04/12/23 1

Africa's Physical Geography and Development impact

Physical Geography and Development Old theory of environmental

determinism disputed but….environment matters Most people live in drier areas Few natural harbors Few navigable rivers Agriculture is important Natural resources Environmental challenges and change

04/12/23 2

04/12/23 3

Africa’s Climate and Biogeography Dynamics of Climate Climatic Regions The relationship between climate

and Africa’s People Ecosystem and African Biomes Ecological concerns

Climate

Altitude and Relief Vegetation changes Higher elevation and settlement

Spotty rains in some places Irrigation concerns

Cloud cover and dust Dust storms from the Sahara

Varies by region

04/12/23 4

04/12/23 5

Climate Regions (p 77)

Equatorial Heavy rainfall, little dry season Monrovia, Calabar

Humid Tropical Slightly less rainfall, but hotter Kampala

Climate Regions (p 77)

Tropical wet and dry Lengthy rainy and dry seasons Northern Hemisphere rainy season

May and September Southern Hemisphere rainy

season: November and March Tropical steppe

Semi-arid zone

04/12/23 6

Climate Regions (p 77)

Desert Mediterranean

Winter rain Temperate Southern and northern tips

04/12/23 7

04/12/23 8

The relationship between climate and Africa’s People

Historical climate change Sahara not always a desert Expanding Sahel

New Climate change Africa at more risk because of poverty, increased risk of

vector born diseases like Malaria, and little resources for effective response

Largely dry areas to become even hotter and drier Coastal areas to flood.

The relationship between climate and Africa’s People Climate and Human Development

Increased vulnerability to subsistence farmers due to drought

Changing climatic conditions mean high food prices for urban Africa and persistent poverty and underdevelopment

Are these predictions coming true? Other competing explanations

04/12/23 9

04/12/23 10

Climate Change and armed conflict in Africa

As the climate warns and dessert expands conflicts arise between groups in within Africa. Sudan’s conflicts, environmental degradation in

the context of climate change

Links to resource extraction: oil might float on water, but each is extracted “out of Africa” straining Africa’s environment and people Bore holes depleting ground water and issues of oil

extraction and deforestation

04/12/23 11

Ecosystem and African Biomes Eco-System-“System” relationship

of energy between biotic and abiotic, mostly tropical in Africa

Ecosystem and African Biomes Bionome- region where climate,

vegetation, fauna, and soils characterized by uniformity. Characteristics generally

correspond Not exact boundaries Can change because of natural or

human actions

04/12/23 12

04/12/23 13

Africa’s Bionomes

See Table, Map 6.1 86-87 Tropical Rain forest Moist woodland savanna Dry parkland savanna Semidesert Desert Temperate grassland Montane

04/12/23 14

Africa’s tropical Rain forests

West Africa; Cameroon through Sierra Leone, Congo basin and Madagascar

Oxisols-> few nutrients in soil and little organic matter caused by heavy “soil leaching” through heavy rainfall

Shifting Cultivation main human use because of oxisoil and local people manage through IK

Despite poor soil, greatest diversity of animal life due to high biomass

04/12/23 15

Moist woodland savanna

Guinea savanna-central Africa north of Equator; Miombo south central Africa

Humid tropical climate; Miombo have wet and dry seasons

Diverse soil type Oxisols and Ultisols leached in wetter regions Alfisols with high aluminum and iron somewhat

leached with greater organic matter Agriculture limited to derived savannas of forest

margins with set fires

04/12/23 16

Dry parkland savanna (Sudan Savanna) “Safari” animal landscape Thin central African strip and east

Africa Serengeti Plain Baobab tree

Ustalfs type of Alfisol less leached Often has higher organic content

5-8 month dry season

04/12/23 17

Semidesert (Sahel)

Zone between Savanna and desert Heavy erosion from wind and

water Desertification

04/12/23 18

Desert

Sahara in north, Kalahari and Namib in the south Namib plants depend on frequent

fogs (remember air masses) Aridisols with low organic content

Stalinization calcification

04/12/23 19

Temperate grassland (Veldt) High Plateau of eastern South

Africa Similar to Iowa; dominated by

grasses with tries only at rivers Deep and fertile soils (Alfisols) Basis of some of the planet’s most

prosperous agriculture

04/12/23 20

Mediterranean

South African Cape and Mediterranean coast

Hot dry summers with cool moist winters

Xerophytic (drought resistant) vegetation

Brownish colored soil with high natural fertility ((Alfisols(Xeeralfs))

04/12/23 21

Montane

East African mountains and other isolated mountain areas

Vegetation zoned vertically Savanna -> Montane forest -> Bamboo forest -> Alpine tundra with ice at top

Soil quality varies on zone

04/12/23 22

Ecological concernsand Sustainable Alternatives Deforestation Desertification Human implications of and for

environmental change Sustainable Alternatives

04/12/23 23

De-forestation

Connected to climate change when oxygen not produced and carbon not stored

Soil Erosion Tropical forests of West Africa and

Madagascar under threat Development (roads, agriculture forestry

endangers west African forests) 5 million h/a lost or .8% of total lost each year

04/12/23 24

De/Re-forestation: continued

Good news on IK and forest builders in Guinea Greenbelt Movement in Kenya: Wangari Maathai

Started in Kenya for women’s empowerment and reforestation for better local environment (erosion prevention)

Development, HR, Feminism, Environment GIScience connection to reforestation, http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/n.php?id=116

Won 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Climate, environment, development and conflict connection

04/12/23 25

Desertification

1970s Sahel drought and Desertification? Is it the process of land degradation or

end result? Climate or Social practice change?

Development and Desertification Kenya’s Rendille pastoral people pushed

to cattle over goat, camel, and sheep by gov’t policy

As a result overgrazing near water for cattle and continued poverty for Rendille

Gov’t ignorance of IK and geography

04/12/23 26

Human implications of and for environmental change in Development

Dams, Development and Human Displacement in Africa

Akosombo-Ghana-84,000 people displaced

Kossou- Ivory Coast 85,000 people displaced

Kainji-Nigeria-50,000 displaced

04/12/23 27

Africa’s human loss due to environmental dumping Cote I’vore’s toxic dumps,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6231946.stm

Dandora Dumping Site, Nairobi

04/12/23 28

Sustainable Alternatives

Agro-forestry- tree farming Alley cropping-planting crops between

rows of leguminous shrubs Establishing shelterbelts and help

communities to undertake tree planting projects help address related problems of fuel wood and desertification

Importance of Greenbelt movement

04/12/23 29

Africa’s natural resources Extractive mineral resources

Africa’s minerals and world economy

Extraction: underdevelopment and conflict

Water Flora and Fauna as natural

resources

04/12/23 30

Africa’s mineral’s and the world economy Mining and mineral trading in pre-colonial

Africa Iron, gold, copper, and tin mined for

domestic utilitarian and ceremonial objects (see UI museum's Africa Art Collection)

Some Iron making in East Africa, Nubia, Nok (Nigeria) by 700 BC

Tran-Saharan Trade of salt

04/12/23 31

Africa’s mineral’s and the world economy: continued Colonial extraction

South African Witwatersrand gold and Kimberley Diamonds

Belgium Congo; Katanga copper, Congolese diamonds

Angola, Sierra Leone, South West Africa (Namibia): Diamonds

04/12/23 32

Africa’s mineral’s and the world economy: continued Post colonial Extraction

Some new mining I.e. Diamonds in Botswana

Black Gold (Oil): Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and southern Sudan, maybe Ghana?

04/12/23 33

Africa’s mineral’s and the world economy: continued

What and Where (Map p330) Metals

Gold-South Africa’s Transvaal, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and DRC, Mali

Copper: Zambia, DRC, Botswana, Zimbabwe Managnese: Gabon and Ghana Iron Ore: South Africa, Mauritania, Algeria, Zimbabwe,

Morocco Industrial minerals

Diamonds: S.A., Botswana, Namibia, Angola, DRC, Tanzania, CAR, Ghana, and Sierra Leone

04/12/23 34

Black Gold and other mineral fuels Black Gold-Nigeria, Angola, Congo-

Brazzaville, Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan now Chad too. Ghana?

Natural Gas where there is oil, but high development costs and cheap Russian competition inhibit African natural gas industry

Coal- South Africa

04/12/23 35

Africa’s Minerals and the World Economy: Continued

$50 billion in minerals extracted each year with most of it exported

Extraction wealth in Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea

Africa losing market share because of accessibility of former USSR in ’90s and recent instability in countries of extraction, but still has large amounts of mineral wealth

04/12/23 36

Mining and Underdevelopment

Dependency on exporting primary commodities except industrialized South Africa where processing is done But South Africa’s industrialization propped up by Apartheid's

low wages Profits from extraction invested “out of Africa” with no value

added in Africa Only low skill/low pay employment gained Health (HIV, enviro-health), environmental, and community

costs greater than gain for community Mineral Looting and “Conflict Diamonds”

Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, DRC

04/12/23 37

Mining and Underdevelopment: continued Mineral Looting and “Conflict

Diamonds” Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia,

DRC Social and Health effects of

migrant labor in extraction Broken families HIV/AIDS

04/12/23 38

Africa’s Water Resources

Quenching Africa’s human thirst Rarely used for transport (few navigable rivers) Energy resources from hydro-electricity

Akosombo in Ghana Kariba on Zambia/Zimbabwe Inga in DRC Cabora Bassa- Mozambique

Irrigation

Africa’s water resources: continued

Fisheries Lake Victoria ecosystem destabilization

Domestic and Industrial Use “water, water, everywhere, but not in the pipes” Water resource and Gender disparities Poor pay more than rich who get piped water Water given toward industrial uses rather than for

personal consumption

04/12/23 39

Africa’s Water Challenges

Water Scarcity Cross border water disputes in arid areas, potential

downstream conflicts over Nile, and Senegal rivers Trade offs between industrial and consumer use

Water pollution Agricultural and mining runoff including phosphate

nitrogen discharge creating plant growth Niger Delta’s oil pollution Raw sewage in drinking water

Eco-system degradation Dam flooding Species loss; ie Lake Nukuru

04/12/23 40

04/12/23 41

Flora and Fauna as economic resources

Timber Industry Vegetation in domestic local economies and IK Fuelwood

¾ of Africa’s engery needs in both fire wood and charcoal Contributes to deforestation Solution in Greenbelt

Fuana as Game meat Fauna as extractive products (Ivory Trade) Fauna and Tourism and connection to both

conservation and colonial displacement practices

Indigenous people vs. Game reserve policies

Wild life parks at expense of local people Continuation of displacement from land from

colonialism Denies IK and early practices of living with

environment. Wildlife co-management, but who has power? Do conservation practices further alienate Africans

from their land and reinforce colonial power dynamics for western tourists?

See map 36204/12/23 42