40 



CONSERVATION STRATEGIES 



Nobody can claim to know with certainty how best to save the African environment but, we 

 all know thai humans are the sole source of the continent's crisis without question. It is 

 therefore logical to expect that the solution to the crisis lies in the hands of humans. While 

 the solution includes limiting fie size of Africa's population to sustainable levels; it also 

 deperds on what people's altitudes towards the environment will be; and what lifestyles will 

 they choose :o live. In essence, conservation should not be merely a matter of science and 

 technology but increasingly a matter of humanistic concern. Conservation without a human 

 face is doomed to failure. 



The loss of Africa':; resources has complex dimensions with multiple and often 

 interdependent causes, many of which are not of African making or over which Africans 

 have no control. Because of this, Africa must be distinguished from other regions of the 

 world. These challenging characteristics which make Africa's context for conservation unique 

 include: 



1. Severe econoiric underdevelopment. 



2. Basic human i^:ds are unmet for many, including basic healthcare, access to 

 pouible water, sanitation, nutrition and education. 



3. Population growth is out-pacing increases in agricultural production. 



4. Most land is agriculturally unproductive and therefore creating a tendency to 

 cultivate marginal lands. 



5. There are unpredictable and widespread droughts throughout the continent. 



