Africa Geographic August 2008 [antikvár]

founder's note u I do sense, though, that we are at a cusp and that part of the solution could be at hand. It comes from an unlikely source ^ ^ A conventional look at the wealth of Africa doesn't make for great reading. Using GDP as the measure, only four of Africa's 54 countries - Tunisia, Libya, South Africa and Botswana - make It Into the top half in the world list of 195 nations. IVIost of the remainder languish uncomfortably close to the bottom. Of course, this only tells us what we already know: that Africa Isa very poor continent, where millions upon millions of people earn less than US$1 a day, are malnourished and are hugely vulnerable to extreme weather events, be they strangulating drought or sudden floods. Depressing, yes. But, do the sums in another way and the result is very different. Even the poorest of African nations has wealth enough to make it the envy of most, if not all, the developed world. This is not the obvious existing and potential wealth of mining, agriculture and industry, which parts of the continent have in abundance, but the assets of nature - the landscapes and the plants and creatures that Inhabit them. Tourism brochures, especially in the nature travel sector, extol these assets as they should, for they are the foundation of the industry. But those who understand something of nature conservation in Africa will probably agree with me when I say that the praise-singing of marketing hype has a hollow ring to It. You see, funding for conservation, even in the wealthiest countries, is without exception one of the poor relations of the government treasury. And in Africa, where budgets are even more stretched - as much by genuine lack of money, even for the most basic human needs, as by the twin aggravations of administrative incompetence and corruption - funds for conservation are pretty well nonexistent. It is a conundrum of some complexity. The value of healthy natural systems for the tourism industry is but the tip of the iceberg. In terms of the services nature provides for so many Africans - fuel, building materials, food, clean water - the value is immeasurable. Yet the protection of these vital services is poorly provided for and barely recognised as a priority. Indeed, they are unsustalnably used by burgeoning communities for whom choice has been negated by poverty, and by the unconscionable actions of commercial Interests. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the logging industry in the tropical forests of Central and West Africa. I do sense, though, that we are at a cusp and that part of the solution could be at hand. It comes from an unlikely source. The environmental record of politicians around the world leaves much to be desired, but policy- and lawmakers are beginning to show a glimmer of understanding that a very large part of winning the battle against climate change lies in the healthy functioning of ecosystems, which have the ability to absorb and hold huge amounts of carbon. If, in the climate treaties that follow Kyoto, effective financial mechanisms can be found that will fund the non-exploitation of ecosystems for their carbon-sequestering ability, and if these funds are channelled to make the lives of people less dependent on over-using their resources, then maybe we will be headed along a path that truly does recognise the intrinsic value of biodiversity. About 0 magazine Africa Ceographic is editorially and financially independent. It enjoys the support and endorsement of several non-government organisations, but it is not affiliated in any way to these bodies or to any other publishing, environmental or political interest group. Africa Ceographic strives to foster an awareness of wildlife, conservation, ecotravel, indigenous cultures and the general environment. It consistently advocates the wisest use of natural resources in a manner that involves and Is of real benefit to the people of Africa. Africa Ceographic is published 11 times a year. ¦ 6 AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC • AUGUST 2008