Joint research projects to monitor Lake Kivu

Research organisations from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda are collaborating to intensify scientific research on Lake Kivu, thanks to funding of €1.3 million (US$1.4 million) from the government of the Netherlands.

The research project, announced this month in Rwanda, aims to increase knowledge about the biodiversity and geodynamics of the area in and around the lake, which is located on the frontier between the two countries, reported Radio France Internationale or RFI.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, and Rwanda signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2015 to monitor and protect the lake, increase research and promote scientific collaboration, reported the Agence d’Information d’Afrique Centrale or ADIAC.

Under this agreement, the Rwanda government this month announced five collaborative research projects, reported RFI.

These include an assessment of the fish stocks in the lake by the DRC’s Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu and the University of Rwanda, to promote sustainable fishing.

The Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma (DRC), INES (Institute of Applied Sciences) in Ruhengeri (Rwanda) and the monitoring programme of Lake Kivu will study the geodynamics of the lake and its basin, and map out the area’s seismic risks. It will also monitor the activity of the nearby Nyiragongo volcano, reported RFI.

In addition to this €1.3 million project funded by the Netherlands, the two countries expressed their support for a two-year joint research project on extraction of methane gas in Lake Kivu, also financed by the Dutch for €8 million, reported ADIAC.

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.