Theme+3- Human+&+Environment+Interaction

Human & Environment Interaction Sub-Saharan African boasts a vast amount of natural resources that help sustain their economy. Astonishingly, it contains almost half of the global diversity, and this advantage can have a significantly positive impact in sustaining Sub-Saharan Africa's economy. However, these resources are depleting at an unbelievingly fast rate because of severe exploitation. This phenomenon could be seen as a side effect of a rapid industrialization and urbanization, and deforestation has been the main concern of the international community.

**Congo Basin Forest** ** The Congo Basin Forest stretches over the Democratic Republic of Congo, all the way to Cameroon in the West. This sheer size proves the significance of the forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. ** It is:
 * 2nd largest forest; Covers 2.1 million square km
 * Home to 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 species of birds, 400 species of mammals, 3 of the 4 species of the world's great apes
 * Plays a vital role: carbon sink & catchment basin that helps balance the environment
 * 62.6 million people are dependent on it for resources
 * Causes**
 * Deforestation
 * Population growth
 * Growth of timber industries
 * Shifting agriculture


 * Consequences**
 * Disappearing at 0.6% annually
 * Ecosystem being destroyed
 * Loss of tremendous amount of natural resources

Various partnerships and activities have been put forwards in an effort to raise awareness and stop the downward trend of the Congo Basin Forest. Such include:
 * Steps/ solutions**
 * Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP)
 * Consists of governmental, nongovernmental and international organizations
 * Launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development
 * Provided financial and technical assistances
 * Congo Basin Forest Fund
 * NGOs, private sectors work together
 * Provides funds for projects undergoing in the Congo Basin Forest

NGOs, developed countries and the World Bank have stepped up to the challenge and had been implementing various ways to stem the problem. Though it is not yet over, projects so far have definitely been beneficial. Already, vast improvements have been made and altered and it is predicted that the environmental catastrophe in the forest would be reverted. However, there is much more to accomplish before we can reach this goal.

 **Mining & Diamonds**

Another advantage of having rich resources is the expanding of the mining market in the general African region. Because various regions provide differing resources, which all have immense value, investors have flocked to Africa to seek fortunes. However, what is troubling is the pace at which such resources are being taken out of the region. Although the African region had been able to sustain their economy thanks to this, some environmentalists even fear a repetition of the California Gold Rush, where all the golds disappeared in a matter of time.

Blood diamond, or conflict diamond, is more than just an environmental catastrophe; it may be a weapon potentially capable of destroying peace in the African region. Before you can fully understand the problem, let me address few basic facts needed to comprehend the blood diamond system. First, blood diamonds are used in funding for civil wars in various parts of West and Central Africa. Rebels use this money to buy weapons and recruit soldiers--in order to overthrow the government.


 * Causes **:
 * A lucrative business that investors seek to earn money in
 * Need to fund for civil wars and rebellions
 * Loose maintenance in these mining sites; they cannot be fenced, letting virtually anyone in
 * Small size makes diamonds easy to smuggle in and out of a country

**Consequences** (I will focus mainly on the environmental effects since this is the environment section) "Diamond mining has wreaked environmental havoc throughout Africa and other parts of the world--severely scarring the land, soil and water." >
 * Environmental
 * Poisoned water
 * Loss of rich agricultural soil owing to the debris brought about by the mining process
 * Ian Smillie (of Partnership Africa Canada -NGO), "[There,] you strip off the topsoil to get at the diamonds, and in most of the African and South American countries, there is little remediation... The problem in many tropical areas, however, is that unless you remove and replace the topsoil very carefully, you may not really be accomplishing much. A lot of tropical topsoil is very thin, and if you mix it up with sand and laterite, it won't be very good for much afterwards."
 * Others
 * Potential devaluation of diamonds because of an unusually large quantity of diamonds in the market

**Steps**


 * As severe as the situation is, the United Nations has played a major role in alleviating the situation. The Security Council had been setting up various regulations and maintenances that are aimed at enforcing law and order when it comes to diamonds. It had placed Sierra Leone and Angola under surveillance for the last ten years.
 * Ian Smillie (of Partnership Africa Canada -NGO), "The newer kimberlite mines have huge environmental assessments and protection in place, but the situation is very closely watched."

media type="youtube" key="x_rv1xlPIaQ" height="340" width="560" This video shows a glimpse of the actual process of the blood diamond, as well as the consequences of it (mainly social aspects, though) I made, or to be more exact, compiled several videos. It is aimed at your having a better understanding of blood diamond, as well as the severity of the situation. Moral of the story: Don't buy diamonds! These diamonds that you buy are killing people and the environment!!! And, sorry for the poor quality! Enjoy!

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 **Citations**

http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/sectors/env/ http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Regions/SubSaharanAfrica.asp http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2223917.stm http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5382/is_200705/ai_n21288348/ http://www.worldbank.org/afr/wps/wp13.pdf http://www.jckonline.com/article/282346-Does_Diamond_Mining_Hurt_the_Environment_.php