Role in the Ecosystem
Humans first came to the Nile River Valley because of the surrounding fertile land. Since the northern half of the continent is composed almost entirely of the Sahara desert, the Nile provided a water source and allowed ancient Egyptians to farm and herd cattle. Currently, over 95% of all people living in Egypt live along the banks of the Nile, with 3820 people per square mile. Today, inhabitants are using the Nile to create hydroelectric dams to control flooding and provide energy, and the fertile banks are used to grow citrus, cotton, wheat, sugar, legumes and sorghum. Because water is a scarce resource in this part of Africa, countries are in conflict over how to use the water most effectively to compete for this resource.
Humans first came to the Nile River Valley because of the surrounding fertile land. Since the northern half of the continent is composed almost entirely of the Sahara desert, the Nile provided a water source and allowed ancient Egyptians to farm and herd cattle. Currently, over 95% of all people living in Egypt live along the banks of the Nile, with 3820 people per square mile. Today, inhabitants are using the Nile to create hydroelectric dams to control flooding and provide energy, and the fertile banks are used to grow citrus, cotton, wheat, sugar, legumes and sorghum. Because water is a scarce resource in this part of Africa, countries are in conflict over how to use the water most effectively to compete for this resource.
Impact on Food Webs
Detrimental human activity includes high fishing activity and the use of illegal fishing gear, which has led to a significant decrease in fish populations in the Nile Equatorial Lakes. Following this, fishers introduced species like the Nile tilapia to Lake Victoria in the mid 20th century. This lake, which had a diverse population of small bodied fish, looked like a perfect place to introduce this new species of fish to help increase fishery output. This disrupted the ecological balance of the lakes. In this process, many of the native species went extinct, creating a less diverse ecosystem.
Another example of human damage to the food web of the ecosystem involves human-influenced competition. During droughts, pastoralists have driven their herds into protected areas like Gambella and Queen Elizabeth, which induced competition between livestock and wildlife for water and pasture. This also increased the risk of disease transmissions between livestock and wildlife, leading to the decrease in the threatened populations.
Activities like bushfires created by farmers and pastoralists to prepare for land cultivation has caused destruction and changes in plant and animal species. Poaching, professional hunting, and booming crocodile skin trade up to the late 1980’s has resulted in a great decrease in wildlife numbers as well as the extinction of some species. Poaching has mostly been brought under control, but population numbers have not risen back to their levels in the 1960’s.
Detrimental human activity includes high fishing activity and the use of illegal fishing gear, which has led to a significant decrease in fish populations in the Nile Equatorial Lakes. Following this, fishers introduced species like the Nile tilapia to Lake Victoria in the mid 20th century. This lake, which had a diverse population of small bodied fish, looked like a perfect place to introduce this new species of fish to help increase fishery output. This disrupted the ecological balance of the lakes. In this process, many of the native species went extinct, creating a less diverse ecosystem.
Another example of human damage to the food web of the ecosystem involves human-influenced competition. During droughts, pastoralists have driven their herds into protected areas like Gambella and Queen Elizabeth, which induced competition between livestock and wildlife for water and pasture. This also increased the risk of disease transmissions between livestock and wildlife, leading to the decrease in the threatened populations.
Activities like bushfires created by farmers and pastoralists to prepare for land cultivation has caused destruction and changes in plant and animal species. Poaching, professional hunting, and booming crocodile skin trade up to the late 1980’s has resulted in a great decrease in wildlife numbers as well as the extinction of some species. Poaching has mostly been brought under control, but population numbers have not risen back to their levels in the 1960’s.
Impact on Physical Features
As human population in the Nile River Basin has increased, especially in the last century, resources have begun to become more and more depleted. Water from the Nile, their main source, is becoming much scarcer, and has recently been controlled by an agreement between some of the countries along the Nile. However, as some of these countries did not partake in the agreement, it is still a much needed source that has started conflicts.
Overcropping is another cause for problems in the Nile River Valley. Farmers in the area often farm as much land as is possible for them to manage, and doing so continually for many years causes the degradation of the land. It loses much of the nutrients and becomes less fertile, which increases the amount of land that farmers use which only increases the rate at which the land loses its fertility. Since food is already a scarce source in these riparian states due to decreased water supply, it must be managed carefully.
As human population in the Nile River Basin has increased, especially in the last century, resources have begun to become more and more depleted. Water from the Nile, their main source, is becoming much scarcer, and has recently been controlled by an agreement between some of the countries along the Nile. However, as some of these countries did not partake in the agreement, it is still a much needed source that has started conflicts.
Overcropping is another cause for problems in the Nile River Valley. Farmers in the area often farm as much land as is possible for them to manage, and doing so continually for many years causes the degradation of the land. It loses much of the nutrients and becomes less fertile, which increases the amount of land that farmers use which only increases the rate at which the land loses its fertility. Since food is already a scarce source in these riparian states due to decreased water supply, it must be managed carefully.
Impact on Biogeochemical Cycles
Invasive species like water hyacinths can be introduced for agricultural purposes or brought in accidentally from tourism and travel. Even small water hyacinth mats can quickly grow and become a problem, as they prevent underwater organisms from obtaining enough sunlight and oxygen. This would limit the abilities of submerged plants to photosynthesize and undergo cellular respiration, possibly disrupting the carbon cycle.
Invasive species like water hyacinths can be introduced for agricultural purposes or brought in accidentally from tourism and travel. Even small water hyacinth mats can quickly grow and become a problem, as they prevent underwater organisms from obtaining enough sunlight and oxygen. This would limit the abilities of submerged plants to photosynthesize and undergo cellular respiration, possibly disrupting the carbon cycle.
Recommendations
Global climate change in the Nile River basin has resulted in uncertainty in precipitation and river flow, land degradation, reduced river flow, floods, siltation, waterweed infestation, wetland degradation, droughts, deforestation, loss of species and ecosystems, and increased incidence of disease in all species inhabiting this biome. To fix this, we have to slow climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Tree planting programs have been implemented to manage environmental degradation, but as shown in the graph above, only two countries have successfully reversed their damage to forest area. Other responses to threats to the Nile environment include nutrient management, low tillage farming, the planting of nitrogen fixing crops, and investment in renewable solar and wind energy.
The Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project's framework for improving the Nile environment consists of the following:
1. Institutional strengthening
2. Community-level land, forest, and water conservation
3. Environmental education and awareness
4. Wetlands and biodiversity management
5. Water-quality monitoring.
Global climate change in the Nile River basin has resulted in uncertainty in precipitation and river flow, land degradation, reduced river flow, floods, siltation, waterweed infestation, wetland degradation, droughts, deforestation, loss of species and ecosystems, and increased incidence of disease in all species inhabiting this biome. To fix this, we have to slow climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Tree planting programs have been implemented to manage environmental degradation, but as shown in the graph above, only two countries have successfully reversed their damage to forest area. Other responses to threats to the Nile environment include nutrient management, low tillage farming, the planting of nitrogen fixing crops, and investment in renewable solar and wind energy.
The Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project's framework for improving the Nile environment consists of the following:
1. Institutional strengthening
2. Community-level land, forest, and water conservation
3. Environmental education and awareness
4. Wetlands and biodiversity management
5. Water-quality monitoring.
Brown, Lester R. "When the Nile Runs Dry." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 June 2011. Web. 15 May 2014.
Brown, Matt. "Nile Countries Continue Fight over Water." The National. Abu Dhabi Media, 2010. Web. 14 May 2014.
Couture, Alex, and Lauren Eaton. "Project Proposal." Human Impacts on the Nile River. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
"The Environmental Resources of the Nile Basin." Nile Information System. Nile Basin Initiative, 2012. Web. 15 May 2014.
Brown, Matt. "Nile Countries Continue Fight over Water." The National. Abu Dhabi Media, 2010. Web. 14 May 2014.
Couture, Alex, and Lauren Eaton. "Project Proposal." Human Impacts on the Nile River. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
"The Environmental Resources of the Nile Basin." Nile Information System. Nile Basin Initiative, 2012. Web. 15 May 2014.