This interdisciplinary study of the disruptions threatening aquatic systems in Africa provides a continent-wide perspective on multidimensional environmental problems in the context of a rapidly expanding human population. Contributors confront both local and international water resource issues in Africa, illustrate commonalities among countries, and examine varied approaches used to solve water resources management problems. Linking social and natural sciences in diverse environmental and social settings at different scales of analysis (historical, regional, and ecosystem), the contributors identify regional issues and detect generalities to provide a baseline for decision making in the 21st century. CONTENTS Conservation and Management of African Aquatic Ecosystems: An Introduction, by Lauren J. Chapman, Colin A. Chapman, Thomas L. Crisman, and Les S. Kaufman Part 1. Historical Perspective 1. A Historical View of African Inland Waters, by Daniel A. Livingstone 2. Deep Time Landscape Histories and the Improvement of Environmental Management in Africa, by Peter Schmidt Part 2. Regional Perspectives 3. Management of Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems in Southern Africa, by Jenny Day 4. Aquatic Resource Management and Freshwater Ecosystems in West Africa, by Christopher Gordon 5. East African Species Introductions and --Wetland Management: Sociopolitical Dimensions, by Fred W.B. Bugenyi and John S. Balirwa 6. Human Interactions and Water Quality in the Horn of Africa, by Gebre-Mariam Zinabu 7. Water Management Issues in Madagascar: Biodiversity, Conservation, and Deforestation, by Peter N. Reinthal, Karen J. Riseng, and John S. Sparks Part 3. Ecosystems, Processes, and EmergingWater Management Issues 8. River Fisheries in Africa: Their Past, Present, and Future, by Robin L. Welcomme 9. Fishes of African Rain Forests: Emerging and Potential Threats to a Little-Known Fauna, by Lauren J. Chapman and Colin A. Chapman 10. Incorporating Wetlands and Their