Cultural Conditions ◽

European Culture

This article aims to indicate the sources of problems in the field of governance and politics in the African Great Lakes Region. The countries of this region play an essential role in the global socio-political and economic system. Their development is hampered by numerous external and internal conflicts resulting from both the historical and contemporary problems of the countries. Colonialism had a major impact on the development of African countries. It manifested itself, among other things, in the spread of political domination. Adopting state management patterns from European culture and attempt to transplant them on African ground without understanding local cultural conditions contributed too much post-colonial fresh and modern conflict. Examples of this are failures to establish liberal democracy and its crises in the African Great Lakes Region.

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Remote Sensing Characterization of Upper Great Lakes Forest Disturbance and Recovery to Improve Modeled Impacts on Land Surface Energetic and Hydrologic Fluxes

10.13031/cc.20152143978 ◽

2015 ◽

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Land Surface ◽

Forest Disturbance ◽

Upper Great Lakes ◽

Disturbance And Recovery

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Carbon Fixation Trends in Eleven of the World’s Largest Lakes: 2003–2018

Water ◽

10.3390/w12123500 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 3500

Author(s):

Michael Sayers ◽

Karl Bosse ◽

Gary Fahnenstiel ◽

Robert Shuchman

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Primary Production ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Satellite Remote Sensing ◽

Carbon Fixation ◽

African Great Lakes ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Bear Lake ◽

Great Slave Lake ◽

Significant Production

Large freshwater lakes provide immense value to the surrounding populations, yet there is limited understanding of how these lakes will respond to climate change and other factors. This study uses satellite remote sensing to estimate annual, lake-wide primary production in 11 of the world’s largest lakes from 2003–2018. These lakes include the five Laurentian Great Lakes, the three African Great Lakes, Lake Baikal, and Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes. Mean annual production in these lakes ranged from under 200 mgC/m2/day to over 1100 mgC/m2/day, and the lakes were placed into one of three distinct groups (oligotrophic, mesotrophic, or eutrophic) based on their level of production. The analysis revealed only three lakes with significant production trends over the study period, with increases in Great Bear Lake (24% increase over the study period) and Great Slave Lake (27%) and a decline in Lake Tanganyika (−16%). These changes appear to be related to climate change, including increasing temperatures and solar radiation and decreasing wind speeds. This study is the first to use consistent methodology to study primary production in the world’s largest lakes, allowing for these novel between-lake comparisons and assessment of inter-annual trends.

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A Small Member State and European Foreign Policy: Shaping or Taking? The Case of Belgium and the African Great Lakes

The Hague Journal of Diplomacy ◽

10.1163/187119108x367143 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 233-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Skander Nasra

Keyword(s):

Foreign Policy ◽

Member State ◽

Great Lakes ◽

European Integration ◽

Integration Process ◽

Policy System ◽

African Great Lakes ◽

Foreign Policies ◽

Small Member

AbstractThe European integration process has altered the conditions under which national foreign policies in Europe are made. Departing from this assumption, this article explores whether and under what conditions a small EU member state can influence European foreign policy. To this end, the role that Belgium has played in the construction of European foreign policy towards the African Great Lakes is examined. This article argues that a small EU member state can significantly influence European foreign policy, resulting in reinforcement of its national foreign policy. Yet this influence is conditioned by two intertwined factors: the nature of EU involvement; and the characteristics of the Union's foreign policy system. Depending on these elements, a small member state can supersede the quantifiable notion of 'smallness' and actively shape the construction of European foreign policy.

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