Defending Ecosystems An International Priority No continent will be struck as severely by the impacts of climate change as Africa. Given its geographical position, the continent will be particularly vulnerable due to the considerably limited adaptive capacity, and exacerbated by widespread poverty. Climate change is a particular threat to continued economic growth and to livelihoods […]
UN Recommends Reforestation Of Kilimanjaro The greater Kilimanjaro region is one of the most threatened ecosystems on earth. As the snows, glaciers and rains retreat, millions of lives and the future of nations hang in the balance. A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme says that protecting East Africa’s mountain ecosystems would safeguard the region’s […]
Vital Ecosystems Collapsing Africa has lost more than a third of its wild elephants to poachers in the past decade. The next decade might be their last without global interventions. Unfortunately, a bid to give the highest level of international legal protection to all African elephants was defeated on Monday at the CITES wildlife summit. The […]
Extinction Gaining Momentum Results of a new survey reveal that Africa’s savannah elephants are going fast. The Great Elephant Census estimates that about 352,000 elephants remain—down from previous estimates of 419,000 to 650,000 elephants in 2013. The authors estimate that they recorded 93 percent of all savannah elephants. Elephants in Africa are threatened by poaching for […]
Reforesting Kilimanjaro Region Ecosystems around the world are under assault like never before. The collapse of any ecosystem impacts life around the world–especially when the ecosystem is an anchor in Africa’s greenbelt. The greater Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania and Kenya is one of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Millions of people and several endangered species […]
World Bank Investing In Forest Conservation According to a Global Witness report, the plan, which uses money promised in 2014 by Norway to save Liberia’s forests, includes much needed support for communities who want to manage their forests. But the report says if Liberia is to successfully turn the page on a history of destructive […]
Deforestation, Forest Conservation, Reforestation The Great Green Wall initiative is a pan-African proposal to “green” the continent from west to east in order to battle desertification. It aims at tackling poverty and the degradation of soils in the Sahel-Saharan region, focusing on a strip of land of 15 km (9 mi) wide and 7,100 km (4,400 mi) […]
Forest Conservation Vital To Future Generations Deforestation in Tanzania could cost the national economy 5,588 billion Tanzanian Shillings (US$3.5 billion) by 2033. Investing in reforestation, forest conservation and agroforestry can reverse that drain on the economy and the nation. Forest ecosystems in the transition to a green economy and the role of REDD+ in the […]
Defending Critical Ecosystems Forests in East Africa are vanishing due to pressure from rising populations and agricultural land use. Millions of urban residents still use fuel wood and charcoal, which means that African nations are still burning their forests for daily survival. This threatens ecosystems that support millions of people, while contributing to climate change. […]
Stakeholders Can Defend Ecosystems Mt. Kenya is the primary source of all water in Kenya. That water also generates 60 percent of the nation’s electricity. Unsustainable use of resources in the region threatens the forests and local livelihoods. Kenya’s forests are the worst of the nations in the region, with only about two percent of the […]