African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

African Water Development Report 2006Biodiversity and Protected WetlandsAfrica is home to five internationally recognizedareas of particularly high species richness andendemism, referred to as “biological hot spots”.These include the Western Indian Ocean islands,the Cape floristic region, the Succulent Karoo -the most species-rich desert in the world, the upperGuinea forest and the Eastern Arc MountainBiodiversity and Protected Wetlandsforests of East Africa. Approximately 7 per centof the land falls within protected areas. In total,Africa has 1 254 protected areas, including marineprotected areas, biosphere reserves, wetlandsof international importance and World Heritagesites. Almost all African countries have ratifiedthe Convention on Biodiversity, and the Conventionon International Trade in EndangeredSpecies (UNEP GEO-3, 2002).Figure 6.9 refers to the number of sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, or “Ramsar sites”,in African countries, as updated in January 2005. Wetlands of International Importance are defined under theConvention on Wetlands as having “international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology orhydrology.”The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides theframework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands andtheir resources. When a country becomes party to the Convention, it agrees to designate at least one wetlandfor inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and to promote its conservation.Though protected areas serve a vital function in protecting the earth’s resources they face many challenges, suchas external threats associated with pollution and climate change, irresponsible tourism, infrastructure developmentand ever-increasing demands for land and water resources. Moreover, many protected areas lack politicalsupport and have inadequate financial and other resources.Note: see Box 6.4 for methodologyAlgeriaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiChadComorosCongoCongo, D. RepCôte d'IvoireDjiboutiEgyptEq. GuineaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSouth AfricaTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambia0 5 10 15 20 25 30Source: World Resource Institute: The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.Available on-line at: http://ramsar.org/sitelist.pdf. Gland, Switzerland.144