​​​​​The Rufiji River Basin’s 177,429 km² covers about 20% of Tanzania’s total surface area and is the largest river basin in Tanzania and in East Africa. This basin contains about 30% of Tanzania’s surface water with three major rivers, the Great Ruaha, Kilombero, and Luwegu, serving as tributaries to the Rufiji River. The Rufiji River is very rich in biodiversity and supports the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Ramsar site, about 50,000 hectares of mangroves, and a basin that includes 92 forest reserves, four national parks, and four major game reserves. This basin also hosts about 10% of Tanzania’s population and supports the livelihoods of about 200,000 people through irrigation and fishing. It is important for agriculture, fishery, wildlife conservation, tourism, and hydroelectric power generation. A planned uranium mine and the largest planned hydropower project to date in the Rufiji  River system have recently drawn attention to this river’s importance. Data gaps and lack of access to freshwater biodiversity information in the Rufiji River catchment curtail informed decision-making for sustainable conservation of biodiversity of this river system.

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) aims to improve ecosystem management for the Rufiji River Basin by improving freshwater biodiversity information accessibility. To this end, the JRS Biodiversity Foundation supports a planning effort to review available data and literature, build a biodiversity monitoring framework, and form partnerships with data providers and end-users.

Video Progress Update, May 2020

With COVID-19 restricting travel and meeting with our grantees, JRS invited our projects to submit a short update for the JRS Board of Trustees. Though intended for an internal JRS audience, we loved these videos and share them here with permission. Enjoy!