The document summarizes how Lake Turkana in Kenya is important for the local communities and ecosystem but is threatened by a new dam project in Ethiopia. It discusses how Lake Turkana supports over 300,000 indigenous people through water, food and resources, but the dam will decrease its water levels by 16-40 feet. This will end natural flood cycles and likely cause conflicts as resources become more scarce. It will also drastically impact the lake's ecosystem and biodiversity. The region has a rich history of paleontological and archaeological discoveries, but political instability and violence may soon interrupt further research at Lake Turkana.

1. Why is this lake so important?
‣ The lake serves as a barrier between conflicting east/west communities.
‣ Pastoralists of the basin feed and water their livestock around the lake, communities
of fishermen live off their catch - and during droughts the lake is one of the only
sources of water and nourishment in the region.
Where does Lake Turkana get its water?
‣ Few permanent and intermittent (rainy season) rivers supply water to basin.
‣ The Omo River (through Ethiopia) supplies 90% of the lake’s yearly water.
‣ Current Ethiopian dam project will decrease water flow into the lake by 70% —
causing a drop of at least 16 feet and up to 40 feet in the Kenyan lake.
‣ The dam will also completely eliminate the natural flood cycles that pastoralists and
fish within the lake rely upon. (13)
Once the dam is complete:
‣ Both domestic and wild animals will be forced to adapt or perish.
‣ Violent conflicts over scarce resources will increase.
‣ Salinity increases as lake level decreases. Many fish species will perish.
‣ Humans may find water has become non-potable.
‣ Lake Turkana could separated into smaller lakes, drastically altering the ecosystem.
V. Conclusions
If past fossil finding success is any indication, there are many more discoveries to be made at Lake Turkana. However, it’s clear that fossil
availability isn't the only factor to consider when estimating the potential for future geological, paleontological or archaeological research in the
Turkana basin. As already-scarce resources become even more scarce, violence will increase and the area will become unstable. Will it reach
the point of war? The large-scale events happening in the Turkana basin truly are life-or-death so it’s definitely possible. During unrest in the
region, what will happen to fossils as they become exposed at the surface? They will erode and disappear forever.
Future security of the Turkana basin is uncertain at best. The only thing we do know is that it will get worse before it gets better -- for the
indigenous people, for the animals that live in this harsh environment and for the researchers who’ve made amazing discoveries here already.
Unfortunately, it looks like scientists may have only a short time to make their next amazing discovery before all archaeological and
paleontological research efforts around Turkana Lake have a forced intermission. Let's hope the intermission will be short, for all of our sakes.
After all, it’s our shared ancestry scientists are trying to unravel at Lake Turkana, “the cradle of mankind.”
VI. References
II. Where exactly is Lake Turkana?
III. Indigenous People of the Turkana Basin
Scarce Resources
‣ Approximately 300,000 indigenous peoples rely on Lake Turkana for water, nourishment and ultimately, survival.
‣ Mostly pastoralists, these farmers travel the region with their herds to find food and water.
‣ The basin has exceeded the maximum sustainable number of animals (due to outside humanitarian aide and inflated bride-price
forcing males to breed animals simply to marry).
‣ Droughts result in 60-90% deaths of farm animals. Starvation of animals means starvation of people. (10), (6), (9)
Unstable borders
‣ Kenya borders politically-unstable countries Uganda, Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia whose violence spreads across Kenya's borders.
‣ Community conflicts with spears or bows have escalated to (inexpensive) small arm fights: AK47s $140US, pistols $80US.
‣ The Kenyan government armed its most marginalized citizens hoping they will protect themselves from conflicts and terrorists.
‣ All of this means: more guns per capita = more violent conflicts, cattle raids and homicides. (8)
IV. Large-Scale Human Activity is Changing the Turkana Basin Forever
People who live upstream have a distinct advantage over those living downstream. Why is this so important? Because Lake Turkana (in
Kenya) receives 90% of its water from a single river that flows south through Ethiopia. A project that is nearing completion in Ethiopia will
dam this river 100-miles north of Kenya’s border and forever change Kenya, Lake Turkana and the people and animals who rely on this
as their sole source of nourishment in a harsh desert environment.
Abstract
The Turkana basin is home to many tribes and communities that depend on Lake Turkana, their main source
of water and food, for survival. It’s also a hotbed for paleontological and archaeological discovery. This basin
is in Africa's Rift Valley and happens to hold the largest desert lake in the world. Most people outside of the
region have heard of the area as the “birthplace of mankind” because of the amazing fossil discoveries
around this lake.
I am comparing current paleontological and archaeological research efforts in the basin to the burgeoning —
and potentially threatening — human presence throughout the region. ['Turkana Boy' skull (17)]
Experiment
1. Gather GIS data and create maps using ArcGIS software.
2. Map key features of the Turkana basin:
• Start with fossil discovery, density and availability.
• Reference important information about indigenous populations in the area.
• Note large-scale human activity (helpful or detrimental) to the region.
3. What does the future hold for fossil discovery around Lake Turkana?
I. Extensive fossil discovery at Lake Turkana
The past century marked an amazing leap in archaeological discovery, thanks to fossil hunters in the Turkana basin.
‣ Kenya has the most complete record of human evolution anywhere.
‣ ‘Turkana Boy’, the most complete fossil hominid skeleton every found, helped us understand more about Homo erectus than
ever before.
‣ Found ancient and modern hippo linkage: proving hippos are one of the few mammals that evolved after arriving in Africa.
‣ A vast history of mammals, found nowhere else in sub-Saharan Africa, are abundant in Oligocene-Miocene sites immediately
around Lake Turkana. (2), (3), (4), (15), (1)
(See map and legend for names and locations of discoveries.)
What is the Potential For Continued Geological Field
Research at Lake Turkana?
Class: GEY 111 606
Author: Amanda Bell
Want to know more? Scan this:
(scan with your phone’s QR code reader or visit https://vimeo.com/103528480)
4. One of earliest members
of genus Homo, retained ape-
like arms and face. Lived 2.4
to 1.4 MY ago.
5. First species to leave
Africa and maybe longest
lived (9x as long as Homo
sapiens) 1.89 MY to 143 KY.
OTHER
DISCOVERIES:
Thousands of non-hominid
fossils have also been found
throughout the Turkana basin
— including a 27-foot-long
crocodile that lived with and
likely swallowed our
ancestors... whole.
2. Discovery at Lake Turkana
confirmed this new species. Lived
2.3 to 1.2 MYA.
3. Only one good fossil exists,
found in the Turkana basin. About
1.8 MY old.
1. 'Turkana Boy’ is the most
complete early human skeleton
ever found. About 1.5 MY old.
Not surprising: those who live
upstream have a major advantage over
those who live downstream.
“When the water ends” by Evan Abrasion
is the story of climate change conflicts in
East Africa. Drought, decreased rainfall
and now - fights over water like the
Ethiopian dam project - are fueling
violent conflicts in the area.
Africa
Kenya
NWKenya
Kenya
Ethiopia
Current Basin View
Steady human population growth &
overpopulation of animals means
resources become even more scarce.
Easy access to weapons means every
male over the age of 17 is now
armed with an automatic weapon.
Turkana basin pastoralist with starving cow (14)Farmer protecting his herds with an automatic weapon (11)
(1). http://www.academia.edu/4330439/
Faunal_Change_in_the_Turkana_Basin_During_the_Late_Oligocene_and_Miocene
(2). http://www.TurkanaBasin.org, Photos and fossil data from Bob Reynolds with the
Turkana Basin Institute.
(3). Fossil basemap credit: National Geographic Worldmap, ArcGIS
(4). http://HumanOrigins.SI.edu, "What does it mean to be human?”
(5). http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/turkana-merille.htm
(6). http://education.NationalGeographic.com, 'Geography of Lake Turkana’
(7). http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/15000.html
(8). “Small Arms and Light Weapons in Kenya,” by Mbugua Njoroge
(9). http://www.afdb.org, “Hydrological Impacts of Ethiopia’s Omo Basin on Kenya Lake
Turkana Water Levels & Fisheries” Dr. Sean Avery
(10). http://africacenter.colostate.edu/, “Fishing and Firearms”
(11). http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/turkana-merille.htm, "Climate Change and the
Turkana and Merrill Conflict”
(12). World Resources Institute (WRI), Kenya population dataset
(13). http://www.FriendsOfLakeTurkana.org, case study
(14). http://africacenter.colostate.edu/content/fishing-and-firearms-lake-turkana
(15). http://www.dogonews.com/2015/3/12/fossil-discovery-in-kenya-reveals-modern-day-
hippos-evolved-in-africa
(16). http://imgkid.com/africa-map-lake-turkana.shtml
(17). http://www.eyesonafrica.net/safaris/photo-safari/2015/photo-safari-2015-turkana-
piper-may.htm
Turkana Festival (17) Lake Turkana, the jade sea (16) Sunset on the lake (16)
Minimumdropinlakelevel
Potentialdropinlakelevel
Lake Turkana, After Dam Completion
KenyaEthiopia
Ethiopia
South
Uganda