IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Mallon, D.P.; Hoffmann, M.; McGowan, P.J.K. | |
| An IUCN situation analysis of terrestrial and freshwater fauna in West and Central Africa | |
| 2015 Full Book | |
The 22 countries of West and Central Africa are physically and politically diverse. The biodiversity importance of the region is well established: for example, the Upper Guinea forests, the Afromontane forests of the Nigeria and Cameroon border and the Albertine Rift, and the Congo Basin feature prominently as conservation priorities. But this natural heritage is under tremendous pressure. A human population of ~450 million in 2013 is projected to rise to >600 million in a little over a decade, in parallel with rapid rates of urbanization (>3% for nearly all countries). With the exception of Liberia, all West and Central Africa countries achieved independence from colonial powers less than half a century ago; civil strife, political instability, and violent conflict is widespread, and the region has been a centre of coup activity. Sixteen countries are classed by the United Nations as Least Developed Countries and 19 of them fall in the bottom 20% on the Human Development Index. Governance in the region is generally considered weak or ineffective, with 18 countries ranked in the bottom half of countries on the Corruption Perception Index. |
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