Africa
Why does ecological capacity matter to human development in Africa?
As the ongoing world food crises makes clear, human welfare is critically linked to mankind’s use and stewardship of biological resources. Nowhere is this more true than in Africa – a region with tremendous natural wealth, yet which often suffers first and most tragically when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what nature can provide.
There are many issues facing the African continent that are linked to ecological assets, including population growth, food security, political instability, and inequitable access to resources. Despite these challenges there are many opportunities for nations to improve their quality of life while maintaining their ecological assets.
Global Footprint Network’s Africa Project
To explore how ecological limits apply and relate to human development, Global Footprint Network and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation have joined forces on a multi-phase initiative focused on Africa.
In June 2008 at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Johannesburg, Global Footprint Network in conjunction with SDC and WWF International released the first-ever detailed look at the Ecological Footprints of African nations and the trends at play over the last few decades.
Africa: Ecological Footprint and Human Well-Being examines Africa’s ecological resources and the role those resources can play in advancing the region’s human development goals – or, if mismanaged, in thwarting them.
Download the report:
Africa: Ecological Footprint and Human Well-Being (1.73 mb download)
(click here to download French version)
Our Africa report is the result of a multi-year project focused on learning from our partners about the factors at play in human development. As a precursor to the report, we published our findings in a fact book,
Africa's Ecological Footprint: Human Well-Being and Biological Capital Factbook (3.7 mb download)
Additionally, in workshops held in Pretoria, Nairobi, Dakar, and Algiers, we engaged with our African partners who have first-hand experience with on-the-ground needs.Download the report:
Africa's Ecological Footprint: Human Well-Being and Biological Capital Factbook (3.7 mb download)
An updated edition of the fact book, the first version of an Africa Footprint Atlas, will be developed in 2008. The Africa Footprint Atlas will build on the original fact book by including additional data analysis and integrating comments and suggestions provided by African Partners during the outreach and workshops of Phase I. For more information about this project, please contact Shiva Niazi.