Lake Victoria in eastern Africa, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, is being indirectly destroyed by deforestation, an international research center said today. Through the use of satellite remote sensing technology, the Kenya-based International Center for Research in Agroforestry found that in areas where trees and other vegetation were removed, a heavier flow of sediments feeds into the lake. The sediments’ nutrients dissolve in the water and stimulate the growth of aquatic plants, including the water hyacinth, a non-native species that is now clogging the lake and is a major cause of its troubles. Pedro Sanchez, director of the research center, said a simple and inexpensive solution to the problem would be to reintroduce trees to areas where three main rivers empty into the lake.
