AFRICA: Atlas of our Changing Environment

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AFRICA Atlas of our Changing Environment
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United Nations Environment Programme
UNEP was established in 1972 with the mandate
To keep under review the world environmental
situation in order to ensure that emerging
environmental problems of wide international
significance receive appropriate and adequate
consideration by governments. -
UN General Assembly 1972
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United Nations Environment Programme
However - UNEP is not alone in seeking the
attention of policy makers and the public. UNEP
must compete in a crowded marketplace of ideas.
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United Nations Environment Programme
How can UNEP and others in the environmental
community get our message across?
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How do we at UNEP and others in the environmental
community get our message across?
Text is important, but it requires an active
interest on the part of the reader. Even when
the text is condensed into short form and
technical language is minimized text documents
still require the active interest of the reader.
Those who already have an active interest in
any given issue will read journal articles and
reports.
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How do we at UNEP and others in the environmental
community get our message across?
Graphical presentations (photos, images, graphs,
charts, tables, etc.) enhances the text and helps
to attract the attention of the reader.
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Apollo Image of the Planet
Body text
This view of the Earth from space drove home how
finite, interconnected and fragile our planet is.
Most used image in the world
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Growth of the Antarctic ozone hole

1999
1979
1990
1988
1992
1997
1982
1986
1994
1984
Darkest blue areas represent regions of maximum
ozone depletion.
2007
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Raising awareness about Tropical Deforestation
Body text
Rondonia, Brazil

• 1975 -Healthy natural vegetation

• 1989 -Fishbone pattern on the landscape
  indicate agriculture fields

• 2001 -Agriculture continues to replace forest
  cover

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Raising awareness about Tropical Deforestation
Body text
Rondonia, Brazil

• 1975 -Healthy natural vegetation

• 1989 -Fishbone pattern on the landscape
  indicate agriculture fields

• 2001 -Agriculture continues to replace forest
  cover

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Dramatic Changes in Arctic Imagine an Ice-free
Arctic
1979-2003 Progressive Loss of Arctic Ice
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United Nations Environment Programme
One Planet Many People Atlas of our Changing
Environment
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WHAT
What is happening where?
WHY

• - Trend over time is the most compelling
  information
• Hope images will contribute to change the way we
  perceive the environment
• A Picture is worth thousands words and
  Seeing is believing

HOW
Story of environmental changes told using
current and historical satellite data,
ground photographs and a short narratives
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The border between Guatemala and Mexico runs
through Mexico's Chiapas Forest and Guatemala's
El Peten. In this pair of images, the border is
easy to see, even without the black lines that
have been overlaid on the images to show the
outlines of the two countries. The region
crossed by this border was once biologically very
diverse. On the Guatemalan side, it still is, as
most of the El Peten remains as closed canopy
forest because of lower population densities and
the protected status of the Sierra de Lacondon
and Laguna del Tigre National Parks. Across the
border in Chiapas, however, a larger and
increasing population has an obvious effect on
the landscape. Between 1974 and 2000, much of the
forest on the Mexican side of the border has been
converted to cropland or pasture.
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Objectives of Atlas

• Provide visual evidence of ecological assets,
  transboundary issues and environmental changes to
  make public and decision-makers aware of these
  issues
• Identify important environmental issues, track
  progress towards them and tell stories of local
  changes in all 54 countries
• Draw attention towards MDG Goal 7 Environmental
  Sustainability
• Help connecting local to global through images,
  interesting facts figures and graphics
• Provide resource materials for educational
  purposes.
•  

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What policy relevant questions being addressed

• What is status and trend of environment in
  Africa?
• What are transboundary issues which needs
  international cooperation?
• What are important environmental issues in each
  of African Countries? (Priority Setting)
• What progress countries have made towards MDG7?
• What are scientific evidence of significant
  local environmental changes in countries? (Risks
  and opportunities)
• What and Where are place based early warning of
  emerging issues?
• What are some interesting facts and figures
  about African countries?

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What this Atlas does not cover?

• Programmes and policies of various agencies
• Country policies and legislations
• Limited analysis based on images but no  policy
  analysis or detailed assessments
• Limited interpretation of facts and figures
• Difficult to visualize impact of climate change
  and changes in land degradation.
• Needs more personalized stories or voices of
  environment

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Africa Atlas Vital Statistics

• 390 pages
• 123,000 words
• 316 Satellite images
• 104 locations of environmental changes
• 319 Ground photos
• 151 Maps
• Printed in English and French same time
• All materials are non copy-righted, available for
  free use

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Population growth in Africa
Africas population grew 2.32 annually between
2000 and 2005nearly double the global rate of
1.24 per year
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Africa's Shrinking land base
Increased population increases pressures on the
land and its resources. In a hypothetical situatio
n whereby land is shared equally among its
population, each individuals share of land would
decrease with the increase in population as time
passes, putting more pressure on resources.
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Africa - Lightning Centre of the World
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Seasonal Pattern of Wildland Fires
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Chapter 2, a look at transboundary issues.
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Falling water level in Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria

• Since December 2005, water levels dropped to
  alarmingly low levels
• Current water levels in Lake Victoria are below
  normal and the lowest level since September 1961
• The lake is a crucial resource to the more than
  30 million people

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Population growth around 100 km around Lake
Victoria
Lake Victoria Africas Largest Freshwater Lake

• Population growth around Lake Victoria, East
  Africa, is the highest in Africa

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Africa versus Lake Victoria Population growth
Lake Victoria is worlds fastest growing rural
area
Population growth around Lake Victoria vs. Africa
Persons/km2
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Every year, herds of wildebeest, zebra, and other
herbivores migrate between the Serengeti National
Park in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara Game Reserve
in Kenya.
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Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Wetlands around Diawling National Park
Drought had already begun to impact the wetlands
before construction of the dams in the 1980s
(1979 image)
The construction of the Diama Dam in 1986 (yellow
arrow) disrupted the cycle of flooding and
evaporation in the Senegal River delta wetlands
The 2006 image shows the restored wetlands in and
around Diawling National Park
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Republic of Niger
Revitalised Land Tahoua Province
In recent decades, Nigers climate and its
demographic problems have negatively impacted its
agricultural land by forcing agriculture onto
land that had been historically used for livestock
Intense pressure on fragile lands led to acute
environmental degradation (1975 image)
A recent study revealed 10 to 20 times the number
of trees across three of Nigers southern
provinces than there were in the 1970s (2005
image)
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Republic of Rwanda
Dramatic Deforestation Gishwati Forest
The 1978 satellite image shows the Gishwati
Forest Reserve as a dark-green carpet of dense
forest nearly covering the entire protected area
The 2006 image shows that most of the forest has
been cleared
Only a fraction of the forest that was intact in
1978 remains (in degraded condition)
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Republic of Mali
The Drying Up of Lake Faguibine
Water levels have fluctuated widely in Lake
Faguibine since the beginning of the 20th century
In the late 1980s, an extended period of reduced
precipitation led to a complete drying up of the
lake in the 1990s
As global warming intensifies, there may be more
change in store for the people who depend on
water resources such as Lake Faguibine for their
livelihoods
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Republic of Uganda
Glacial Recession Rwenzori Mountains
A comparison of satellite images from 1987 and
2005 shows a decrease in the extent of glaciers
on Speke, Stanley, and Baker peaks
The glaciers declined by 50 per cent between 1987
and 2003
A century ago the glaciers of the Rwenzori
Mountains covered nearly 6.5 km2
If the glaciers continue to recede as they have
since 1906 - researchers estimate they will be
gone in the next 20 years
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Important environmental issues
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Some findings

• Deforestation is one of the most important
  environmental issues in 35 countries
• Africa has one of the highest deforestation rate
  but we did not find major frontiers of
  deforestation
• Africa is lightening center of the world
• Rapid population growth around Lake Victoria
  and the lakes falling water level provides
  early warning of potential
• Success stories include land revitalisation
  evident by the growth of tree clusters in images
  of Niger, and in one instance, the expansion of
  wetlands resulting from a restoration project to
  control flooding in Mauritania.
• In Botswana population to elephant proportion is
  141

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Tracking progress towards MDG7
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Releases

• Paper Copy of the Atlas in English and French,
  releasing on 10 June 2008 at AMCEN in
  Johannesburg and at the South African Embassy in
  London
• Release of digital version on web site scheduled
  for 10 June 2008 at http//www.na.unep.net/Africa
  Atlas/
• Release of digital version on Google Earth,
  reaching 300 million users, is scheduled for July
  2008 at http//www.na.unep.net/digital_atlas2/goo
  gle.php
• CDs, DVDs, Posters, Screen savers, high and low
  resolution images and PowerPoint presentation
  slides can be downloaded from the website
  http//www.na.unep.net/AfricaAtlas/

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Emmanuel Tachie-Obeng Ghana
Erick Khamala Kenya
Blessing Siwela Zimbabwe / Botswana
Bernard Adusei - Ghana
Eugene Apindi Ochieng Kenya
Henok Alemu Ethiopia
Mahamadou Keita Mali
Sami Eria Uganda
Visiting scientists from African countries have
worked on the Africa Atlas in the Sioux Falls
office over the 12 months
René Siwe Cameroon
Meron Abrham Ethiopia
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Africa, Atlas of Our Changing Environment
Regional Review Meeting of the Atlas of Africas
Changing Environment 30 July 1 August 2007,
Cairo, Egypt
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For more information and free download go to
http//www.na.unep.net/AfricaAtlas/ To purchase
go to http//www.earthprint.com/
THANK YOU