Lake Mwungere () is a lake in the
Kirundo Province of
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
.
Location
Lake Mwungere is in the
Commune of Ntega
The commune of Ntega is a commune of Kirundo Province
Kirundo Province is one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi. Kirundo has three big lakes: Cohoha, Rweru, and Rwihinda. Lakes Cohoha and Rweru are located in commune Busone, and Lake Rwihi ...
in Kirundo Province near the villages of Mariza and Mugina. It is connected by wetlands to the
Akanyaru River
The Akanyaru River is the main tributary of the Nyabarongo River. It rises in the western highlands of Rwanda and Burundi, flows east and then north along the border between those countries before joining the Nyabarongo River. The lower stretche ...
.
The
Köppen climate classification is Aw: Tropical savanna, wet.
Conservation
Lake Mwungere is in the
Lacs du Nord Aquatic Landscape Protected Area, created in 2006, which in theory conserves more than of lakes and wetlands with the goal of integrated community management, agricultural production, and lake conservation.
The lake is part of the Northern Protected Waterway, a complex of 8 permanent freshwater lakes including lakes
Rweru,
Cohoha,
Rwihinda,
Kanzigiri,
Gacamirindi,
Nagitamo,
Narungazi and Mwungere as well as marshes, that form part of the
Nile Basin.
These lakes are dominated by small
Tilapia and
Oreochromis species.
They have been the site of largescale invasions of
water hyacinth, which has greatly decreased production and reduced fish stocks, as well as crowded out native vegetation.
Burundi has taken little effort to remove the invasive species.
The Kagera Aquatic Zone's Management Plan aims to improve management of the lakes, marshlands and vegetation in the
Murehe Forest area.
Lake Mwungere is considered an Integral Zone under this plan, which includes lakes Gacamirina and Nagitamo, and marshlands in the secondary valleys of the
Akanyaru River
The Akanyaru River is the main tributary of the Nyabarongo River. It rises in the western highlands of Rwanda and Burundi, flows east and then north along the border between those countries before joining the Nyabarongo River. The lower stretche ...
. Human influence should be excluded from the zone by a belt to protect the natural species.
In November 2021
Albert Hatungimana, Governor of Kirundo, praised the achievements of Inades-Formation Burundi in creating buffer zones for the Nagitamo, Mwungere and Gacamirinda lakes.
The protective belt includes trees, anti-erosion ditches with fixation grasses above them, and a canal separating the buffer zone from private properties.
Fish production and water quality has improved in the protected lakes as a result.
References
Sources
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Mwungere
Mwungere