Abstract
The use of socioeconomic and cultural parameters in the assessment and biomonitoring of ecological health of aquatic ecosystems is still in its nascent stages. Yet, degradation of aquatic ecosystems has elicited concerns because of its bearing on social and economic development of communities consisting of marginalized and vulnerable groups, as well as the expenses and technical knowhow involved in biomonitoring approaches. In this study we developed a Citizen-based Index of Ecological Integrity (CIEI) for assessing and monitoring the ecological status of vulnerable African riverine ecosystems in Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya. The hypothesis is that the citizen-led socioeconomic and cultural metrics provides a more cost-effective broad view of ecosystems than other biomonitoring methods in the assessment of water resources in the developing countries. Selected rivers in the southern part of Lake Victoria (Rivers Kuja and Sondu-Mirui) recorded the highest CIEI than their northern counterparts (Rivers Yala and Nzoia) that had moderate to poor ecosystem integrities. The study demonstrates the usefulness of this approach to elucidate the source of impairment, the extent of impacts and provide a justifiable rationale to advice policy makers on developing guidelines for conservation and management of aquatic ecosystems. We recommend for adoption and promotion of the CIEI perspective in areas where such approaches appear defensible for the assessment of catchment-wide practices in areas with robust indigenous knowledge to provide a broad-view of the ecological health of the aquatic ecosystem.
Highlights
In working toward the protection of freshwater ecosystems, development of decision-support tools for monitoring changes in water quality and biological communities over time has been given a priority in many parts of the world (Statzner et al, 2001; Aura et al, 2020; Ko et al, 2020)
In this study we explored the use of sociocultural and economic perspectives, knowledge, and experiences to determine the pollution status of major rivers in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya
In the final Citizen Index of Ecological Integrity (CIEI), River Kuja emerged with the highest average CIEI (57 points), while River Nzoia recorded the lowest CIEI (45 points) (Table 3) portraying good and poor ecosystem integrity
Summary
In working toward the protection of freshwater ecosystems, development of decision-support tools for monitoring changes in water quality and biological communities over time has been given a priority in many parts of the world (Statzner et al, 2001; Aura et al, 2020; Ko et al, 2020). Biomonitoring and bioassessment data and information is important for aquatic systems management, because population growth, migration, and sociocultural activities are contributing to greater rates and extents of watershed development and impairment (Angel et al, 2011; Seto et al, 2011). These altered conditions negatively affect water quality, aquatic life, and functions of stream ecosystems (Smucker and Detenbeck, 2014) and have adverse socioeconomic consequences as well (Pickett et al, 2011). The proportion of impairment has become an important factor in urban planning and watershed management, because it is strongly associated with development intensity and stressors, and it can be readily quantified and regulated (Bellucci, 2007; Schueler et al, 2009)
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