Regional Assessment of Africa

Rethinking urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services from the perspective of sub-Saharan African cities

“…Undoubtedly, this situation is not helped by the development of conceptual principles and practical examples based on very different urban settings than those characterising the Global South and where there are already robust criticisms of failures in urban planning regimes. Such failures are attributed to the tendency for planning regimes to exist as either legacy instruments from colonial times or imported models and frameworks which proved to be ill-suited to the emerging realities of urban Africa (Anderson, Okereke, Rudd, & Parnell, 2013;Blanco et al, 2009;UN-HABITAT, 2014).…”

“…McConnachie & Shackleton, 2010;McConnachie, Shackleton, & McGregor, 2008) and the very different status and diversity that associated green structures can have (e.g. Anderson et al, 2013;Cilliers et al, 2013). Although there are commonalities between the services which are provided in different cities the world over, in the context of urban Africa, there are also distinct differences (Davoren, Siebert, Cilliers, & du Toit, 2015;Shackleton, 2012).…”

“…Cape Town and Durban) have indicated how ecosystem services of fragmented natural areas need to be assessed and valued to show their importance for inclusion in urban planning and management (De Wit et al, 2012;O'Farrell, Anderson, Le Maitre, & Holmes, 2012;Roberts, Boon, Croucamp, & Mander, 2005). However, rapid rates of development and lack of enforcement of regulations means that the continued availability of services cannot be guaranteed, even where their city-wide importance is well recognised in academic and policy circles (Anderson et al, 2013). Efforts to re-establish and protect native ecosystems are often in evidence but face pressures from environmental change, the demands of economic and political agendas and the lack of firm enforcement of plans, policies and regulations.…”

Espaces verts comme une alternative de conservation de la biodiversité en villes : le cas des fourmis (Hyménoptère : Formicidae) dans le district d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

“…La croissance rapide de la population urbaine a entrainé une expansion accélérée des écosystèmes urbains à la surface du globe (Anderson et al, 2013). Ces habitats contribuent à toutes les causes majeures de dégradation des habitats naturels car ils sont localisés dans les zones très riches en biodiversité (Luniak, 1994;Chapin III et al, 2000 ;Marzluff, 2005;McKinney, 2006) .…”

Urban Landscape Structure of a Fast-Growing African City: The Case of Niamey (Niger)

“…Africa displays the highest urban growth rate in the world (3.4% per year) [10], and it is expected to reach up to 5% in the next fifteen years, while the world average should be 2% [11]. The present study was carried out in Niamey, the capital city of Niger, the poorest country in the world (IDH 2017 of 0.354, rank 221/221).…”