African countries need to grow their economies to meet the needs of their people. However, this can only be done while ensuring that the productivity and viability of the underlying ecosystems are maintained at healthy levels.
As the continent celebrates Africa's Environment Day on March 3, it is important to raise awareness of the pressing environmental challenges facing the continent, and to highlight the important role of environmental sustainability in achieving the continent's development goals.
A resilient environment is vital to achieve global sustainable development through the direct contributions its ecosystems make to livelihoods. In the past decade the international community has become more aware of the non-market values associated with nature's 'services'.
Healthy and resilient ecosystems, such as tropical and dry land forests, wetlands, grasslands and mangrove swamps and coral reefs, all deliver economic, ecological and social benefits that support poverty alleviation and development objectives.
However, despite undisputed scientific evidence and an overwhelming consensus on their importance, ecosystems globally are being degraded, lost or poorly managed. The causes of Africa's ecosystem loss and habitat destruction include population growth; economic development; large-scale commercial agriculture and aquaculture expansion; urbanisation; the demand for energy; and new infrastructure projects. In addition, climate change is having an impact on the growth and productivity of ecosystems.
Also, many African countries are acquiring new wealth from recently discovered oil, coal and gas deposits, leading to a spike in on-and offshore exploration and mining in sensitive ecological areas. In Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, for example, wetlands and estuaries coincide with fossil fuel deposits and related infrastructure developments. In northern Kenya, port developments in Lamu are set to take place in the West Indian Ocean Rim's most important mangrove area and fisheries breeding ground.
In KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape of South Africa, heavy mineral sands are located in important dune forest ecosystems, and gas is being prospected for in the water-scarce and ecologically unique Karoo. In east Africa, oil discoveries have been made in the tropical Congo Basin rain forest and the Virunga National Park - a world heritage site and a Ramsar wetland. In Botswana's globally important Okavango Delta riparian countries are discussing mining and water storage projects.
Important lessons have emerged from research by the South African Institute of International Affairs on how these human pressures compromise Africa's natural ecosystems.
In the wake of Africa's extractives boom the policy community must urgently consider tools to minimise ecological trade-offs and to reconcile economic development and environmental sustainability.
Innovative mechanisms have been developed to improve baselines for global ecosystem management and to enhance scientific knowledge to strengthen legal and policy frameworks, institutions and co-operative mechanisms.
Ecological assessments support decisions about the use of ecosystems and their services, acknowledging the multiplicity of these ecosystem values and making decisions that are consistent with their conservation, restoration and sustainable use. Other measures are also being developed to frame ecosystems in a broader, integrated and multi-use landscape encompassing land, water and coastal resources.
Some models illustrate the advantages to regulating development activities and zoning; providing for spatial development planning to convert conflicts into synergies; and rehabilitating and restoring damaged ecosystems. These interventions help policymakers plan their commercial activities to avoid potential conflicts with other habitat users, and to take biodiversity loss and resource degradation into account. These instruments are essential to raise awareness of the importance of ecosystem services, and to map, monitor and value them appropriately.
In recent decades protected area (PA) governance systems, both terrestrial, coastal and marine, have gained international prominence in terms of their combined aim to achieve biodiversity and conservation goals while promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and job creation.
These conservation management tools are designed to safeguard the world's most threatened species and to protect their biological resources. If effectively managed and equitably governed, PAs can operate as economic institutions, providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to support Africa's development priorities.
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In order to enhance their socio-economic contribution, it is necessary to use measurable instruments that highlight PAs' values beyond biodiversity, demonstrating their income-generating potential and contribution to sustainable land-use.
If accounted for appropriately, these benefits can secure support for the creation, continued existence and expansion of PAs, and inform decisions about the management priorities of conservation zones and the broader landscape.
New, innovative approaches are required to increase PAs' financial contributions to communities, including through public-private eco-tourism ventures, certification and fair-trade schemes for wildlife products, and monetary rewards for their non-market, ecosystem services.
Romy Chevallier is Senior Researcher: Governance of Africa's Resources Programme (GARP) at the South African Institute of International Affairs.
