CASE STUDY: WETLANDS
African wetlands: part of our global commons
The combination of a young and growing
Africa is the world’s second-largest continent,
threat to African wetlands. Some wetlands in
comprises one fifth of the world’s land area
Africa are receding due to reduced flows
and was home to 1.3 billion people in 2019
resulting from droughts and water extraction,
(16 per cent of the world’s population). Half the
while others are being increasingly infested with
people in Africa are thought to be aged 19 years
aquatic weeds or exposed to persistent organic
or younger.
pollutants. Some wetlands have also been
population, ongoing widespread poverty and increasing economic growth represent a serious
flooded as a result of dam construction. From freshwater forests to saline lakes to large
Additional threats to wetlands include
floodplains, Africa’s many wetland types support
overexploitation of resources, uncontrolled fires,
diverse plants and animals and are an important
pollution and deforestation, which alter their
source of natural resources that provide rural
ecosystems, causing habitat change and species
economies with food, energy, medicine, building
loss. However, attitudes are changing and there
materials, dry-season grazing and transportation
is increasing recognition of their value in
(Kabii, 1996). Although sources of carbon dioxide
delivering water, raw materials and food, in
and methane emissions, wetlands also act as
maintaining livelihoods and for ensuring the
carbon sinks.
sustainability of the world’s economies (Russi and others, 2013).
Despite the abundance of valuable wetlands (Figure 32) and other natural resources, Africa is
African wetlands require political will to protect
currently the world’s poorest and least developed
them, as well as sound wetland-specific policies
continent. Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and
and the encouragement of community
inadequate water supply and sanitation affect
participation in their management. The 1971
much of the population and are leading to a poor
Convention on Wetlands of International
overall health status. However, in the past two
Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat
decades, Africa has achieved unprecedented
(Ramsar Convention) is the intergovernmental
economic growth and its longest sustained
treaty that provides the framework for national
period of sustained economic growth since the
actions and international cooperation to
1960s (Mukasa and others, 2017), though this is
conserve wetlands and use them wisely.
projected to decline in 2021–2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (World Bank, 2021).
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PROGRESS ON FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS - 2021
