Zambezi River Basin

Environmental Sustainability in Water Resources Management in Southern Africa, with some surprising results, as shown in Chapter 2. Target 7B – Reverse biodiversity loss by 2010 The extent of protected areas is well documented for most Basin states, although marine parks have not been included here as they fall outside the Zambezi River Basin. The proportion of species threatened with extinction has been documented and publicized for many years through the The

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species although some data for Zambezi basin states is based on informed estimates as the vast wilderness areas have not been studied in some countries. All Zambezi basin states are party to the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and all except Angola have ratified the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Target 7C – Access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation by 2015 Improving acess to safe water and sanitation is the top priority for all Basin states, and all can show significant progress in the proportion of the population using an improved water source and santiation. This is the target most likely to be met by the Basin States, and some have already exceeded the target. progress in improving the lives and reducing the population of urban slums, but this remains a work in progress as urban areas continue to grow. Six of the Basin states have significant urban areas within the Zambezi basin. The total population of the 15 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was 267 million in 2009 (Table 4.2), with about 39 per cent living in urban areas. Due to the steady increase in the urban population relative to rural over the past decade, and with no indication of any disruption to this trend, it is expected that the urban population of the SADC region has now reached over 40 percent. The SADC population at mid-year in 2010 was 275.8 million, including the eight Zambezi River Basin states. Country Profiles The total population of the eight riparian states of the Zambezi River was 126.5 million in 2010, with an estimated 38.2 million people living in the Zambezi Basin, about 30 per cent of the total (Table 4.2). The national populations of Basin states range from the United Republic of Tanzania with 42 million people to the Republic of Botswana with 1.8 million (Table 4.2). Target 7D – Improve the lives of slum dwellers by 2020 Some Basin states have made significant

Deforestation in Zambezi basin countries

Forest cover variation, percentage

0

Zambia Angola

-5

Mozambique

-10

-15

Tanzania Malawi Botswana Namibia

-20

-25

Zimbabwe

-30

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Source: FAO 2010

Figure 4.1

Forest cover in Zambezi basin countries

70 Million hectares

60

Angola

Zambia

50

40

Mozambique

Tanzania

30

20

Zimbabwe Malawi Botswana Namibia

10

0

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Source: FAO 2010

Figure 4.2

Table 4.2. Total National Population of Basin States 2006-2010, and Portion in Basin 2010

% of Basin Population

2006 millions

2007 millions

2008 millions

2009 millions

2010 millions

% in Basin

Population in Basin 2010*

Country

Angola Botswana Malawi Mozambique Namibia Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe Total

15.9 1.7 12.8 19.9 2.0

16.3 1.8 12.9 20.6 2.0

16.8 1.8 13.1 21.2 2.1

17.3 1.8 13.5 21.8 2.1

17.8 1.8 13.9 22.4 2.1

3.66 .73

651 480 13 140 13 050 000 5 185 600 70 350 1 646 400 8 517 600 9 059 850 38 194 020

1.70 0.03

96.67 23.15

34.17 13.58

3.35 3.92

0.16 4.31

37.5 11.8 12.0 113.6

38.3 12.2 12.0 116.1

39.5 12.5 12.1 119.1

40.7 12.9 12.2 122.3

42.0 13.0 13.5 126.5

65.52 67.11

22.33 23.72 100

* Estimate based on ratios shown in Chapter 1 Table 1.1 Source: Population figures from Chapter 1 of this Atlas

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