A Lake to Serve: The Exploration, Modification, and Degradation of Lake Victoria, 1920s to 1960s

Abstract

ABSTRACT Over the course of the twentieth century, Lake Victoria faced an unprecedented decline: From a symbol of biodiversity, Africa’s largest lake evolved into a highly degraded habitat. What were the underlying mechanisms of this? Common explanations focus on the introduction of the Nile perch in the 1950s and 1960s and the consequential damage to the lake. This article argues, however, that this introduction must be read against the background of the long-term schemes of resource utilisation deployed by the institutions of the British Empire. The introduction of the Nile perch was not an isolated event but was embedded in a longer process of exploring, utilising and modifying the lake. In this process, the colonial institutions deliberately ignored the many well-founded scientific warnings of an introduction in favour of a modification of the lake. Thus, this modification, presented as legitimate, symbolically reflects the effort of the institutions of the British Empire to control and optimise natural resources and stands in a long series of interventions in natural habitats. Overall, this multi-perspective analysis of Lake Victoria’s modification contributes to questions of nature utilisation in colonial contexts and sheds light on the general relationship between man and nature.