Wetlands for Life

Africa

Lake Natron:  Tanzania was awarded a Blue Globe award for preventing an earlier plan to build a soda ash plant at Lake Natron, but it seems that the Tanzanian Government is now pushing forward with a new plan under pressure to extract minerals.  The development and infrastructure will undoubtedly damage the unique habitat, and activity will disrupt the breeding population of lesser flamingos, 75% of the world’s breeding population.  WWN is extremely concerned about this development, and hopes that the government can still be persuaded that the lake is more valuable for its wildlife and associated tourism, than its industrial capacity.  WWN has sent a letter to President Kikwete to ask him to reconsider the development.  See the Birdlife link for more.

A hugely diverse continent, Africa includes the Mediterranean countries of the north, characterised by hot conditions and with fertile areas near the cost, neighbouring the desert areas of the Sahara.  East Africa has high concentrations of wetlands, many of which are Ramsar sites and mangrove areas, whilst West Africa has drier conditions and fewer sites. 

Central Africa has more tropical conditions, and the huge wetlands of the Rift Valley, descending to Southern Africa with a more temperate climate.  Communication between wetland NGOs is made more difficult by the difference languages spoken (French, English, Portuguese etc) and by the relatively poor IT resources at their disposal.

WWN Africa is working through Ugandan partners to develop a meeting later in 2011 to strengthen the regional network.  Please contact Baboucarr Mbye for more details.  For a short report (1.5Mb) about Kenyan World Wetlands Day 2011, click here.  For the Stay Green the Gambia poster on wetland protection (4Mb) click here.