Intrinsic Values of the African Environment: A Sustainable Perspective

Abstract

Africa is a continent with immerse renewable and non-renewable resources. The African continent has an excess of 30 million km² of natural resources base which is spread across the mountains, deserts, lakes, coasts, rivers, etc. These resources most especially non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, gas, metals, and non-metals contribute significantly to the economic returns of African countries. The continent is known as a major producer of various natural resources, including minerals and non-metals, which are found in various countries within the continent. Minerals and non-metals are concentrated majorly in the southern, northern, and western regions with a minor deposit in the eastern regions. South Africa is the continent’s leading producer of minerals which are divided into energy, precious, industrial, ferrous, and non-ferrous minerals. It houses diverse biodiversity of importance to the economy. The rivers are enormous with huge volumes of water with the Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi, Orange, Limpopo, Volta, and Okavango as the major rivers. The resources are majorly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Other issues such as pollution, climate change, sedimentation, and the introduction of alien species are also threats. Management and governance issues are paramount to the sustainability of natural resources based on a framework covering natural resource policy, fiscal regimes, sustainable development, and regulatory framework as implementation strategies for sustainable development. Natural resources have various importance, such as natural capital, source of energy, food, materials for industries, medicinal value, scientific studies, and shelter. This chapter, therefore, elaborates on the African natural resources base, sustainability, and management framework for resource conservation.