Zambezi River Basin

Reverse biodiversity loss by 2010 Another indicator of environmental

2008). Those two countries are the main exporters of forestry products in the Basin. The area under forest and woodland in Angola has declined at a rate of two per cent between 1990 and 2010 (FAO 2010) as shown in Figure 4.3.

sustainability is the proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected. The extent of the protected land area in Angola has remained the same since 1990, but there is little data available on the protection of Angola’s marine resources. The Southern Africa Environment Outlook shows that Angola’s protected areas total 81 812 sq km, an extensive area when compared to many other countries, but just seven percent of total surface area, as shown in Figure 4.5.

Land area covered by forests in Angola

Percentage

50

49

48

Protected areas share of total land area in Angola

47

0

46

7%

45

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Source: FAO 2010

Figure 4.3

Much of the fuelwood cut in Angola is converted to charcoal for use in urban households. Rural industries also use substantial amounts of fuelwood to burn bricks, smoke fish, brew beer or dry salt. These are some of the issues to be addressed, including alternative methods. Indigenous knowledge systems should be incorporated into sustainable harvesting. Carbon emissions have not been a significant part of environmental monitoring in Angola as the potential is minimal when compared to industrialized countries, and estimated figures are still low, although increasing rapidly due to expansion in the exploitation and use of petroleum resources. Figure 4.4 shows annual carbon emissions per capita.

Source: SADC and SARDC 2008

Figure 4.5

Figure 4.6 shows the percentage changes in biodiversity of some species, illustrating the reduction in diversity of mammals and molluscs, while others are steady or increasing (eg, birds).

Change in biodiversity for selected species in Angola

Number of species 20

15

Carbon dioxide emissions in Angola

Metric tonnes per person per year

1.5

10

1.0

5

0

Mammals Molluscs Other inverts Reptiles

Birds

0.5

Source: Source: FAO 2010

Figure 4.6

0

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Source: AfDB 2010

Figure 4.4

81