Papyrus wetlands creation, a solution to improve food security and save Lake Victoria
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Published source details
Kiwango Y., Moshi G., Kibasa W. & Mnaya B. (2013) Papyrus wetlands creation, a solution to improve food security and save Lake Victoria. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 21, 147-154.
Published source details Kiwango Y., Moshi G., Kibasa W. & Mnaya B. (2013) Papyrus wetlands creation, a solution to improve food security and save Lake Victoria. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 21, 147-154.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Restore/create freshwater marshes or swamps (multiple actions) Action Link |
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Restore/create freshwater marshes or swamps (multiple actions)
A replicated, site comparison study of six papyrus marshes in East Africa (Kiwango et al. 2013) reported that created marshes developed similar biomass of papyrus Cyperus papyrus to natural marshes, within 18 months. Statistical significance was not assessed. In two created marshes in Tanzania, above-ground papyrus biomass was 3,900 g/m2. This was within the range reported for other natural East African papyrus marshes: 883–8,456 g/m2 (data from the four studies that clearly measured above-ground, rather than total, biomass). Methods: Marsh creation involved multiple interventions: physically removing problematic plants (water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes and crops), digging the compacted soil, planting papyrus and other wetland reeds/grasses/shrubs, digging channels to rewet the marsh, and fencing to exclude humans and animals. After 18 months, papyrus was cut from the created marshes, then dried and weighed. Previously published biomass data from natural marshes were reported for comparison. The study does not report dates of intervention or monitoring.
(Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)
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