Environment

People in sub-Saharan Africa depend more on the environment for their economic and social needs - food to eat, water to drink, air to breather, more than any other region in the world. Two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa's people live in rural areas and rely on agriculture and other natural resources for income. However, with fast population growth (approximately 3% per year) and lifestyle changes, the environmental resource base of the region is shrinking rapidly. Environmental problems of sub-Saharan Africa include air and water pollution, deforestation, loss of soil and soil fertility, and a dramatic decline in biodiversity throughout the region. As migration to urban centers increases, sustainable development is a priority for the protection of sub-Saharan Africa's complex and diverse environment and the quality of life of present and future generations.

We believe the key to Africa's environmental problems is community education through enhancement projects and programs. We are currently focusing on two major problems: Deforestation and Pollution.

Deforestation is one of the major problems in West Africa, and has several long term implications for the people and wildlife of the area and the world. Tropical deforestation is frequently listed as one of the more serious threats facing human kind today.1 West Africa alone is experiencing some of the highest numbers of forest loss; Africa loses nearly 40,500 square kilometers of forest each year compared to the 100,000 to 200,000 square kilometers lost worldwide.2

Pollution of the air, water, and soil is a serious threat to the present and future populations of sub-Saharan Africa. Pollution threatens health and food supplies: air and water pollution cause respiratory and water-borne diseases, water and soil pollution inhibit agriculture production. In addition, carbon dioxide production is increasing in "developing nations" at a tremendous rate, three times the rate of the industrialized nations. As global warming increases, it is these "developing nations" that will suffer the most as sea levels rise and weather patterns shift.