Access to Information on the Fish Fauna from Lake Albert and its Tributary the River Semuliki (DR Congo)
| dc.contributor.author | Kambale Soheranda, J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mergen, P. | |
| dc.coverage.spatial | Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | |
| dc.date | 2015 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-03-15T10:07:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-03-15T10:07:35Z | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/2414 | |
| dc.description | Lake Albert, situated between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is fed by the delta of a large river, Semuliki. It is considered one of the richest fishing lakes in the world. In 2013, 41 species of fish were identified in the lake and 15 in the delta. The author has digitized this information, including spatial distributions, ecological functions and economical value. These waterbodies are subject to multiple challenges, including uncontrolled over-exploitation of the resources ignoring compliance with any legislation, and lack of scientific studies due to insufficient means and supervision by the services in charge. The interest of multinational companies for oil exploitation is worrisome. Additionally, the results of research conducted on the Congolese side are not sufficiently digitized in their present state, not to mention a lack of planning for a rational use of the lake and the absence of a proper taxonomic identification key for this ichthyological area. The studies available on Fishbase are of great importance, but according to our analysis, they are not sufficient. Further research is necessary to update online repositories like Fishbase and others with more information about the ichthyofauna of the region. In addition to the fish, other animal and plant species of the region are also in need of inventories and studies. They are part of the richness of Lake Albert in need of protection from extinction before they even get identified. We are convinced that the application of TDWG standards and tools is critical to help strengthen our ability to do better research and enhance our current databases to make them openly accessible. This will also allow us to properly train and supervise the scientific research group, "Actions for the Protection and the Future of Lake Albert," which we have implemented to reach both the researcher and the local population to raise public awareness about the importance of the lake and its tributary. We envisage applying TDWG standards to a citizen sciences approach, adapted to the local context in DR Congo. Putting such a platform into place will not only be helpful for the researchers, but also enable local fishermen (professionals and amateurs) to fill in information about their catches and observations, including uploading of pictures using their smart phones in areas where Internet connections are unavailable. | |
| dc.language | eng | |
| dc.publisher | TDWG | |
| dc.title | Access to Information on the Fish Fauna from Lake Albert and its Tributary the River Semuliki (DR Congo) | |
| dc.type | Conference | |
| dc.subject.frascati | Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | |
| dc.subject.frascati | Biological sciences | |
| dc.subject.frascati | Computer and information sciences | |
| dc.audience | Scientific | |
| dc.subject.free | Invertebrates | |
| dc.source.title | TDWG 2015 ANNUAL CONFERENCE: Applications, Standards and Capacity Building for Sustaining Global Biodiversity | |
| Orfeo.peerreviewed | No | |
| dc.identifier.rmca | 4331 |
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