Conserve Africa is a non-governmental organisation registered as a charity that aims:
- To advance pro-poor sustainable development services, policies and programmes that improve health, livelihoods, well-being and environmental quality of disadvantaged communities.
- To advance pro-poor environmental justice, protection, services and policies through international advocacy and grassroots programmes.
- To relieve poverty and promote the well-being of disadvantaged communities through sustainable development programmes focusing on the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment.
- To advance the benefits and rights to socially and economically disadvantaged communities from the management, protection and prudent use of natural resources.
- Our work focuses on:
- Promoting natural resources sustainable use and management to increase agricultural productivity and fight the extinction of important and endangered species;
- Combating climate change, drought and desertification through climate-smart agriculture and tree planting;
- Improving access to clean water and sanitation to promote better hygiene and fight preventable diseases, especially to vulnerable and poor communities.
- We support the effective local management and conservation of natural resources and ensure that benefits accrue to the poor
- We raise awareness about global, regional and national environmental issues affecting Africa, especially those relating to international conventions on biodiversity, desertification and climate change
- We fight against environmental inequalities through advocacy work for the integration of poverty-environment linkages in national, regional and international development processes
- We campaign to the international community so that Africa’s environmental challenges are addressed while at the same time combating poverty and promoting socio‐economic development
Sustainable Development Environmental Justice and Local Communities in Africa
Executive Summary and Acknowledgements This report forms part of the outcomes of the programme “Enhancing capacity building for promoting environmental justice and sustainability in Africa” funded by the World Justice Project and implemented by Conserve Africa Foundation. The report presents the summary of discussions and actions to tackle the environmental challenges in Africa. It attempts to identify barriers and solutions to some of the critical environmental challenges. It may inform the development and implementation of effective interventions to manage the environment and natural resources.
The report outlines the results of discussions about environmental justice and sustainable development in Africa from the training workshop of African government officials and civil society representatives, Benin (West Africa), June 2011. It highlights the key messages from the case studies prepared by Africa environmental experts from ten countries for the above programme. To enhance environmental justice and sustainability in Africa, training participants, paper presenters, facilitators and case study authors, acting in their individual capacities, strongly endorse the recommendations in this paper. The report is also a result of inputs from a variety of sources, including African environmental experts, Conserve Africa members, an extensive review of online discussions and information exchange with various organisations and individuals. It is in no way exhaustive but brings out the main views of African experts from academic institutions and environmental civil society organisations. The views of non-state actors are often ignored because of a lack of proper consultations about African environmental sustainability issues.
