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Africa: Environmental Atlas
AfricaFocus Bulletin
Jun 17, 2008 (080617)
(Reposted from sources cited below)
Editor's Note
The new Atlas of Africa from the UN Environment Programme
features more than 300 satellite images, 300 ground photographs and
150 maps, along with informative graphs and charts that give a
vivid visual portrayal of Africa and its changing environment. It
also contains brief profiles of every African country, their
important environmental issues, and a description of how each is
faring in terms of environmental sustainability. "Before and after"
satellite images from every country highlight specific places where
change is particularly evident.
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts from the "Reader's
Overview" section of the atlas. The full atlas, individual
chapters, and related texts and images, can be downloaded at:
http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/AfricaAtlas
Two photoessays based on the Atlas are available at
http://allafrica.com/photoessay/Africa_Atlas
The Bad News: Environmental Change Threatens Africa
and
The Good News: Africa's Environment Can Be Rescued
http://allafrica.com/photoessay/Africa_Atlas_2/
For reports on the latest meeting of the African Ministerial
Conference on Environment (AMCEN), held in Johannesburg earlier
this month, see
http://allafrica.com/stories/200806130005.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200806130013.html
and
http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen
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Africa: Atlas of our Changing Environment
http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/AfricaAtlas
As the age-old adages say, "A picture is worth a thousand words"
and "Seeing is believing", this stunning 400-page "Africa: Atlas of
our Changing Environment" is a unique and powerful publication
which brings to light stories of environmental change at more than
100 locations spread across every country in Africa. There are more
than 300 satellite images, 300 ground photographs and 150 maps,
along with informative graphs and charts that give a vivid visual
portrayal of Africa and its changing environment. Using current and
historical satellite images, the Atlas provides scientific evidence
of the impact that natural and human activities have had on the
continent's environment over the past several decades.
The observations and measurements of environmental change
illustrated in this Atlas help gauge the extent of progress made by
African countries towards reaching the United Nation's Millennium
Development Goals. More importantly, this book contributes to the
knowledge and understanding that are essential for adaptation and
remediation. This UNEP publication should be of immense value to
all those who want to know more about Africa and who care about the
future of this continent.
Reader's overview:
[Excerpts only. Full text of this and other chapters available at
http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/AfricaAtlas]
"I reflect on my childhood experience when I would visit a stream
next to our home to fetch water for my mother. I would drink water
straight from the stream. Playing among the arrowroot leaves I
tried in vain to pick up the strands of frogs' eggs, believing they
were beads. But every time I put my little fingers under them they
would break. Later, I saw thousands of tadpoles: black, energetic
and wriggling through the clear water against the background of the
brown earth. This is the world I inherited from my parents. Today,
over 50 years later, the stream has dried up, women walk long
distances for water, which is not always clean, and children will
never know what they have lost. The challenge is to restore the
home of the tadpoles and give back to our children a world of
beauty and wonder." - Excerpt from Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance
Speech By Wangari Maathai 10 December 2004
Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment is the first publication
to use satellite photos to depict environmental change in each and
every African country during the last thirty years. Through a rich
array of satellite images, graphs, maps, and photographs, this
Atlas presents a powerful testament to the adverse changes taking
place on the African landscape as a result of intensified natural
and human impacts. The remarkable developments in earth observation
technology and its application during the last three decades have
provided important tools for environmental monitoring.
Earth-observing sensor systems on aircraft and spacecraft provide
data streams for analysing environmental issues at varying spatial
and temporal scales. The power of earth observations technologies
to produce thousands of current and historical satellite images has
illuminated the stories of environmental change, and has made this
publication possible.
Africa: An Introduction to the Continent
There are 53 countries and one "non-self governing territory"
(Western Sahara) in Africa. Ecologically, Africa is home to eight
major biomes-large and distinct biotic communities with
characteristic assemblages of flora and fauna. Chapter One of the
Atlas vividly illustrates Africa's geographical attributes,
presenting a physical setting in which readers may visualize the
changes human actions are etching on the landscape. Maps, images
and informative text reveal that Africa is endowed with rich
natural resources that provide the basis for its peoples'
livelihoods. Among the varied environmental features readers can
see are rain forests, wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, and coastal
deltas. These ecosystems provide a rich and diverse array of
potential sources of food and materials. In addition, Africa holds
approximately 30 per cent of the earth's minerals including 40 per
cent of the gold, 60 per cent of the cobalt and 90 per cent of its
platinum. In recent years, oil production has been the main
contributor towards Africa's economic growth. There are also
grazing and agricultural lands that can support farming economies,
as evidenced by the 56.6 per cent of Africa's labour force engaged
in agriculture.
On the other hand, in many areas the environments from which most
people in Africa must eke a living are harsh and the climate
challenging. Africa is the world's hottest continent with deserts
and drylands covering some 60 per cent of the entire land surface.
Only ten per cent of farm soils are prime agricultural land, and
more than one-quarter per cent of the land has moderate to low
potential for sustainable agriculture. Rainfall variability is
high, ranging from near 0 mm/year in parts of the Sahara to 9 500
mm/year near Mount Cameroon. Droughts and famine are ever present,
and tens of millions of Africans have suffered the consequences
every season. Droughts not only directly cause food insecurity,
triggering migration in some cases, but also negatively impact
economic performance.
Water
Africa's water resources are continuously affected by persistent
droughts and changes in land use. At the same time, a growing
population is increasing the demand on already limited water
supplies, particularly in areas which suffer from water shortages.
Currently, it is estimated that over 300 million people in Africa
face water scarcity conditions. About 75 per cent of the African
population relies on groundwater as the major source of drinking
water, particularly in northern and southern Africa. However,
groundwater represents only about 15 per cent of the continent's
total renewable water resources.
Land
Land in Africa is becoming increasingly degraded. Erosion and/or
chemical and physical damage has degraded about 65 per cent of
agricultural lands. This has forced farmers in many places to
either cultivate marginal and unproductive soils, further degrading
the land, or to migrate to cities and slums. Some areas in Africa
are said to be losing over 50 metric tonnes of soil per hectare per
year. Thirty-one per cent of the region's pasture lands and 19 per
cent of its forests and woodlands are also classified as degraded.
Forests account for over 20 per cent of Africa's 30 million km2 of
land area, but are being destroyed and degraded by logging and
conversion to plantations, agriculture, roads, and settlements. As
a region, Africa is losing more than four million hectares of
forest every year-twice the world's average deforestation rate.
Biodiversity
Africa's rich biological diversity-one of the region's most
stunning attributes-is in jeopardy due to a confluence of habitat
destruction, poaching, and increasing populations. Africa contains
over 3 000 protected areas including 198 Marine Protected Areas, 50
Biosphere Reserves, and 80 Wetlands of International Importance.
Eight of the world's 34 international biodiversity hotspots are in
Africa. Despite their recognized status, these areas remain under
threat by civil unrest and encroachment, as well as the
introduction of alien species. Resolution of such predicaments has
been undermined by administrative problems including lack of
funding and inadequate staffing or training.
Changing Conditions
The Atlas paints a vivid picture of the rapid, and in some cases
dramatic, transformations taking place on the lands and waters that
sustain Africa's people. These include land degradation and
desertification, water stress, declining biodiversity,
deforestation, increasing dust storms, rising pollution and rapid
urbanisation.
Moreover, climate change is likely to intensify these conditions
and alter the environment even further. Although Africa emits only
four per cent of total global carbon dioxide emissions, its
inhabitants are projected to suffer disproportionately from the
consequences of global climate change. Given its economic
constraints, Africa's capacity to adapt to climate change is
relatively low rendering the region exceptionally vulnerable to
potential impacts. In many areas, even small changes in
precipitation and water availability could have a devastating
effect on agricultural output and therefore on food security. As
climate change intensifies and its impacts deepen, adaptation will
become increasingly difficult. Correspondingly, achieving targets
set by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will
become more challenging.
Transboundary Environmental Issues
Chapter Two of the Atlas presents examples of transboundary
environmental issues related to shared lands and waters, migrating
animals and people, and pollutants that drift over borders of
neighbouring countries. It highlights both emerging challenges and
success stories in addressing these issues. Africa has a number of
large transboundary ecosystems-areas of land or sea that straddle
one or more political boundaries. Some of these are officially
protected areas which are extremely important for safeguarding
Africa's remarkable animal populations and their habitats, truly
one of the wonders of the world. The importance of transboundary
protected areas is especially obvious for migratory species, for
example the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park which connects South
Africa's Kruger National Park, Mozambique's Limpopo National Park
and Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park; and the Ai-Ais/
Richtersveld Transfrontier Park along the cost of South Africa and
Namibia. Africa also has 59 international transboundary river
basins, which cover about 64 per cent of the region's land area,
contain 93 per cent of its total surface water, and are home to 77
per cent of the population. Multinational approaches are essential
to conserving these shared areas, underscoring the need for
cooperative management strategies among bordering countries.
Another transboundary issue of particular significance is the
movement of air pollutants. Africa experiences the most extensive
biomass burning in the world. Gaseous molecules emitted as a
by-product of biomass burning can travel across national boundaries
far from their original source. Fires contribute as much as 35 per
cent to ground level ozone formation in Africa, bringing negative
health consequences such as respiratory illnesses. The deserts
contribute to dust storms that can drift over large areas.
Finally, political and economic difficulties give rise to refugee
migrations, causing further pressure on the environment. Impacts
resulting from masses of moving people affected by wars, conflicts,
food and water shortages, and economic strife in one country may
all extend into neighbouring countries. The Atlas displays a map of
major refugee settlements scattered across the region, and images
of their effects upon an already-stressed environment.
Tracking Progress Towards Environmental Sustainability
Chapter Three is the star attraction of this Atlas. It contains
brief profiles of every African country, their important
environmental issues, and a description of how each is faring in
terms of progress towards the targets under the UN's Millennium
Development Goal 7: ensure environmental sustainability. "Before
and after" satellite images from every country highlight specific
places where change is particularly evident.
This chapter also provides measures of progress towards the
Millennium Development Goals' (MDG) environmental targets. The
Atlas depicts whether or not each country has increased the
percentage of its land area covered by forest, increased the land
area covered by designated protected areas, decreased carbon
emissions, improved access to clean water and sanitation, and
reduced the slum population as a percent of urban population.
Between 1990 and 2004, a large number of countries witnessed real
improvements in their efforts towards achieving the MDG targets
that measure environmental progress. In many other cases, the
improvements have been incremental, but promising (Figure 1). Most
countries focused on improving those elements of the environment
with direct relevance to human health (e.g.sanitation and water).
Over 30 countries improved access to safe water and sanitation, and
23 countries reduced the percentage of people living in slums. A
few countries have expanded protected areas. The most evident
failure in progress towards the MDGs is in the loss of forest
cover.
A comprehensive review was conducted using public information and
peer-reviewed reports to identify the salient environmental issues
each country faces, producing a unique environmental portrait of
every African nation ...
Africa Then and Now: Images of a Changing Environment
The display of satellite images in Chapter Three provides
scientific evidence of some of the scars that human activity and
natural processes have left on the African landscape. These include
but are not limited to: gouges made by mining operations; pock
marks from bore holes; bald patches where forests once stood; and
lakes that have completely disappeared. There are also images that
reveal more diffuse, but nonetheless troublesome, change such as
the swell of grey-coloured cities over a once-green countryside;
threats to biodiversity by conversion of nature habitats; the
tracks of road networks through forests; the erosion of deltas; and
shrinking mountain glaciers.
Despite the numerous challenges, people across Africa are taking
significant steps towards protecting and improving their
environment. A number of images show the positive results of some
of the many efforts undertaken to not only stem environmental
destruction, but to reverse it. Success stories include land
revitalisation evident by the growth of tree clusters in certain
images of Niger, and in one instance, the expansion of wetlands
resulting from a restoration project to control flooding in
Mauritania.
In addition to well-publicised changes, such as Mount Kilimanjaro's
melting glaciers, the shrinking of Lake Chad, and falling water
levels in Lake Victoria, photographic evidence of a large number of
new environmental hotspots is presented here for the first time.
The following ten sites are examples selected from 104 such sites
in this Atlas: [for all ten see version on-line at
http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/AfricaAtlas]
- The widening of corridors of deforestation surrounding local
roads in the northern area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
since 1975 is depicted with two striking images. New roads for
commercial logging and a proposed road improvement project threaten
to bring even greater traffic to this biologically diverse rain
forest.
- In the past half-century or so, the population of Senegal has
soared, with much of the growth occurring in its urban areas. The
dramatic expansion in the capital, Dakar, between 1942 and 2007 is
shown via aerial photography from the 1940's and a recent
high-resolution satellite image. Originally occupying a small
centre of urban development at the tip of the Cap Vert Peninsula,
the Dakar metropolitan area has grown to a population of nearly 2.5
million people spread over the entire area.
- A new management plan for the Itezhitezhi Dam in Zambia has
helped to restore the natural seasonal flooding of the Kafue Flats.
A satellite image from early 2007 captures the height of the first
flood season where water was released from the dam to assist
natural flooding.
- The remarkable appearance of a chain of lakes in the deserts of
Egypt is captured in a series of satellite images beginning in the
late 1980s. A massive volume of water was released through Lake
Nasser's spillway to prevent flooding damage along the Nile Valley.
The New Valley Project will continue sending Nile water into the
desert to support an enormous irrigation scheme.
Looking Forward
Those who read this Atlas and reflect upon its images will have
gained a deeper understanding of the impacts upon Africa's land,
plants, animals, air and waters. The pace and scale of change are
hard to ignore. The Atlas also contains a few signs of hope in our
ability to protect against, and even reverse environmental
degradation. As shown throughout, there are inspiring photos of
places where people have taken action-where there are more trees
than 30 years ago, where wetlands have sprung back, and where land
degradation has been stymied. These are beacons we need to follow
to ensure the survival of our environment and of the world's
peoples.
AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with
a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
Bulletin is edited by William Minter.
AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at [email protected]. Please
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