Nile Information System

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. They cover at least 100,000 square km2 in the Nile basin, thus about 3% of the basin. Many are of regional and international importance and protected under the RAMSAR Convention (e.g. Lake Burullus in Egypt and Lake George in Uganda). The 30,000 km2 Sudd in Sudan is the largest wetland in Africa and is critically supporting the people’s livelihoods.

Found at a variety of altitudes, the Nile wetlands include a variety of swamps, marshes, seasonally inundated grasslands and sedgelands, swamp forests, floodplains and the wetland edges of lakes and rivers.

The buffering qualities of wetlands make a critical contribution to maintaining river flows despite strong seasonal variations in rainfall patterns and are of critical importance during floods and droughts. They contribute to water quality by trapping sediment and play a key part in purifying wastewater from agricultural, industrial and urban areas. Finally, they have an important influence on the local microclimate and large wetlands, like the Sudd, can impact regional rainfall patterns