Overview and future prospects of African rivers research

Afrotropical rivers are integral to the continent's socioeconomic development, environmental health, and cultural heritage. Research on these Afrotropical rivers is essential for informed decision-making, sustainable resource management, and safeguarding the ecological and social values of rivers for future generations. This chapter explores the current state of research in Afrotropical rivers highlighting the promising future directions on key issues that need to be addressed. A number of researches on Afrotropical river systems have been conducted in various African countries. These have revealed several significant challenges that impact river ecological health, biodiversity, and the well-being of riparian communities. Afrotropical rivers are threatened by anthropogenic activities leading to pollution, siltation, habitat fragmentation and invasive species. The situation is exacerbated by the ever growing human population. With most African institutions incapacitated to effectively manage and conserve river systems, their ability to implement comprehensive environmental policies is hindered especially on transboundary river systems. Nonetheless, there are still plenty of opportunities for research in Afrotropical river systems. The use of technological advancements such as environmental DNA, artificial intelligence and remote sensing present opportunities for enhancing conservation in Afrotropical river systems. Long-term data series should help to improve existing mathematical models or be used to set up adequate models. Topics should include but not be limited to river physiography, climate, hydrology and hydraulics, bathymetry as well as water quality and aquatic biota dynamics. Multidisciplinary research encompassing social, ecological and management sciences should be undertaken to understand riverine ecosystems' responses to different kinds of anthropogenic stressors. Research should also be extended towards exploring effective strategies that can improve the restoration, rehabilitation of biota in disturbed Afrotropical river systems. This further presents some key management, conservation and threat questions that need to be addressed to fully understand the role of Afrotropical streams and rivers.