IUCN SUSTAIN Eco program, in partnership with the Lake Rukwa Basin Water Board (LRBWB), held an awareness workshop on Water Stewardship Principles (WSP). This initiative, focused on the livestock and agriculture sectors in the Rukwa region, builds on IUCN’s long-standing commitment to conserving natural resources in the landscape and underscore our mission in the region.
The Lake Rukwa basin—a sprawling catchment area of approximately 5,760 km² across southwestern Tanzania—is facing urgent water resource challenges. Over the past decade, the lake’s depth has plummeted from about 9.5 meters to 3.4 m, a decline attributed largely to over-extraction, river sedimentation, and deforestation. This crisis is acutely felt by smallholder farmers and livestock herders. Rukwa’s largely rain-fed agriculture, which supports over 68% of households on plots averaging 0.5–2 hectares, is hindered by unreliable rainfall (800–1,200 mm annually) and seasonal flooding leading to waterlogging and crop losses. Meanwhile, pastoralists—many migrating in with hundreds of cattle—rely on shrinking water sources to sustain livestock, with the lake supplying over 80% of local livestock water. Compounding the strain are informal irrigation schemes, unregulated cultivation near riverbanks resulting in high sediment loads, agricultural runoff, and pollution from pesticides and mercury used in local mining.
