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A preliminary assessment on environmental vulnerability in Southern Africa
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1. TERMS OF REFERENCE
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The following report is an analysis of some of the current and potential environmental factors that
are and may affect children in the SADC region.1
The report has been written within the following frame of reference:
Frame of Reference:
“The paper will not be an orthodox situation analysis, but will provide instead both an impressionistic and predictive analysis on the environmental factors affecting children’s development and well being in the region” (email from Andrew Timpson, 2002).
As part of her analysis, Dr. Vogel will be asked to consider the following issues:
- What within the natural environment could worsen the vulnerability and poverty of children within the region? e.g.
- Climate change and its effects—encompassing an analysis on drought, floods, coastal cyclones etc.
- Inter-governmental co-operation on dam and river management.
- The future role of SADC in environmental management
- The likely links between environmental change and HIV
- The environmental effects of rural migration into urban areas.
- The likely impact of environmental change on regional food security.
A report that provides meaningful answers and useful information on all these topics is not possible given the complex nature of the issues, time frame for the study and state of the science to date. Several of these issues are indeed the work of major international research projects (e.g. the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, (IGBP); the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change; World Meteorological Programme and Diversities; the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment including sub-global assessments for southern Africa; the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) and the ongoing efforts of several other initiatives e.g. NEPAD (www.nepad.org).
While every attempt has been made to cover most of these issues, the focus in the report is on the biophysical aspects of the environment with some attention given to the interactions between these and some human dimensions issues e.g. HIV/AIDS, migration etc. A lack of detailed information on institutional issues e.g. SADC and environmental management has resulted in this section being omitted from this final report. Brief mention is, however, made of HIV/AIDS and migration. For more details on HIV/AIDS see the Whiteside report done for SCF.
What is provided in this report (together appendices) is therefore an overview of some of the key issues raised in some of the global change science efforts outlined above, together with other sources. Finally, some suggestions for further consideration, particularly as it may impact SCF work in the region, are given.
The report is divided into three parts. Part 1 is an overview of some of the biophysical impacts facing the region. Part II identifies some of the human dimensions facing the region including HIV/AIDs and finally in Part III some suggestions for mitigation are provided.
Footnote:
- The SADC region for SCF is all of SADC with the exception of Tanzania, the DRC and the Seychelles.
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