GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa


sequester comparable amounts of carbon both in their tree biomass and in the deep mud that accumulates around root systems. The abundance of mangrove forests, seagrasses and tidal marsh ecosystems in Africa is vital for global carbon sinks and sources and makes blue carbon useful as a means of meeting the need to reduce carbon in the atmosphere (More...20).


Chevallier (2012) indicated that coastal ecosystems of tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses capture and store large quantities of blue carbon in the plants and in the sediment below them. Degradation of the coastal ecosystems compromises their resilience and erodes their natural capacity for carbon sequestration.


Wetland mangroves are identified as the most carbon- rich ecosystem in the tropics. A study by Vasconcelos et al. (2015) conducted in Guinea-Bissau indicated that avoiding mangrove deforestation could contribute to mitigation of climate change in addition to preserving the many other vital services that these ecosystems provide. The study further indicated that if the price of avoided carbon dioxide emissions is more than USD 6.69 to USD 7.20 per tonne, and governance risks could be contained. It is possible to delineate cost-effective activities to avoid deforestation of mangroves and promote climate change mitigation activities in Guinea-Bissau using carbon revenues alone. The main blue carbon sink corridors along the coast of Africa take the form of seagrasses, mangroves and salt marsh communities.


2.3.9 Meeting Africa’s goals for water Africa’s aspirations for the management and use of its water resources are contained in the Africa Water Vision 2025 (UNECA et al. 2000). While there appears to be a substantial supply of water on the continent, some countries continue to experience growing water scarcity. A growing population, increasing urbanization and increased industrial activity have resulted in an upsurge in both demand for and negative impacts on the resource. Consequently, the focus of Africa Water Vision 2025 is “... to ensure that water available in the future is sustainable and adequate in quantity to meet competing demands in the long run” (UNECA et al. 2000).


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There are several GEGs on the management of water resources, including:


•


providing access to safe and adequate water supply and sanitation services (SDG 6);


• stopping groundwater depletion (SDG 6); • improving water use efficiency (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation);


• preventing freshwater pollution (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation), and


• preventing marine pollution (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)) (More...21).


The provision of safe drinking water and sanitation is a major challenge in Africa, with significant but not enough progress having been made in meeting global goals (UNEP 2013). In terms of achieving the MDG target for water supply, by 2015 Africa had reduced the percentage of the population without access to water supply by 21 per cent, the second highest jump in the world (Figure 2.3.14). Water coverage increased from 56 per cent in 1990 to 65 per cent in 2013. However, significant differences between populations in urban and rural areas exist. Over 90 per cent of the populations in urban areas use improved water sources with over 60 per cent having piped water. In rural areas, piped water is virtually non-existent in the poorest 40 per cent of households and less than half of the population use any form of improved source of water (UNDESA 2014).


According to the AU 2015, 54 per cent of the population in 47 African countries are still lacking adequate sanitation facilities. There have been various initiatives aimed at addressing this challenge, including:


• Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Initiative, an initiative of the Governments of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and UN-Habitat aimed at addressing the water and sanitation needs of the population, particularly the poor, in the secondary urban centres around Lake Victoria.


• Water for African Cities, whose aim is to facilitate the adoption of measures to ensure access to

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