The Mangroves an undervalued ecosystem

Published by afrol News

Historically classified "unhealthy wastelands" or "useless swamps" by development-eager authorities and businesses, the mangrove forests actually are one of the most fascinating resources in tropical Africa. The trees manage to live on the edge between flooding rivers, tidal waves intruding with salt water and the drylands, where they create new land and environs rich in fish, birds, wood and other resources. Finally, their value is being discovered.

The mangroves are a characteristic forest biotope in tropical river estuaries and tidal zones. They constitute an incredible adaptation to the environmental conditions of entering salt, sea water and escaping sweet, riverine water. The forests are highly productive areas and in many places an underdeveloped resource. They still are widespread along the West African coast from Senegal to Congo and locally in East Africa.

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Namibia: Nacoma Coastal Enviro Film Hits Web

Published by All Africa

A 25-MINUTE environmental awareness film titled 'The Namib Desert Coast' has made its appearance on the worldwide web. The film was made by the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project (Nacoma) and is being used to spread awareness of the coastline's environmental sensitivity and vulnerability.

The aim is to promote sustainable conservation, management and development of the area. The film was produced by Francois Odendaal Productions for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

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Namibia: First Island Marine Protected Areas Launched

Published by All Africa, 9 July 2009

DEPUTY Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Kilus Nguvauva, last week officially launched Namibia's first Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) at the coastal town of Lüderitz. The proclaimed protected area encompasses almost one million hectares of marine and sea area, with 10 small islands and eight islets or rock outcroppings providing sanctuary to an astonishing variety of marine and bird life. The Namibian Islands MPA was established to help maintain essential ecological and life support systems, to ensure sustainable utilisation of species and ecosystems and to preserve bio-diversity.

Nguvauva said it was anticipated that the MPA would draw attention to the local town and community of Lüderitz, especially in the face of changing economic and environmental climates.More..

Nigeria:

Oil Spill - UNEP Team Unveils Work Plan
24 February, 2009

Abuja — A team of experts from the United Nation's Environment Programme (UNEP) yesterday unveiled its work programme in a collaborative venture with the Federal Ministry of Environment to clean up oil spill impacted sites in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta region.

Speaking during a meeting with the Minister of Environment, Mr. John Odey, the leader of the UNEP team and the Director of the Regional Office in Africa, Mr. Mounkaila Goumandakoye, said his team had come to kick-start the implementation of the remediation work on the oil spill incidences in Ogoniland. He said as part of the preparation for the commencement of the project, the team intends to familiarise with the key officials of the Ministry of Environment. More..

Nigeria:

Minister Warns On Effect of Toxic Waste Dump
published by AllAfrica, 20 February 2009

Lagos — Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey, yesterday said developing countries would face a major health crisis, unless stringent measures were taken to stop dumping of toxic wastes in their territories. Odey gave the warning at the on-going EU/African Environment Ministers' meeting in Nairobi.

A statement issued by Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Mr Rotimi Ajayi, quoted the minister as saying that dumping of the hazardous chemicals in the countries posed great danger to health of their citizens. "It is for these reasons that Nigeria strongly believes that stringent control actions at the global level must be put in place to address the challenges of mercury. As regards lead and cadmium, studies have shown significant data gaps in developing countries that need to be filled, particularly in relation to trade in products and waste management," he said. More..

Nigeria:

Overfishing Needs to Be Urgently Addressed - FAO
published by AllAfrica, 19 February 2009

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has called for a comprehensive management of fisheries, saying that Overfishing, bycatch and discards need to be urgently addressed.

According to the Chief of the FAO Fishing Technology Service, Jeremy Turner, reducing fishing capacity and limiting access to shrimp fisheries, is likely to mitigate overfishing, bycatch and seabed destruction, some of the major economic and environmental side-effects of shrimp fishing. More..

Nigeria:

FG to Come Up With Legislation on Oil Spill
published by AllAfrica, 19 February 2009

The Minister for Environment, Mr John Odey, has said that Federal Government will soon come up with effective legislation on oil spill and other environmental degradation. The minister said the legislation would spell out liabilities, responses and compensation for damages caused on the environment.Odey made this known in Nairobi on Tuesday while addressing the 25th Governing Council and Global Ministerial Environment Forum of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

"Environmental degradation has been worsened by the vagaries of climate change. Concern to us should be the fact that these challenges if not tackled head-on could weaken our efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," he said.Odey said oil spillage had posed serious environmental problems in Nigeria, particularly the un-ending threats to the marine or aquatic lives in theoil bearing area. More..

Nigeria:

FG to Introduce New Laws for Oil Spills
published by AllAfrica, 18 February 2009

The Federal Government will come up with effective legislation to tackle the problems of oil spill and other environmental degradation in the country, Minister of Environment, Mr. John Odey, has said. The developing national legislations will spell out the liabilities, response actions and compensations for damages caused by activities to the environment.

Odey made this known in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday at the 25th Governing Council and Global Ministerial Environment Forum of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). More..

Kenya:

25th Session of the UNEP Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-25/GMEF) concludes
On Friday, 20 February, delegates met in the Committee of the Whole (COW) in the morning to consider draft decisions. In the afternoon, delegates convened in closing plenary, where they heard the President’s Summary on the outcome of the ministerial consultations, adopted the report of the COW as well as 17 decisions including on mercury, IEG, programme of work and budget and support to Africa. Delegates thanked the Government of Kenya, the GC President, and the UNEP Secretariat for creating an environment conducive for a successful meeting. GC President Dulic gaveled the meeting to a close at 4:29 pm.

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Angola:

UNEP Discusses Environmental Damages Legislation
18 February, 2009

Nairobi — A draft on national legislation on responsibility, response and compensations for losses caused by environment damaging activity is under discussion at the 25th session of the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environmental Forum (GC/GMEF) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) taking place in Nirobi, Kenya.

Angola is attending the event with a multi-sectoral delegation headed by the Environment minister, Fátima Jardim, accompanied by the permanent representative to UNEP, ambassador, embaixador Ambrósio Lukoki. The purpose of the said draft is concerned with the basic problems the member States come across when deciding to draft internal laws and regulations on responsibility and compensations for environment damages. More..

Angola:

World Environment Fund Supports Biodiversity Projects
18 February, 2009

Nairobi — The World Environment Fund (WEF) has set aside four million US Dollars to support biodiversity and climatic change projects in Angola, particularly in the field of new energy sources, Angop learned Wednesday in Nairobi, Kenya. The information is contained in a note from the Angolan Embassy to Kenya that quotes the WEF conflict resolution commissioner, Ivorian Sekou Toure.

According to the source, Sekou Toure announced the fact to Angolan Environment minister, Fátima Jardim, during a meeting on the fringes of the 25th session of the Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environmental Forum (GC/GMEF) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

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Gambia:

Gambia: Calls for Common African Voice, As Environmental Change Confab Kicks-Off
published by AllAfrica, 3 March, 2009

Yesterday, March 2, 2009, the secretary of state for Forestry and the Environment, Momodou Kotu Cham, officially opened the 3-day "Midterm Validation Workshop on the Study of the Reduction of the Vulnerability of West Africa to Climate Change.'

The event, which holds from 2-4 March 2009, is organised under the auspices of the Ecowas Commission and the government of The Gambia. It is taking place at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

Speaking to the gathering, SoS Cham pointed out that Africa lost out in the development of the Kyoto Protocol. "The African negotiators had no idea about the issues involved," he stated. Thus, he emphasised, Africa profited the least from the provisions of the protocol
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Gambia:

Clean Environment Saves Life
published by AllAfrica, 23 February, 2009

It is the environment that we human beings depend on for our survival. The more productive our environment is the more progressive the society will be. The environment therefore, deserves all attention to fuel its sustainability. Keeping our environment clean is also part and parcel of our environmental sustainability. A clean environment is a healthy environment. This is simply because micro bacteria that cause threat to our health are denied habitation.

The Operation clean the nation initiative by the president is indeed a worthy cause. It will go a long way in providing a healthy and tidy society. What is important for us as Gambians is to increase both effectively and efficiently our participation in the struggle to keep a healthy and sustainable environment, particularly in the Operation clean the nation initiative. More..

Central Africa:

Kenyan Ecologist Heads Fund to Save Congo Basin
24 June 2008

Renowned Kenyan environmentalist Prof Wangari Maathai and former Canadian premier Paul Martin will head a 200 million dollar fund to tackle deforestation in the Congo Basin, the world's second largest tropical forest. More..