Experts from countries surrounding Africa's second-largest lake, Lake Tanganyika, are meeting in Zambia to discuss ways of managing the lake amid escalating environmental deterioration.
The ravages of overfishing and pollution have taken a toll on the longest freshwater lake's delicate ecosystem.
In June Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia took the unprecedented decision to impose a three-month fishing ban on the lake every year, from May 15 to August 15.
The meeting in Zambia's capital, Luksaka, will discuss sustainable methods of managing the shared lake and restoring the ecological integrity of its basin.
Lake Tanganyika faces threats such as sedimentation, pollution, overfishing and habitat loss.
The amount of trash dumped into rivers feeding the lake has risen sharply and its only outlet - a waterway running into Congo - could be blocked.
