The Lake Chad basin

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511542091.010

9 - The Lake Chad basin

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 August 2009

J. Lemoalle

Edited by

Lauchlan H. Fraser and

Paul A. Keddy

Show author details

J. Lemoalle: Affiliation:
IRD
Lauchlan H. Fraser: Affiliation:
University of Akron, Ohio
Paul A. Keddy: Affiliation:
Southeastern Louisiana University

Book contents

Get access

Summary

Introduction

The total area of wetlands in Africa has been estimated at 300 000 to 345 000 km2 (Balek 1977, Howard-Williams & Thompson 1985); while the World Resources Institute (2000) gives a somewhat overestimated value of more than 1 100 000 km2. Large wetlands are situated along the equator in the humid Congo–Zaire basin with 130 000 km2 of permanent or seasonally inundated forests and a number of large shallow lakes (Compère & Symoens 1987). These water bodies characterize a region with a humid climate and result from a fairly high and continuous direct rainfall. Wetland systems and floodplains may also be found in a semi-arid climate. In the West African Sahel, the semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert, the main wetland systems are those of the Chad basin and the Inner Delta of the River Niger in Mali (Fig. 9.1). They are fed mainly by streams originating in more-humid tropical regions that have a pronounced seasonality.

In a semi-arid climate, water is the limiting factor for the development of vegetation and the associated trophic webs. Wetlands or floodplains are thus a singularity in the landscape within an arid region: they are areas where water is much-less limiting than in the surroundings. The vegetation that may develop depends on the seasonality, duration, and depth of the inundation.

A number of classifications have been proposed for floodplains and wetlands.

Type: Chapter
Information: The World's Largest Wetlands
Ecology and Conservation
, pp. 316 - 346

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511542091.010 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Balek, J. (1977). Hydrology and Water Resources in Tropical Africa. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: ElsevierGoogle Scholar

Bénech, V. (2002). Les migrations latérales des poissons dans le delta intérieur du Niger. Gestion intégrée des ressources naturelles des zones inondables tropicales, ed. Orange, D.. Paris: IRD, pp. 329–42Google Scholar

Bénech, V. & Quensière, J. (1983). Migrations de poissons vers le lac Tchad à la décrue de la plaine inondée du Nord-Cameroun. III: Variations annuelles en fonction de l'hydrologie. Revue d'Hydrobiologie Tropicale, 16, 287–316Google Scholar

Bénech, V., Lemoalle, J., and Quensière, J. (1976). Mortalités de poissons et conditions de milieu dans le lac Tchad au cours d'une période de sècheresse. Cahiers ORSTOM, série Hydrobiologie 10, 119–30Google Scholar

Braund, R. (2000). Restauration de la plaine Waza Logone. In Plaines d'inondation sahéliennes, enjeux et perspectives. Actes de la conférence régionale. Ouagadougou, Burkino Faso: IUCN, Bureau régional pour l'Afrique de l'Ouest, pp. 49–63Google Scholar

Burgis, M. and Symoens, J.-J. (1987). African Wetlands and Shallow Water Bodies. Directory. Paris: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Carmouze, J. P. (1983). Hydrochemical regulation of the lake. In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 95–123CrossRef Google Scholar

Carmouze, J. P., Fotius, G., and Lévêque, C. (1978). Influence qualitative des macrophytes sur la régulation géochimique du lac Tchad. Cahiers ORSTOM, Série Hydrobiologie, 12, 63–5Google Scholar

Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C. (eds.) (1983). Lake Chad. Ecology and Productivity of a Shallow Tropical Ecosystem. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: JunkGoogle Scholar

Chardonnet, P. and Lamarque, F. (1996). Wildlife in the Lake Chad basin. In Livestock Atlas of the Lake Chad Basin, ed. Zborowski, I.. The Hague, the Netherlands: CTA. Paris: CIRAD, pp. 109–24Google Scholar

Compère, P. and Iltis, A. (1983). The phytoplankton. In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 145–97CrossRef Google Scholar

Compère, P. and Symoens, J. J. (1987). Bassin du Zaïre. In African Wetlands and Shallow Water Bodies. Directory, eds. Burgis, M. and Symoens, J.-J.. Paris: ORSTOM, pp. 401–56Google Scholar

Davies, B. and Gasse, F. (1988). African Wetlands and Shallow Water Bodies. Bibliography. Paris: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Dejoux, C. (1983). The impact of birds on the lacustrine ecosystem. In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 519–25CrossRef Google Scholar

Fotius, G. (1974). Problèmes posés par l'évolution de la végétation liée à la baisse du Lac Tchad. N'Djaména: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Fotius, G. (2000). Phytogéographie. In Atlas de la Province Extrême Nord Cameroun, eds. Seignobos, C. and Iyébi-Mandjek, O.. Paris: IRD, pp. 30–7Google Scholar

Fotius, G. and Lemoalle, J. (1976). Reconnaissance de la végétation du lac Tchad entre janvier 1974 et juin 1976. N'Djaména: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Gac, J. Y. (1980). Géochimie du bassin du lac Tchad: bilan de l'altération de l'érosion et de la sédimentation. Paris: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Gaston, A. (1996). La végétation pastorale du bassin du Lac Tchad. In Atlas d'élevage du bassin du Lac Tchad, ed. Zborowski, I.. Montpellier, France: CIRAD. Wageningen, the Netherlands: CTA, pp. 39–56Google Scholar

GEPIS (Groupe d'Experts sur les Plaines d'Inondation Sahéliennes) (2000). Vers une gestion durable des plaines d'inondation sahéliennes. Gland, Switzerland; Cambridge, UK: IUCN

Goes, B. J. M. (2001). Effects of Damming the Hadejia River in Semiarid Northern Nigeria: Lessons Learnt for the Future. IAHS Publication 268; pp. 73–80

Hollis, G. E., Adams, W. M., and Aminu-Kano, M. (1993). The Hadejia–Nguru Wetlands: Environment, Economy and Sustainable Development of a Sahelian Floodplain Wetland. Gland, Switzerland; Cambridge, UK: IUCNGoogle Scholar

Howard-Willians, C. and Thompson, K. (1985). The conservation and management of African wetlands. In The Ecology and Management of African Wetland Vegetation, ed. Denny, P.. The Hague, the Netherlands: JunkCrossRef Google Scholar

IFEN (Institut Français de l'Environnement) (2001). Développement durable et capital naturel critique. Etudes et Travaux 32. Orléans, France: IFEN

Iltis, A. and Lemoalle, J. (1983). The aquatic vegetation of Lake Chad. In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 125–44CrossRef Google Scholar

Junk, W. J. (1982). Amazonian floodplains: their ecology, present and potential use. Revue Hydrobiologie Tropicale, 15, 285–302Google Scholar

Junk, W. J. and Weber, G. E. (1996). Amazonian floodplains: a limnological perspective. Verhandlungen Internationale Vereinigung fuer Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie, 26, 149–57Google Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1974). Bilan des apports en fer au lac Tchad (1970–73). Cahiers ORSTOM, Série Hydrobiologie, 8, 35–41Google Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1978). Application des images Landsat à la courbe bathymétrique du lac Tchad. Cahiers ORSTOM, Série Hydrobiologie, 12, 83–7Google Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1979a). Etude des potentialités du bassin conventionnel du Lac Tchad: utilisation de la télédétection pour l'évaluation des surfaces inondées. Paris: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1979b). Biomasse et production phytoplanctoniques du lac Tchad (1968–1976). Relations avec les conditions du milieu. Paris: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1983). Phytoplankton production. In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévèque, C.. Monographiae. Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 357–84CrossRef Google Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1987). Lac Fitri. In African Wetlands and Shallow Water Bodies. Directory, eds. Burgis, M. and Symoens, J. J.. Paris: ORSTOM, pp. 275–7Google Scholar

Lemoalle, J. (1991). The Hydrology of Lake Chad During a Drought Period (1973–1989). FAO Fisheries Reports 445, pp. 54–61

Lemoalle, J. (2002). Aspects de la production et du fonctionnement écologique des zones humides tropicales: l'exemple du bassin tchadien. In Gestion intégrée des ressources naturelles des zones inondables tropicales ed. Orange, D.. Paris: IRD, pp. 303–14CrossRef Google Scholar

Léonard, J. (1969). Aperçu sur la végétation aquatique. In Monographie du Lac Tchad. Fort Lamy, Chad: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Lévêque, C. and Paugy, D. (1999). Peuplements des cours d'eau et des biotopes associés. In Les poissons des eaux continentales africaines. Diversité, écologie, utilisation par l'homme, eds. Lévêque, C. and Paugy, D.. Paris: IRD, pp. 283–94Google Scholar

Lévêque, C. and Saint-Jean, L. (1983). Secondary production (zooplankton and zoobenthos). In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 385–424CrossRef Google Scholar

Lévêque, C., Dejoux, C., and Lauzanne, L. (1983). The benthic fauna: ecology, biomass and communities. In Lake Chad, eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 233–72CrossRef Google Scholar

Hôte, Y., Mahé, G., Somé, B., and Triboulet, J.-P. (2002). Analysis of a Sahelian annual rainfall index from 1896 to 2000; the drought continues. Hydrological Science Journal, 47, 563–72CrossRef Google Scholar

Olivry, J. C., Chouret, A., Vuillaume, G., Lemoalle, J., and Bricquet, J. P. (1996). Hydrologie du Lac Tchad. Paris: ORSTOMGoogle Scholar

Saint-Jean, L. (1983). The zooplankton. In Lake Chad eds. Carmouze, J. P., Durand, J. R., and Lévêque, C.. Monographiae Biologicae, 53. The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 199–232CrossRef Google Scholar

Seignobos, C. and Iyébi-Mandjek, O. (eds.) (2000). Atlas de la Province Extrême Nord Cameroun. Paris: IRDGoogle Scholar

Talling, J. F. and Lemoalle, J. (1998). Ecological Dynamics of Tropical Inland Waters. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University PressGoogle Scholar

Thompson, J. R. and Hollis, G. E. (1995). Hydrological modelling and the sustainable development of the Hadejia–Nguru Wetlands, Nigeria. Hydrological Science Journal, 40, 97–116CrossRef Google Scholar

US Geological Survey (2001). http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/earthshots/slow/LakeChad/LakeChad

Welcomme, R. L. (1979). Fisheries Ecology of Floodplain Rivers. London; New York: LongmanGoogle Scholar

World Resources Institute (2000). World Resources 2000–2001. People and Ecosystems. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org)

Book contents

9 - The Lake Chad basin

Summary

Access options

References

Save book to Kindle

Save book to Dropbox

Save book to Google Drive