The objective is to improve the livelihood of people living around the Lake and the natural resource management in and around the Lake by developing a common approach to the management of the Lake resources and supporting measures to reduce the sediment and nutrient inflow into the Lake.The project development objective is to develop and promote a regional collaborative mechanism for the management of the Lake Basin and introduce solutions for the sustainable management of natural resources in selected priority areas in and around the lake by: (i) developing a common approach to the sustainable management of the Lake's resources; and (ii) improving livelihoods and the sustainability of fishing and farming practices in and around the Lake and critical catchments.The main target groups of the project are small and medium scale fishermen and costal communities who would benefit from improved fishing practices and diversified income opportunities and key institutions who would oversee joint lake management.The global environmental objective would be twofold: (i) to contribute to the improvement of the Lake's health by reducing pollution and increasing awareness of the fragility of the ecosystem and (ii) to improve the conservation of aquatic biodiversity of the Lake by encouraging improved fishing practices and management of lake resources.The proposed project would consist of four components to be implemented over a fsix year period at an approximate cost of US$ 52 million (US$36 million IDA/regional, US$10 million GEF and US$ 6 million Borrower). The project would have a three tiered approach to addressing critical gaps at the institutional, community and fishery/farm level. The project would also aim to build on experiences gained from previous Bank projects as well as other efforts during the past decade.The project would aim to combat the dual and linked problems of poverty and a deteriorating natural resource base. Its main outcomes would be (i) the development and adoption of a regional management plan by the three riparian countries that would be the basis of the environmentally and socially sustainable utilization of coastal and lake resources, focusing on regionally agreed sharing of commercial capture fisheries and aquaculture capacity; (ii) improved fishing practices and income generation of coastal communities; and (iii) reduced nutrient inflow into the Lake.