The Importance Of Environmental Conservation In Africa

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According to the first United Nations conference on human environment in Stockholm in 1972, environmental conservation is a global concern (UNEP, 1972). The Conference highlighted the importance of relating environment to development. Later, the legitimacy of this issues were formalized at a United Nations conference on environment and development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (UNCED, 1992). The conference was convened in order to discuss on the way forward in tackling this crisis. This led to various recommendations and a framework was laid on the various measures to be undertaken in order to tackle challenge of environmental degradation. The united Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has expressed the need for countries…show more content…
Despite these efforts, reports have indicated that little has happened since the planet’s environments and ecosystems are still enduring increasing stress; climate change, water quality and supply, biodiversity loss, and deforestation ( UNDP 2012). These policies and programs have not factored local peoples beliefs, practices and aspirations, therefore alienating them in the effort to conserve the environment. Various organizations have tried to respond to this call and religion has not been left behind. In 1986, the Assisi Conference of the International World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recognized the relationship between religion and environment (Richard, 2003). This led to the Assisi declarations in which various religions declared how their various faiths help in the quest to solve environmental challenges confronting humanity…show more content…
Such include Kenya, Environmental Management and Coordination Act, EMCA, (Act No 8 of 1999, Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 3, Acts No. 1, January 2000). Environmental Management and Coordination (Water Quality) Regulations of 2006; Environmental Management and Coordination, Conservation of Biological Diversity (BD) Regulations of 2006 (,Kibutu, 2012). Despite all these efforts little has been achieved since the country has witnessed, in recent past, the effects of environment degradation such as floods, food shortage and recurrent drought (Morgan, 2015). All this has been as a result of human activities that continually harm the environment particularly the destruction of water catchment areas. Human activities have also led to the destruction of the earth biological systems in which food chains habitats and physical systems such as the water cycle and the ozone layers are being destroyed. Therefore, environmental degradation which includes desertification, pollutions, forest depletion and erosion are all a by-product of man. Therefore, it is opined that the solution to this challenge can be found by man. It has become evident that the existing legislation is inadequate since it does not bear with the people’s aspirations. Embobut forest is crucial to this study since not only do the local inhabitants depend on it but also the whole country since it is a major catchment

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