Senegal is hosting a regional workshop to build the capacity of African leaders in ecosystem governance against a backdrop of natural resource degradation and vulnerability to climate change.
Abdourahmane Diallo
A regional capacity-building workshop on tools and approaches for natural resource and environmental governance for Francophone African countries was held in Dakar on Monday, September 23. The event, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), aims to improve the capacities of officials in charge of managing the environment and natural resources in these countries.
Faced with rapid desertification and forest loss — according to the FAO, Africa is expected to lose 4.4 million hectares of forest each year between 2015 and 2020 — the sustainable management of natural resources has become more urgent than ever.
“The degradation of natural resources, the erosion of biodiversity and the vulnerability of our countries to the impacts of climate change are just some of the major challenges facing Africa,” said Dr Tiarao Sarr, Technical Adviser to the Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition.
He noted that despite the migration crisis and unemployment affecting Africa’s youth, the continent “remains the most vulnerable” to natural disasters, mainly due to low adaptive capacities.
Governance is key to sustainability
Reversing this trend will require strengthening the capacity of national governments, especially ministries of the environment. According to Dr. Makhousse Sarr, Assistant FAO Representative in Senegal, the workshop will “enable participants to better adapt natural resource management tools and approaches,” while addressing the specific challenges posed by African ecosystem management practices.
Governance, which some see as the main lever for curbing natural resource degradation, needs to be looked at more deeply. As Dr. Tiarao Sall points out, quoting the famous Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, “you need good governance” to restore and sustainably protect ecosystems.
According to population projections, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, which will inevitably increase pressure on natural resources. Africa, where drylands are already severely degraded (45% of land area is affected by desertification), will need to redouble efforts to meet growing food demands while ensuring resource sustainability.
“Low agricultural productivity is leading to increased exploitation of land and fisheries,” Dr Searle said, adding that “these pressures, combined with the impacts of climate change, threaten ecosystem resilience and food security.”
Through this training programme, FAO is providing African governments with the tools to rethink their environmental governance strategies. In this sense, the Dakar Conference will provide a framework for reflection, exchange of expertise and sharing of experiences, leading to concrete recommendations for better management of Africa’s natural resources.
The workshop will not only provide a diagnosis but also suggest possible solutions to strengthen environmental governance.
“This work will help create an enabling environment for better management of ecosystems in Africa,” Dr. Makhousse Sa’ar concluded, highlighting the importance of FAO’s support and the willingness of African Governments to integrate the workshop’s recommendations into their national strategies.
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