Impact of papyrus wetland encroachment on spatial and temporal variabilities of stream flow and sediment export from wet tropical catchments

Ryken, N.; Vanmaercke, Matthias; Wanyama, J.; Isabirye, M.; Vanonckelen, S.; Deckers, J.; Poesen, J.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.048

Article (Scientific journals)

Impact of papyrus wetland encroachment on spatial and temporal variabilities of stream flow and sediment export from wet tropical catchments

Ryken, N.; Vanmaercke, Matthias; Wanyama, J. et al.

2015 • In Science of the Total Environment, 511, p. 756-766

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/208647

DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.048

PubMed
25617700

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Keywords :

Gully; Riparian vegetation; Riverbank erosion; Runoff; Suspended sediment yield; Uganda; Catchments; Forestry; Lakes; Land use; Rain; Stream flow; Suspended sediments; Vegetation; Water pollution; Wetlands; Suspended sediment yields; Sediments; Article; Cyperus; Cyperus papyrus; East African Lakes; Lake Victoria

Abstract :

[en] During the past decades, land use change in the Lake Victoria basin has significantly increased the sediment fluxes to the lake. These sediments as well as their associated nutrients and pollutants affect the food and water security of millions of people in one of Africa's most densely populated regions. Adequate catchment management strategies, based on a thorough understanding of the factors controlling runoff and sediment discharge are therefore crucial. Nonetheless, studies on the magnitude and dynamics of runoff and sediment discharge are very scarce for the Lake Victoria basin and the African Rift region.We therefore conducted runoff discharge and sediment export measurements in the Upper Rwizi, a catchment in Southwest Uganda, which is representative for the Lake Victoria basin. Land use in this catchment is characterized by grazing area on the high plateaus, banana cropping on the slopes and Cyperus papyrus L. wetlands in the valley bottoms. Due to an increasing population pressure, these papyrus wetlands are currently encroached and transformed into pasture and cropland. Seven subcatchments (358km2-2120km2), with different degrees of wetland encroachment, were monitored during the hydrological year June 2009-May 2010.Our results indicate that, due to their strong buffering capacity, papyrus wetlands have a first-order control on runoff and sediment discharge. Subcatchments with intact wetlands have a slower rainfall-runoff response, smaller peak runoff discharges, lower rainfall-runoff ratios and significantly smaller suspended sediment concentrations. This is also reflected in the measured annual area-specific suspended sediment yields (SYs): subcatchments with encroached papyrus swamps have SY values that are about three times larger compared to catchments with intact papyrus vegetation (respectively 106-137tonkm-2y-1 versus 34-37tonkm-2y-1). We therefore argue that protecting and (where possible) rehabilitating these papyrus wetlands should be a corner stone of catchment management strategies in the Lake Victoria basin. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Ryken, N.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium, Department of Soil Management, Ghent University, Belgium

Vanmaercke, Matthias ; Université de Liège > Département de géographie > Géographie physique et du quaternaire

Wanyama, J.; Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Makerere University, Uganda

Isabirye, M.; Busitema University, Namasagali, Uganda

Vanonckelen, S.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium

Deckers, J.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium

Poesen, J.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium

Language :

English

Title :

Impact of papyrus wetland encroachment on spatial and temporal variabilities of stream flow and sediment export from wet tropical catchments

Publication date :

2015

Journal title :

Science of the Total Environment

ISSN :

0048-9697

eISSN :

1879-1026

Publisher :

Elsevier

Volume :

511

Pages :

756-766

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 28 March 2017

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