What are the main threats facing Lake Victoria?

• A. Drought and salinization
• B. Invasive species only
• C. Tourism and recreation
• D. Overfishing and pollution

Answer: (D)

The situation tests how human activities that remove resources and degrade water quality threaten a large freshwater system. Overfishing reduces fish populations and alters the food web, making the lake less able to support its native species and the people who rely on them. Pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, and industrial wastes introduces excess nutrients and contaminants, driving eutrophication and oxygen depletion that harm aquatic life and degrade water quality. These two pressures reinforce each other: fewer fish and poorer water quality weaken the lake’s ecological integrity and its economic value, making recovery slow and expensive.

The other options don’t capture the dominant, widespread drivers as effectively. Drought affects water levels but isn’t the defining threat, and salinization isn’t a typical problem for Lake Victoria. Tourism and recreation can cause localized impacts, but they are not the primary forces reshaping the lake’s ecosystem. While invasive species have been a major concern, the combination of overfishing and pollution best explains the broad, long-term declines in both biodiversity and fisheries around the lake.