In this book the authors argue for a paradigm shift in the way African wetlands are considered. Current policies and wetland management are too frequently underpinned by a perspective that views agriculture simply as a threat and disregards its important contribution to livelihoods. In rural areas where people are entrenched in poverty, wetlands (in particular wetland agriculture) have a critical role to play in supporting and developing peoples' livelihoods. Furthermore, as populations rise and climate change takes grip they will be increasingly important. The authors argue that an approach to wetland management that is much more people focused is required. That is an approach that instead of being concerned primarily with environmental outcomes is centred on livelihood outcomes supported by the sustainable use of natural wetland resources. The authors stress the need for Integrated Water Resource Management and landscape approaches to ensure sustainable use of wetlands throughout a river catchment and the need for wetland management interventions to engage with a wide range of stakeholders. They also assess the feasibility of creating incentives and value in wetlands to support sustainable use. Drawing on nine empirical case studies, this book highlights the different ways in which sustainable use of wetlands has been sought, each case focusing on specific issues about wetlands, agriculture and livelihoods.

This edited volume provides a review of remediation approaches utilizing aquatic and wetland macrophytes in the Tropics. This form of phytotechnology has exceptional potential as a sustainable nature-based solution, but that potential is not commonly utilized in the Tropics. Constructed wetlands for improvement of water quality are cost-effective, offering affordable solutions for remediation in warm and tropical regions worldwide. The robustness, simplicity, and reliability of treatment wetlands provide efficient long-term operation. Wetlands for Remediation in the Tropics covers theory, provides case studies, and identifies gaps in our current understanding. It highlights why the Tropics differ from temperate regions in this context, particularly concerning differences in climate and species diversity and abundance. Urban, rural, and industrial examples are discussed across 11 chapters. These nature-based solutions, including the concept of ‘Sponge City’, can be applied to tropical areas worldwide and incorporated particularly in highly urbanized regions. The authors, from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the USA, the Netherlands, Mexico, Pakistan, and Taiwan, all have substantial research experience using wetlands for remediation. The topic of this book is relevant not only to scholars and academics but also to practitioners and government officials from developing countries, where scarce resources and a lack of a qualified workforce are common, but large differences exist in history, culture, regulations, climate, water fluctuations, and vegetation. Although ideas based on experiences from temperate regions can be applied, the Tropics require distinct approaches to developing constructed wetlands for remediation.

This handbook presents an extensive new overview of African development - past, present and future. It addresses key core themes and topics that are pertinent to the continent's development - including sections on history, health and food, politics, economics, rural and urban development, and development policy and practice. The volume draws on the expertise of over 60 of the world's leading scholars to provide a detailed and up-to-date analysis of the key opportunities and challenges that confront Africa, and how such issues are being addressed. Arranged by key themes, the handbook provides not only a historical understanding of the past, but also political perspectives on the future. The chapters provide critically informed analyses of their topics by drawing upon the latest conceptual viewpoints and applied experiences in Africa in the form of case studies to offer a comprehensive examination of the opportunities, challenges, key debates and future prospects. This handbook is an invaluable state-of-the-art overview and reference concerning many different aspects of Africa's development, which will be of interest to academics in all fields of African studies, and also academics and students working in cognate disciplines such as development studies, geography, history, politics and economics.

East Africa is one of the most diverse and interesting tropical area on the planet. It is home not only to the last great megafaunal assemblage, but also to human populations with the highest growth rates. This book draws on the expertise of leading ecologists, each intimately familiar with a particular set of East African ecosystems, to provide the first in-depth and integrated account of the ecology, management, threats, and conservation of these diverse ecosystems. Summarizing the tremendous wealth of scientific research that has come out of East Africa in the last few decades, each chapter analyzes a given ecosystem type, taking the reader through the basics of its ecology, its historical use (and misuse) by humans, and its prospects for conservation. Throughout the book, linkages and similarities among ecosystems are emphasized, the historical and contemporary role of humans in shaping these ecosystems is considered, fundamental principles of ecology are considered, and interesting case studies are highlighted. Students and researchers in ecology, conservation biology, and environmental sciences will find this book useful in their work.

The biennial series of ECOSUD conferences, originating from the work of the late Nobel laureate, Ilya Prigogine, challenges us to seeking to integrate thermodynamics, ecology and economics into “ecodynamics.” It is not only a platform to present novel research related to ecological problems from all over the world, but it also gives opportunities for new emergent ideas in science arising from the cross fertilization of different disciplines, including mathematical models and eco-informatics, evolutionary thermodynamics and biodiversity, structures in ecosystems modelling and landscapes to mention but a few. This book contains papers presented at the the Eighth International Conference in the well-established conference series on Ecosystems and Sustainable Development. Conference topics include : Greenhouse Gas Issues; Ecosystems Modelling; Mathematical and System Modelling; Natural Resources Management; Environmental Indicators; Sustainability Studies; Recovery of Damaged Areas; Energy and the Environment; Socio Economic Factors; Soil Contamination; Waste Management; Water Resources; Environmental Management; and Modelling of alternative futures.

Bill Streever, author of Bringing Back the Wetlands and numerous technical articles about wetland restoration and creation, worked for two years to bring together this collection of papers. Authors ranging from private landowners to government managers to scientists present regional overviews, case studies, and discussions of various issues. Regional overviews cover areas as small as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to areas as large as Australia and Africa. Case studies range from relatively small projects, such as rehabilitation of damage caused by wheel ruts in the high arctic, to much larger projects, such as attempts to rehabilitate thousands of hectares of Northern Territory wetlands in Australia. Seedbank ecology, economics, remote sensing, community involvement, the role of the wetland consulting industry, and other issues are discussed. In an effort to synthesize information from around the world, Joy Zedler presents a model that allows comparison of projects and may lead to better predictability of project outcomes. In An International Perspective on Wetland Rehabilitation, authors describe planting, engineered structures, prescribed flooding, excavation, and other rehabilitation methods, from Israel to New Zealand to the Netherlands and elsewhere. For the first time, one volume offers an impression of the magnitude and diversity of the field of wetland rehabilitation around the globe.

With the world increasingly anxious about the sustainability of life as we know it on Earth, it’s a great time to consider how to unlock sustainable development. Patrick Ssempeera shares a collection of ideas focused on Africa, which is less industrialized than much of the world but quickly catching up. He tackles a variety of topics in eight chapters that encompass attitude, spirituality, shaping people into nurturing adults, government policy, promoting renewability, and fostering healthy and intimate integrations. Get answers to questions such as: • What can Africa learn from rampant levels of pollution in China and elsewhere? • How is love of culture connected to sustainable development? • What can Africans do to work toward a self-driven future? • How can spiritual leaders promote a sustainable agenda? The author also explores how politics, education, optimism, industrialization, and globalization are connected to sustainable development. Steeped in history, filled with insights, and laced with diagrams, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in sustainable development—particularly in Africa.

SYNOPSIS FOR INTER-AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT VOL 1Inter-African development is possible through an array of alternative strategies.CHAPTER 1 Addresses land use and management in AfricaIn Africa, land use has become one of the most seriously contested problems ever to bereckoned in the history of Africa. Land is both security and economic confidence for themany landless or marginalized persons in the world. African governments' concernsshould be obligatory in finding lasting solutions to resolve issues of land degradationresulting from human activities and land management. How then do we frame landissues? The issues that can be addressed are such as ecological foot prints and tragedy ofthe commons. Therefore, African countries need to harness reforestation programs inorder to subdue the ever-increasing risks posed by global warming and desertencroachment.CHAPTER 2 addresses the history of grabbing fertile lands. The history of land extortiondates back to Europe and continued in Africa through colonial era. Land grabbing has itseconomic implications: Access to land and violent conflicts in Africa have economic aswell as political implications. Thus, because of the economic and political implications,Land represents security and economic confidence. Therefore, reforms in land ownershipmust be implemented so that the landless may also have a share in land tenureship.CHAPTER 3 addresses democracy and economic development issues towardssustainability as well as identifying culprits of development retardation.CHAPTER 4 addresses IADF strategies for regional economic developmentCHAPTER 5 addresses development modalities. Modalities that need to be adopted byAfrican governments are such as: import substitution model strategies, export leadgrowth industrialization, emulation of Chile's example, Mexico's example, the adoptionof India's software industry style, Japan's Export Growth Model, importance of anIndustry's location, and other infrastructural development modalities.CHAPTER 6 addresses issues arising from economies that are driven without democracyand security.CHAPTER 7 addresses the importance of approaching sustainable development withsingle currencyCHAPTER 8 addresses the benefits of single currencyCHAPTER 9 addresses the importance of printing single currency within Africa.CHAPTER 10 lays emphasis upon how assets for banking system through IADF shouldbe implemented.CHAPTER 11 addresses how establishing free trade can impact economic growth inneighbouring countries. One of the modalities of approaching such trading policies is theHarmonization of consumer price indices.CHAPTER 12 addresses harmonization of continental trade indices with emphasis onTerms of trade, which is an index of the price of a country's exports in terms of itsimports. "The terms of trade are said to improve if that index rises"CHAPTER 13 addresses modalities for harmonizing trade indices. Trade harmonizationis an equal treatment among trading partners.CHAPTER 14 addresses how world trade affects poor nations' economy and how toavert from goods dumping.CHAPTER 15 addresses how trade imbalances defined by unfair trade.CHAPTER 16 addresses issues pertaining to trade-related intellectual property rights(TRIPS)CHAPTER 17 addresses Political issues with emphasis on Governance issues andGuidance.CHAPTER 18 addresses theories behind the Inter-African development fund (IADF)CHAPTER 19 addresses issues as to whether an all-African senate political system willhelp solve Africa's political instabilities?CHAPTER 20 lays emphasis on infrastructure development and how this will impacteconomic development.CHAPTER 21 addresses as to whether governments are part of the problems andsolutions?CHAPTER 22 addresses how disparate and desperate are African nations? How disparitycan be narrowed between the rich and the poor or whether other alternatives can beapplied?CHAPTER 23 makes analysis on how adopting Ricardo's comparative advantage mayimpact manufacturing and then how it may lead to sustainable economic development ofthe regions.CHAPTER 24 addresses post colonial issues and Africa in post - colonial eraCHAPTER 25 addresses natural resources, as conflicting resourcesCHAPTER 26 addresses what are the factors and ambivalence to African problems?CHAPTER 27 lays emphasis on health crisis in Africa with the advent of HIV/AIDSCHAPTER 28 encourages new ideas and discoveries in health sciences in which claimsfor cure of HIV/AIDS have been pronounced, which is something Africa could take pridein.The major challenges are the issues of globalization and the internal self-inflictedoppressive forces of bad politics. Also, whether or not blocs of nations can envisionsolidarity economics; implement political union and economic independence througheconomic democratization, as there are some economic blocs that already exist.