This is a book about the natural resource wealth of the continent of Africa and how to manage, protect and conserve the resources in the face of haphazard development and the unprecedented threat of consumption of the resources by the exponential increase in the population and the impact of globalization. Africa's Ecology explains in layman's terms the current status of Africa's natural resources by examining its natural parks, the stress on the environment due land use activities such as housing, infrastructure development such road construction, the encroachment on the ecological systems of the continent such as forest systems, savannas, rivers and the process of deforestation and desertification.
In this book, the importance of women in the sustainable development and the sustainability of natural resources, societies and communities in Africa are critically examined. The indigenous people's roles in development and the sustainability of development projects and programs and the natural resources is discussed in light of the preservation and conservation of the natural resources of the continent.
Africa's Ecology is highly recommended to scholars who are conducting research about the natural resources of the continent. The book is definitely useful to environmental scientists, urban and rural planners, regional planners, biologists who desire to understand how ecological systems are connected and how there are conflicts in the conservation of the ecological systems of the continent and people–especially in the context of land use and poaching. The book is also useful to people who would like to have a general understanding of the Continent of Africa and are interested in traveling to parts of the continent as tourists. Undergraduate and graduate students would find the book useful as a required or supplemental textbook. Non-governmental agencies and governmental agencies interested in sustainable development concerns of the continent would find Africa's Ecology useful as a reference book.
The book explains the significance of collaborative, cooperative and self-sufficiency approaches to development. Such approaches, the book argues, would enhance sustainable development and sustainability of projects and programs across the continent. Africa's Ecology is also an excellent library reference book that should find its way into research university libraries across the world.
Valentine Udoh James is a Professor of Environmental Management, Planning and Policy at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in Urban and Regional Science, Sustainable Development and Sustainability of Natural Resources, Communities and Cities.