Oreochromis jipe (Asilia) is a freshwater cichlid confined to Lake Jipe and a narrow band of associated wetlands and inflowing streams along the Kenya–Tanzania border. Its range is limited to the shallow margins of this transboundary lake, where fisheries form an important component of local food supply and household income. The lake itself is responsive to changes in land use in the upper Lumi–Pangani catchment, and the contraction of O. jipe populations reflects the combined effects of increased fishing pressure, gradual loss of suitable habitat, and a weak local appreciation of the species’ ecological requirements. The project addresses these conditions through measures that place local management at the centre of conservation effort. It works with Beach Management Units, fishing communities, and relevant institutions to improve fishing practices, safeguard and restore breeding and nursery habitats, and broaden livelihood options to ease pressure on the fishery. Awareness-building, participatory monitoring, and locally implemented management actions are considered necessary elements of a system intended to stabilise the population of O. jipe while retaining the livelihoods that depend on Lake Jipe.