The role of socio-economic determinants in lake management in developing countries

The compilation of international handbooks on the management of eutrophication and nonpoint source pollution posed a number of conceptual problems, not the least of which was the determination of relevant and meaningful methods to span the spectrum of developed and developing world applications. Given that most of the lake management strategies currently being employed throughout the world are based in whole or in part on methods developed in Europe or North America, this problem is a significant one. Not only are there measurable limnological differences between waterbodies in the temperate zone versus waterbodies in the tropics/subtropics, but also differences in the levels of technical skills and “hardware” exist between these regions. Many developing countries suffer badly from loss of skills to the developed world and must buy goods and services in the field of lake management. Hence, to be successful, both the investigations and implementations must take cognizance of the climatic and techno-socio-economic rigors imposed by the developing world setting. This paper briefly reviews some of the distinguishing characteristics of society and waterbodies in the tropical developing countries, before examining a selection of appropriate strategies for managing eutrophication, using illustrative examples from southern Africa. Such strategies could also have application to small scale projects in the developed world where similar cost constraints often apply. © 1991 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.