most African countries and while laws have been passed and regu- 

 lations have been issued to protect the endangered species of the 

 countries, most species in the Continent are there for the taking. 

 Legal initiatives to stop urban pollution are too often not enforced 

 and the laws and the regulations are not enforced either protecting 

 the endangered species. 



One special area of concern for the environment that almost all 

 countries in Africa must face is the field of urban pollution. It is 

 a special challenge in Africa because many countries on the Con- 

 tinent have a very rapidly urbanizing population — all too often, an 

 urbanization pattern where only one large city is the focus of al- 

 most all the urbanization. The city of Lagos, with its population of 

 up to ten million, was built as a city for 300,000. This often over- 

 whelms the capacity of the available municipal services of the city 

 and exceeds the financial ability of the government to provide fur- 

 ther services and facilities. Basic environmental protections that 

 we take for granted, such as clean drinking water, solid waste col- 

 lection and sewer systems, are often lacking in large parts of these 

 large urban areas. 



Too many people believe that there is a tradeoff between develop- 

 ment and environmental concerns. Some argue that the environ- 

 mental protection is a luxury that African countries cannot afford 

 at this time. Yet, as many have pointed out, the history of Africa's 

 environmental degradation has demonstrated that the environ- 

 mental havoc wrought in most countries over the past several dec- 

 ades has not improved the average person's standard at all. 



We are faced in Africa with economics that are deteriorating as 

 rapidly as the environment and theories of tradeoff between the 

 economic development and the environment have little factual 

 basis. The fundamental question is thus how to achieve a balance 

 between human needs and interests and the environmental protec- 

 tion. 



The concept of "sustainable development" is relevant here. The 

 development programs that we undertake must be environmentally 

 sound if they are to contribute to the long-term prosperity of the 

 Continent. Overgrazing of pasture lands ultimately destroys the 

 ability of the land to provide for human needs. Poor soil conserva- 

 tion practices on crop lands destroys the ability of the soil to 

 produce needed food and fiber. In all too many African countries, 

 the challenge is to control man's demand on the natural resources 

 of the country in order to maximize the survival of those resources 

 and man's ability to benefit from them. 



I would like to now turn to our other members of our subcommit- 

 tee to see if they have opening statements as well. 



Congressman Hastings. 



Mr. Hastings. Madam Chairlady, thank you very much and 

 thank you for holding this hearing. I really am interested in hear- 

 ing Administrator Bombardier and so I will be very brief. 



I was thinking as you were speaking. Madam Chairman — and I 

 associate myself with all of your remarks — about the $200 million 

 that our budgetary constraints are just permitting that paltry 

 amount for assistance in restoration of the Everglades in Florida 

 alone. And when you compare $200 million that will not complete 

 the work of the Everglades with the USAID request of $112 million 



