The Natural Resources of the African Community

The write up is on the African community. In Africa, most of the natural resources such as water, forests, soils and many more are on the rapid rate of extinction due to man’s exploitative nature without putting up the right conservation measures. Man exploits these resources in order to get their daily needs. The high population rates and the level of poverty contribute a lot to this kind of behavior.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Natural Resources of the African Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this paper, energy, water and forests have been identified as the three main areas that can be improved. There has been a cry in Africa over the shortages on these vital resources whereby the members are forced to acquire them expensively, because of this, measures to ensure their conservation is necessary. For each of the above mentioned resource, actions can be taken to cut down on their misus e. For water, it is necessary to have the water act that sets regulations and ensures that they are followed to the letter. In the case of energy, it is necessary to look for alternative renewable source of energy that is least costly and is environmental sensitive. In the issue of forests, laws should be enacted to ensure that those who go against them are answerable and pay heavily for their actions. According to a research done by Mwingi Godfrey on the conservation of water in South Africa, the following is important to ensure a sustainable use; Pressure management, this will control the chances of pipe bursts thus reducing the amount of losses through leakages, and in connection to this is the repairing of the faulty pipes and tapes to reduce the leakages. It is also vital to put up water meters for drafting payment schedules, this reduce the amount of water used for both domestic and commercial purposes. Water used for washing dishes and in flushing toilets is also a lot; there fore, re-use should be considered as some water can be used twice, this is called grey water. Dual flush system should be adopted because of its minimal water usage. In case of irrigation, conservative measures should be applied such as mulching and watering at the right time to avoid wastage (Water conservation para. 4). On energy, it is important to consider all the types of renewable energy sources such as wind, tides and waves, solar and biogas energy. If these entire sources are harnessed then the cost on electricity can be greatly reduced. Solar and biogas are the most efficient sources of energy that can be embraced to ensure a cost effective use. Practices such as putting off lights and all electrical appliances when not in use should be implemented. Use of energy saving bulbs should not be ignored (Fourteenth session of the United Nations commission on sustainable development para. 5).Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In considering forest resources in Africa, it is important to ensure that growing more trees is encouraged by emphasizing on the plant two as you cut down one should be encouraged, looking for alternative sources of energy and construction materials to reduce on logging done daily. Education campaigns on the importance of forests should be carried out. Conservation of these resources is a long time process which requires a timeframe of not less than five years. For water conservation, all the above mentioned ideas can be implemented in twenty years time, this due to ignorance with the people in Africa and lack of required skills to implement the strategies. For energy, a period of more than twenty years can be possible considering the lack in technical knowhow, awareness and lack of money to adopt the renewable sources. This case applies to forests because carrying out awareness and huge amount of money is required to carry out a forestation process. In the process of implementing the earlier mentioned ideas in order to conserve the above resources, many challenges are experienced. These include lack of money for proper funding, ignorance by the people on the importance of the resources and how to conserve them, poverty level and high population growth is also a threat as people have no alternative to get their daily needs apart from exploiting them and others. In order to counter the challenges mentioned, it is important to seek funds from the developed countries, carry out campaigns to educate the people on the importance of the resources and hoe to use them sustainably and providing an alternative for each of the mentioned resource to ensure its sustainability. Works Cited Fourteenth session of the United Nations commission on sustainable development, Department of environmental and tourism affairs, SEP 2005. Web. Water conservation. SAAF Environmental services. Feb. 2009. 04 April,2011. http://www.af.m il.za/ecopages/water.htmAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Natural Resources of the African Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essay on The Natural Resources of the African Community was written and submitted by user Julissa C. to help you with your own studies. 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