A case study of zaka district, masvingo province, zimbabwe. Exploring the impact of climate change on children in south africa november 2011 acknowledgements r this study was commissioned and funded by the unicef south africa in partnership with the department for women, children and people with disabilities and the department of environmental. Issues include desertification, problems with access to safe water supply, population explosion and fauna depletion. All in all, it can affect us, humans, in many ways. An overview of environmental issues in southern africa darkoh. This article attempts to assess the impacts of roadsa huge physical development component on the environment in south africa.
A drought means a long period of dry weather during which the lack of rain results in a severe shortage of water. Africa environmental education and training action plan. Environmental degradation is one of the greatest challenges that faces humanity today. Environmentalism, political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities. Social and environmental implications of charcoal production in liberia 1. Mercury is absorbed from the air into the soil and water. In addition, we have specific instances of severe environmental pollution or degradation that have potentially. Environmental degradation and inclusive human development in sub. Poverty, environmental degradation and sustainable. These are the main environmental issues faced by africa. Poverty in southern africasadc region has been described as one of the root causes of environmental degradation and poses a threat to human health. Africa is a good example of great vulnerability to drought and desertification and a seemingly inability to manage these climate based issues. Land degradation the process of land degradation in southern africa is blamed on water and. Land and environmental degradation and desertification in africa.
Environmental policy, south africa, development, natural resource, business strategy contents 1. Indigenous knowledge systems and environmental management. When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted, the environment is degraded. In the drier parts of africa, millions of hectares of grazing land and rangeland are also threatened with degradation in the arid north, the semiarid south, the sudanosahelian countries and in the drier parts of cameroon, ethiopia, kenya and nigeria. The mandate of the south african environmental observation network. Lesotho is surrounded by south africa it is in the middle of south africa. Southern africa is the southern region of the continent africa. Certain information has also been taken from environmental laws of south africa by p. The oecd environmental outlook to 2050 projects demographic and economic trends over the next four decades, using joint modelling by the. In africa, the program is funding projects that will protect forests and topsoil while generating incomes for rural communities. Because of this complexity, no easy solutions are available. Both poverty and environmental degradation have been increasing in many developing countries, hence there is a pressing need first to evaluate and analyze the poverty environmental degradation nexus, and second, to prescribe policy options to mitigate or eradicate these two problems. The united nations conference on environment and development drew up a convention to combat desertification to address the problem of land degradation. Pdf an overview of environmental issues in southern africa.
The future of the environment in southern africa is in the hands of its people numbering about 6 million expected to double in the next 24 years chenje, 1994. Victor munnik mvula trust with geraldine hochmann mvula trust, mathews hlabane sa green revolutionary council and stephen law environmental monitoring group january 2010 a joint initiative of environmental monitoring group, cape town, south. Thus, environmental degradation refers to the process or a situation of depreciation in quantity andor quality of the resources of the environment such as air, water resources, mineral resources, land, flora and fauna, as a result of harsh climatic factors, pollution andor unsustainable exploitation by man. South africa, namibia and botswana and preland reforms zimbabwe. Water supply and sanitation in south africa one of southern africa s biggest issues is the lack of clean water. The pressures and impacts on the environment which constitute environmental change highlights the increased generation of human pollution and waste. Some of the aspects of these issues are discussed in the article below, along with some measures which need to be taken. Efforts to counteract this problem include environmental protection and environmental resources management.
Environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict reinforce each other and constitute a real development trap in most less developed countries ldcs and africa in particular. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining in south africa a case study prepared by. The nature, extent and causes of land degradation in south. Poverty, urbanization, and environmental degradation.
The south african weather service defines a drought as a period of 12 moths when. It is clear that the environmental challenges in subsaharan africa are more complex than the simple model linking environmental degradation to population growth and inappropriate macroeconomic policies indicates. Land and environmental degradation and desertification in. Africas environment, economy, lifestyles and livelihoods. Developmental issues and environmental policy in south africa. Pdf this paper provides an overview of some of the significant environmental problems in the southern african region. Exploring the impact of climate change on children in. Experiences from the south african land degradation. As a signatory, south africa is required to develop a national action programme to combat desertification and commissioned a survey of the extent and causes of land degradation in the country. Environmental degradation in nigeria manifests in many forms, including the following.
Land degradation, including overgrazing, is regarded as one of the main environmental problems in southern africa darkoh, 2009. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. Gibsona school of animal, plant and environmental sciences university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg, south africa submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of. South africa is especially susceptible to iaps and this is nationally perceived as the countrys greatest land degradation threat, partly because it reduces national streamflow by 2. 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. There are many examples of environmental degradation throughout the world.
Both of these have serious environmental implications, as can be seen in south africa s current ecological footprint. The constitution says that everyone has the right to a safe and healthy environment. Environmental degradation, livelihood and conflicts accord. The aims of the workshop were to exchange information, identify issues of common concern and shared needs, and discuss the. Providing for a further 2 billion people by 2050 will challenge our ability to manage and restore the natural assets on which all life depends. Subsaharan africa ssa has experienced the most severe land degradation in the world. These issues are ultimately linked to overpopulation in africa, as well as on a global scale. A food and environmental threat david pimentel1 1college of agriculture and life sciences. The fynbos and grassland biome are exceptionally vulnerable to iaps. Abstract this paper provides an overview of some of the significant environmental problems in the southern african region.
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of natural resources such as air, water and soil. Migration is a complex process, made more so by the role it played in the creation of the apartheid state. Numerous other national and international projects are underway as soil erosion in africa gains greater attention from policymakers and social as well as environmental organizations. Design has become part of sustainability culture during a historical moment in which environmental degradation, inducted by human activity, emerges as a fact and begins to be officially cautioned. The country has a wide range of interrelated environmental and development challenges existing in a sociopolitical context recently subject to substantial change. South africa undertook a national land degradation neutrality ldn target setting process during 201718 in response to the united nations convention to combatting desertifications call for signatory countries to voluntarily commit to ldn as also requested under sustainability development goal 15. Introduction largescale charcoal production, primarily in sub saharan africa, has been a growing concern due to its threat of deforestation, land degradation and climate change impacts. This is a major issue of concern as it can lead to ecological degradation as well as increasing societal vulnerability. In the drier parts of africa, millions of hectares of grazing land and rangeland are also threatened with degradation in the arid north, the semiarid south, the sudanosahelian countries and. Chinas environmental record both at home and in africa has been the subject of criticism much of it deserved. Pdf poverty and environmental degradation in africa. To provide evidence to this issue and assess these trends, the international organization for migration has produced an assessment study on climate change, environmental degradation and migration in south asia. Consequences of symbiotic relationship between poverty and development using environmental degradation as a platform. It has been suggested as the main cause of biodiversity loss in.
The environmental impact of chinas investment in africa. Unep division of environmental policy implementation. Saharan africa, mpra paper 88527, university library of munich. May 23, 2018 definition of environmental degradation. Environmental degradation of land a result of the legal and social status of african women and their exclusion from inheritance in south africa. Environmental degradation comes about due to erosion and decline of the quality of the natural environment. It does not attempt to cover the full range of social issues associated with all types of environmental degradation. Forests, rangelands and climate change in southern africa. Bentsen3,6, and alonso ramirez4,7 1odum school of ecology, university of georgia, athens, georgia 30602 usa 2savannah river ecology laboratory, aiken, south carolina 29802 usa.
The key problems highlighted are global warming and climate variability, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, desertificationland degradation, waste and littering, population growth, urbanization, pollution, poverty and health hazards. Penny environmental and developmental consultantpractitioner, cape town, south africa keywords. One of the most serious threats to the quality of life in africa. Environmental degradation is the deterioration causing degenerative harm of the environment through exhaustion of natural assets such as water, soil, and air including the ecosystem, habitat intrusion, wildlife extermination, and environmental pollution. This has given enough time for the soil to regain its fertility burger, 1990. Overview and stocktaking of land degradation in general and in africa. For example, in south africa the mercury levels are severe due to coal combustion and gold mining. It is cited as the most environmentally devastating phase of this traditional. Since approximately 91% of south africas landscape is drylands, it makes it susceptible to desertification.
Allafrica publishes around 800 reports a day from more than 140 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. Tackling the drivers of global environmental degradation through. Land degradation management in southern africa prof. Cloud of soil from africa being blown across the atlantic ocean imagery by seawifs project.
There is a huge list of environmental issues in africa, which is turning out to be a threat to the global environmental condition. Unep has estimated that more than a quarter of the african continent is at present in the process of becoming useless for cultivation due to degradation. The aim of this paper is to reassess the land degradation and desertification problem in south africa. Environmental degradation and inclusive human development in subsaharan africa, working papers 1 3006, office of the chief economist, development bank of nigeria. Pdf environmental degradation of land a result of the. 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. Environmental degradation has seen various international conferences aimed at protecting our. Conflict implications of coal mining and environmental. Observations on environmental change in south africa. Environmental degradation africa, northcase studies. Environmental degradation and inclusive human development. Coal burning from power stations for generating electricity is responsible for high levels of air pollution in south africa department of environmental affairs and tourism 2005 and has caused a great hazard to human health and the south african environment in general munnik et al. In africa, because of economic pressures and slower evolution of environmental awareness, local communities have been particularly exposed to the detrimental effects of contamination arising from mining and its effects on public health, agriculture and the environment. This paper provides an overview of some of the significant environmental problems in the southern african region.
According to the united nations convention on climate change on south africa in 2000, the water around africa is unevenly distributed, meaning that 60% of the water is situated in only 20% of the land. Angola, botswana, lesotho, malawi, mozambique, namibia, south africa, swaziland, zambia, and zimbabwe. This chapter examines the conditions under which environmental problems in ldcs, and africa in. Pdf the south african soil environment shoana leigh. Assessing the climate change environmental degradation and. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil. Environmental change, soil erosion and land degradation are key factors in reduced productivity. The economics of land degradation in africa eld initiative. This has given enough time for the soil to regain its fertility burger, 1990 indigenous people have been using iks to solve environmental issues such as treatment of cattle ticks by the fulani tribe and production of a better bean variety in columbia and rwanda world development report,199899. The paper pays particular attention to the role of the lhwp in environmental degradation and resultant impact on environmental and human security. Air pollution in africa is coming to the forefront and must not be ignored. There is however a drive in south africa towards greater.
It is caused directly or indirectly by anthropogenic activities that extract various environmental resources at a faster rate than they are replaced, and thus depleting them. Gibsona school of animal, plant and environmental sciences university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg, south africa submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of science in resource conservation biology supervisor. Land degradation the process of land degradation in southern africa is blamed on water and wind erosion, sedimentation, longterm destruction of vegetation and diminution of the bioresources. Many environmental issues affect southern africa due to urbanization and the acts needed in order to survive. This erosion is the dominant form of soil degradation troeh et al. The africa environmental education and training action plan aeetap 20152024, as called for. The following section outlines sustainability theory and how this has progressed over the last four decades. Environmental implications of the road network in south africa. Both desertification and land degradation are intricately linked to food security, poverty, urbanisation, climate change, and biodiversity and therefore are among the most critical environmental challenges in south africa. The economics of land degradation benefits of action outweigh the costs a complementary report to the eld initiative the economics of land degradation in africa. Economics of land degradation in subsaharan africa. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining.
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