Challenges Associated with incomplete assessment of stream ecosystem health and land use interaction studies in East and Southern Africa – a review.

Abstract

The review aimed at identifying the gaps left out in the studies on how land use influences ecosystem health of adjacent rivers in East and Southern Africa. These gaps left have affected both interpretation of results and rendered the studies incomplete. The gaps of interest here were three including; sampling procedure, relationship between river size and land use size as well as limited full ecosystem health components consideration. In our discussion, we have highlighted what the researchers should have done to seal the gaps and complete the ecosystem health assessment. The works reviewed in this paper include 22 peer reviewed papers in various journals, 3 technical ecological reports and 6 academic theses. The time frame of the works reviewed range between 2001 – 2019. It was concluded that a standard protocol be set for all researchers about the elements that must constitute a complete ecological health study such that if an element is left out, the study is not recognized as a complete ecological study. Sampling procedure should follow the before, in and after a stressor or land use.

Keywords Complete Ecosystem Health Components, Ecological Edge Effect, Omnibus Results, Sampling Procedure