A huge continental landmass with numerous island nations, africa has many climate and ecological zones. Regardless of the overarching focus on the intrusive colonial and capitalist systems in african environmental history, forces that also imparted foreign conservationist ideas. Land tenure, land use, environmental degradation and. Land is an important natural resource that underpins most development. Economics of land degradation in subsaharan africa.
In the third section, a conceptual framework of the environmental degradation poverty nexus is provided. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water, and soil, the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. Overexploitation of the natural environment has led to widespread deforestation and serious land degradation. Africa ssa, poor energy and environmental management in the sub. Such environmental degradation negatively affects human. These issues are ultimately linked to overpopulation in africa, as well as on a global scale. The horn of africa, however, provides several cases of conflicts which are at least exacerbated if not entirely caused by environmental degradation. Land degradation processes are ongoing over large part of the earth land surface figure 3. Migration is a complex process, made more so by the role it played in the creation of the apartheid state.
Unep division of environmental policy implementation. Issues include desertification, problems with access to safe water supply, population explosion and fauna depletion. The horn of africa has faced an alarming rate of environmental degradation, which has produced famines, massive economic and social dislocations, and widespread resourcebased conflicts. Instead, drawing particularly on unrisd work, it focuses largely on the social impacts of and responses to environmental degradation in rural areas of the third world. Over the last half a century the regions temperature has shown a rising trend while rainfall has had a.
Land tenure, land use, environmental degradation and conflict. Namibia environmental and climate change policy brief 4 june, 2008 this policy brief was carried out as a desk study in april to may 2008. The iap program is engaging 12 african countries burkina faso, burundi. The debate on poverty and environmental degradation linkages has been controversial. Pdf poverty and environmental degradation in africa. The causes and effects of environmental degradation in the upper west region of ghana and the local adaptive strategies to cope with environmental degradation are discussed, based on field observations, household interviews and analysis of land satellite data. Some of the aspects of these issues are discussed in the article below, along with some measures which need to be taken. Three factors strongly increase the threat of environmental degradation in subsaharan africa. Vlek center for development research zef, bonn, germany west african science service center on climate. Impact of environmental degradation on agricultural. The environmental impact of chinas investment in africa. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil. Some fear environmental degradation will produce waves of. National environment management authority nema and uganda bureau of statistics ubos.
In this unique situation, environmental degradation is a specific instance of utilization or generation externalities reflected by uniqueness amongst private and social. News ghana is ghanas leading online news portal for business in west africa and around the world. The effects of mining extend beyond the mine itself. Drought, land degradation and desertification in africa note by the secretariat i.
Desertification is the degradation of terrestrial ecosystems through human activities. Final submission land degradation in the limpopo province 1 c. Vlek center for development research zef, bonn, germany west african science service center on climate change and adapted land use wascal, accra, ghana. African environmental issues are caused by anthropogenic effects on the african natural environment and have major impacts on humans and nearly all forms of endemic life. Environmental degradation a threat to ghanas economy news. Environmental degradation, to a large scale, is the result of market failure, namely the nonexistent or poorly functioning markets for environmental goods and services. Overview and stocktaking of land degradation in general and in africa. Environmental degradation, migration and conflict astri suhrke chr. Degradation of african soil causes decreased food production, damaging ecological effects, and an overall decrease in the quality of living in africa. First, from intuition, environmental degradation can directly affect the ability of. I an overview of sustainable development in africa emmanuel kwesi boon encyclopedia of life support systems eolss economic. Africa s environment, economy, lifestyles and livelihoods.
In the third section, a conceptual framework of the environmental degradationpoverty nexus is provided. In the past, much of the blame for land degradation has been placed on. The devastating effects of environmental degradation a case. This issue would lessen if fertilizers and other cropping supplies were more affordable and thus used more. The devastating effects of environmental degradation a. Environmental impacts thus become economic and social issues as livelihoods are disrupted. It does not attempt to cover the full range of social issues associated with all types of environmental degradation. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. Previous research indicates that over 70% of the countrys surface has been affected by varying intensities and types of soil erosion.
Countries in subsaharan africa are doing some rethinking, after decades of development that have resulted in continued poverty, international indebtedness, environmental degradation, and inappropriate western models. However, the pressures on land both anthropogenic and environmentinduced are leading to its degradation. Throughout the region, the end of the colonial period saw a tremendous expansion of social services, especially in the areas of education and health care. There is little doubt, for instance, that the worsening environmental degradation has undermined the institutional mechanisms that govern access to land and water in the region. Awareness and concern about environmental degradation have grown around the world over the last few decades.
Given that livelihoods of the majority of the rural poor heavily depend on natural resources, countries in the region have designed a number of policies and strategies to address land degradation and to enhance productivity. The middle east and north africa region is largestretching from. Environmental degradation takes diverse forms, ranging from pollution and destruction of ecosystems to degraded fresh water supplies and arable land. Request pdf environmental degradation in subsaharan africa the chapter draws linkages on environmental management, development and human health. Soil degradation is perceived as being significantly greater in the communal areas than in the commercial areas of south africa, especially on the grazing lands situated along the steep slopes of the escarpment in the eastern parts of south africa figure ia. Environment degradation and poverty are closely interrelated and inseparable, particularly in developing countries. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the. There is a huge list of environmental issues in africa, which is turning out to be a threat to the global environmental condition. Third, for africas interests to be taken into consideration, it is necessary to speak with one. Physically, it ranges from 200 meters to over 4000 meters above sea level.
An example of land degradation caused by agricultural use has taken place in africa. Strict government regulations convince people that technology is dangerous. What we see is not what we get nas presentation a sustainability challenge. Africas environment, economy, lifestyles and livelihoods. Environmental degradation in subsaharan africa request pdf. One theory claims that poverty is a direct cause of environmental degradation jalal, 1993, while another emerging school of thought argues that the poor do not have the resources or the means to cause environmental degradation somonathan, 1991. It is argued that poverty in africa is a leading factor contributing to environmental degradation.
Wikipedia when the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur. It result in a lower crop production potential, a reduction in the land capacity to support livestock, increased environmental deterioration as a result of water and wind erosion and usually a reduction in the. Environmental degradation in subsaharan africa springerlink. Unlike previous investigations into land degradation in south africa this analysis suggests that climatic conditions, especially those since the late 1970s, might have had a more important influence on land degradation patterns in south africa than is currently appreciated. Second, these efforts require substantial financial investments as well as technological, institutional and human capacity.
The chief directorate regulatory services, which was established in 2003, is 61. Rural poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation. Environmental degradation a threat to ghanas economy. Subsaharan africa ssa has experienced the most severe land degradation in the world. Population growth and environmental degradation in malawi. Introduction uganda is a landlocked country in eastern africa and protection of the environment has been one of the key goals of the government of uganda. Rome, food and agriculture organization of the united nations.
This study examines how information and communication technology ict complements carbon dioxide co2 emissions to influence inclusive human development in fortyfour subsaharan african countries for the period 20002012. Similarly, the approach to arresting environmental degradation in africa must be given a greater focus within the context of the poverty and environmental damage nexus. African soil is among the least productive in the world, and it has been further damaged by the use of pesticides. Malawis only resources are its people and fertile soil, which comprises about 55% of land area. Introduction environmental degradation and poverty have become important global issues since the 1970s, when the world countries and international community became aware of the negative consequences of overexploitation of the human environment. As indicated by the ipat equation, environmental impact i or. Drought, land degradation and desertification in africa. Environmental degradation and inclusive human development in. Michelsen institute t he environmental refugee has appeared in the literature on environment and security, and with it the refugee as both a cause and victim of. Law, environment and development journal 109 1 organisation of african unity, the new partnership for africas development nepad, adopted at the 37 th summit of organisation of african unity, 2001 hereinafter nepad framework document.
The economics of land degradation in africa eld initiative. The united nations international strategy for disaster reduction defines environmental degradation as the reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives. With a population of about 65 million, ethiopia is one of the largest and most populated countries in africa. Tackling the drivers of global environmental degradation through.
Economics of land degradation in subsaharan africa springerlink. Environmental degradation in the greater horn of africa. Forests, rangelands and climate change in southern africa. Subsahara africa land degradation sustainable land management land tenure access to markets government effectiveness. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. These are the main environmental issues faced by africa. Causes and consequences article pdf available in european researcher 8182. Environmental degradation africa, northcase studies. These activities contribute a great deal to degradation of the country. Namibia environmental and climate change policy brief. Environmental degradation in africa, like elsewhere in the world, can be traced to human activity and is therefore, amongst others, related to the issue of human. Land degradation in the area under study is caused by deforestation, rapid population growth, agricultural intensification, biomass.
The international agenda often focuses on broadbased concerns of environmental degradation such as desertification, climate change and air pollution. Environmental degradation is one of the ten threats officially cautioned by the highlevel panel on threats, challenges and change of the united nations. The two processes also suggest an environmental kuznet curve. Environmental degradation and desertification in ghana. Most of the degradation is due to soil erosion and biodiversity loss in the less populated areas, while water shortage, soil depletion and soil pollution are most common in the most agricultural areas. While fundamental environmental factors for environmental migration are land degradation, droughts, deforestation, water scarcity, floods, storms and famines linked to food insecurity reuveny 2007. Poverty and environmental degradation in ghana environmental. Jun 15, 2009 the chapter draws linkages on environmental management, development and human health. Ethiopia can be regarded as a microcosm of africa due to its vast and diverse agroecology and population. Michelsen institute t he environmental refugee has appeared in the literature on environment and security, and with it the refugee as both a cause and victim of conflict. Africas predicaments including environmental degradation. Malawi has been ranked by the world bank as one of the poorest countries in africa. Monitoring soil erosion in south africa at a regional.
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