African Coastal Areas and their Management for Sustainable Development

Abstract

More than half of the world's population lives within 60 km of the shoreline and in Africa trends in population growth indicate that these numbers could rise to· 75 % by the next century. In many parts of Africa the coastal resources have been over exploited and the fragile coastal and marine ecosystems have been severely degraded and their productivity reduced by unregulated human activities. Lack of understanding of the coastal and marine environment and its interaction with terrestrial and oceanic processes, as well as ineffective planning and management have exacerbated the situation. In this paper, the present status and trends of coastal zone development in the African region are examined and existing capabilities to implement sustainable development strategies is evaluated.