Western Africa

A review of studies on ecosystem services in Africa

Bastian.Bertzky — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 10:01:21 +0000

Language English

Abstract: Assessments of ecosystem services (ES) are vital for Africa’s sustainability. ES supply and demand take place in distinctive patterns in Africa due to the continent’s characteristic spatial heterogeneity, rich biodiversity, demographic developments, resource endowment, resource management conflicts, and fragile political landscapes, along with current industrialization and urbanization processes. Ignorance of the dynamism of these parameters could diminish the capacity of the different ecosystem service providing units (SPU) to satisfy the demands in the ecosystem service benefiting areas (SBA) in Africa. The main aim of this review article is to assess the extent to which ES studies have been conducted and applied in Africa. This review analyzes those articles accessible online via the ISI Web of Science and open access journals. The online search yielded 52 ES-related studies, which were used for the review. Results indicate that most studies were conducted in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, and focused on services provided by watersheds and catchment ecosystems. Crucially, most of the studies focused on more than one ES category. Provisioning ES dominated across all the ES categories. However, ES tradeoffs and synergies were barely addressed. Economic valuation of ES and ES mapping comprised more than three-quarters of all the studies, and a quarter referred to biophysical quantification or qualification of ES. There are emerging alternative, non-monetary valuation methods for ES, which could pave a new way of capturing value of non-monetized ES in Africa. Moreover, there is an urgent need to extend ES studies to the entire continent, in order to capture spatial and socio-economic uniqueness of various countries and focus more on local-scale assessments of multiple ES, as a means for addressing ES tradeoffs, synergies and SPU-SBA relations in Africa.

Citation: P. Waweru Wangai, B. Burkhard, F. Müller (2016) A review of studies on ecosystem services in Africa. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 5 (2): 225-245. Available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsbe.2016.08.005

Region

Document Type

Publication year

2016

Document Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsbe.2016.08.005

Document Theme

Ecosystem Services

African Elephant Action Plan

claudiacap — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:14:39 +0000

African Elephant Action Plan

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) conservation policy across the African range.

claudiacap Tue, 03/12/2019 - 16:14

Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves, Niger: IUCN World Heritage Conservation Outlook Assessment 2020

Bastian.Bertzky — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:10:30 +0000

Language English

In 2020, the conservation outlook for this site has been assessed as "critical".

The assessment is available online at: https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/explore-sites/wdpaid/67727

Region

Western Africa

Country

Niger

Protected Area

Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves

Document

Air and Tenere Natural Reserves - 2020 COA - fr.pdf

Document Type

Site-level assessment

Publication year

2020

Document Theme

PAME (Protected Area Management Effectiveness)

Banc d'Arguin National Park, Mauritania: IUCN World Heritage Conservation Outlook Assessment 2020

Bastian.Bertzky — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:07:34 +0000

Language English

In 2020, the conservation outlook for this site has been assessed as "significant concern".

The assessment is available online at: https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/explore-sites/wdpaid/20388

Region

Western Africa

Country

Mauritania

Protected Area

Banc d'Arguin National Park

Document

Banc d Arguin National Park - 2020 COA - en.pdf

Document Type

Site-level assessment

Publication year

2020

Document Theme

PAME (Protected Area Management Effectiveness)

Benin

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 14:20:26 +0000

Benin Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/14/2018 - 16:20

BEN

204

POLYGON ((0.7746 12.4086, 0.7746 2.9917, 3.8517 2.9917, 3.8517 12.4086, 0.7746 12.4086))

Western Africa

Biodiversity and ecosystem services on the African continent – What is changing, and what are our options?

Bastian.Bertzky — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 09:41:09 +0000

Language English

Abstract: Throughout the world, biodiversity and nature's contributions to people are under threat, with clear changes evident. Biodiversity and ecosystem services have particular value in Africa– yet they are negatively impacted by a range of drivers, including land use and climate change. In this communication, we show evidence of changing biodiversity and ecosystem services in Africa, as well as the current most significant drivers of change. We then consider five plausible futures for the African continent, each underlain by differing assumptions. In three out of the five futures under consideration, negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services are likely to persist. Those two plausible futures prioritizing environment and sustainability, however, are shown as the most likely paths to achieving long term development objectives without compromising the continent's biodiversity and ecosystem services. Such a finding shows clearly that achievement of such objectives cannot be separated from full recognition of the value of such services.

Citation: E. Archer, L.E. Dziba, K.J. Mulongoy, M.A. Maoela, M. Walters, R. Biggs, M-C. Cormier Salem, F. DeClerck, M.C. Diaw, A.E. Dunham, P. Failler, C. Gordon, K.A. Harhash, R. Kasisi, F. Kizito, W.D. Nyingi, N. Oguge, B. Osman-Elasha, L.C. Stringer, L. Tito de Morais, A. Assogbadjo, B.N. Egoh, M.W. Halmy, K. Heubach, A. Mensah, L. Pereira, N. Sitas (2020) Biodiversity and ecosystem services on the African continent – What is changing, and what are our options? Environmental Development: 100558. Available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2020.100558

Region

Document Type

Publication year

2020

Document Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2020.100558

Document Theme