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Sustainable Use of Papyrus from Lake Victoria, Kenya

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The Wetland Book

Abstract

Cyperus papyrus-dominated wetlands in eastern and southern Africa are important for millions of people because of their provisioning ecosystem services (food, water, materials, medicines) but also because of regulating services (e.g., water and nutrient retention, climate regulation), cultural services (heritage of wetland communities, importance for science and tourism), and biodiversity. Papyrus wetlands are under pressure from agricultural and urban development. Freshwater and food production are important, but sustainable management strategies are needed to protect regulating services and biodiversity. This chapter summarizes current uses of papyrus wetlands in the East African region and identifies natural and human-induced factors affecting these. To achieve sustainable management, more awareness of regulating ecosystem services and more quantitative methods for assessing them are needed. This will allow better estimation of the value of papyrus ecosystem services and better evaluation of trade-offs with conversion to other uses.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Ecosystems Group, Department of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE, Institue for Water Education, PO Box 3015, 2601 DA, Delft, The Netherlands

    Anne A. van Dam

  2. Egerton University, Njoro Nakuru, Kenya

    Julius Kipkemboi

Authors
  1. Anne A. van Dam
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  2. Julius Kipkemboi
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Anne A. van Dam or Julius Kipkemboi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  2. International Water Security Network, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Mark Everard

  3. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Kenneth Irvine

  4. RM Wetlands and Environment Ltd., Littleworth, Oxfordshire, UK

    Robert J. McInnes

  5. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA

    Beth A. Middleton

  6. Aquatic Ecosystems Group, Department of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Anne A. van Dam

  7. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    Nick C. Davidson

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van Dam, A.A., Kipkemboi, J. (2018). Sustainable Use of Papyrus from Lake Victoria, Kenya. In: Finlayson, C.M., et al. The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9659-3_207

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