Potential impacts of climate change on Sub-Saharan African plant priority area selection

Charismatic megafauna are arguably considered the primary attractor of ecotourists to sub-Saharan African protected areas. However, the lack of visitation data across the whole continent has thus far prevented the investigation of whether charismatic species are indeed a key attractor of ecotourists to protected areas. Social media data can now be used for this purpose. We mined data from Instagram, and used generalized linear models with site- and country-level deviations to explore which socio-economic, geographical and biological factors explain social media use in sub-Saharan African protected areas. We found that charismatic species richness did not explain social media usage. On the other hand, protected areas that were more accessible, had sparser vegetation, where human population density was higher, and that were located in wealthier countries, had higher social media use. Interestingly, protected areas with lower richness in non-charismatic species had more users. Overall, our results suggest that more factors than simply charismatic species might explain attractiveness of protected areas, and call for more in-depth content analysis of the posts. With African countries projected to develop further in the near-future, more social media data will become available, and could be used to inform protected area management and marketing.

We formulate and systematically study a deterministic compartmental model of Hepatitis B. This model has some important and novel features compared with the well-known basic model in the literature. Specifically, it takes into account the differential susceptibility that follows the vaccine formulation employing three-doses schedule. It points up the HbeAg status of carriers, their levels of viral replication, the fact that treatment being not curative is recommended only to a small proportion of chronic carriers, and finally the fact that only inactive carriers are able to recover from disease. The model has simple dynamical behavior which has a globally asymptotically stable disease-free equilibrium when the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] and an endemic equilibrium when [Formula: see text]. By the use of Lyapunov functions, when it exists, we prove the global asymptotic stability of the endemic equilibrium under some conditions. Using data from Tokombere, a rural area in Cameroon, numerical simulations are performed. These numerical simulations first confirm analytical results, second they suggest that a policy based on treatment could not significantly impact the course of the infection. Third, they show as it is well known that vaccination is a very effective measure to control the infection. Furthermore, they show that neonatal vaccination influences more the course of infection than mass vaccination strategy. Nevertheless, they picture how much loss between consecutive doses of vaccine could be harmful. Finally, it is suggested that for a Sub-saharan African rural area, two-thirds of expected incidence of Hepatitis B virus infection and one third of expected prevalence of chronic carriers could be averted by 2030 if the birth dose vaccination becomes systematic and if mass vaccination rate increases to up 10%.

Climate change vulnerabilities are key environmental and social determinants of health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where public health and other infrastructure are not yet geared towards counteracting the potential impacts of changing climates. Health-related climate change adaptation research for sub-Saharan Africa is limited and existing research is not effectively translated into practical advice for decision makers. A World University Network (WUN) collaboration project was started in 2016 to investigate climate change impacts on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This interdisciplinary collaboration, established through the Healthy-Polis International Consortium for Urban Environmental Health and Sustainability focuses on the intersection of health, climate and sustainability within urban environments through innovative research methods, co-production of knowledge, capacity building and intervention. NCDs like cancers, asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental health are on the increase in sub-Saharan African urban areas and can be further aggravated by climate change. If NCDs and the climate nexus are unaddressed, they will undermine achieving several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Principally, we highlight climate-sensitive NCDs impacts on vulnerable populations, i.e. women, children, elderly, immune compromised and people with low socio-economic status, throughout their life course. We argue that interventions need to target disciplinary and sector ‘intersections’ for effective adaptation strategies. These interventions should be specifically linked to four SDGs, namely, SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). We conclude with capacity development and policy guidance to strengthen sub-Saharan African countries ability to address climate-sensitive NCDs.

Variation in wing morphology results from the combination of diverse selection pressures. Wing feather morphology within species varies with sex and ontogenetic effects, and also with ecological factors. Yet, the direction of causation for the wing morphology-ecology association remains to be elucidated. Under the 'ecology-dependence' hypothesis, wing morphology covaries with ecological conditions, because the latter affect feather molt. Alternatively, the 'habitat choice' hypothesis posits that individuals with different wing morphology choose different habitats because of the habitat-dependent advantages of a specific wing morphology. We tested these competing hypotheses in the migratory, aerially insectivorous barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). We quantified wing morphology (isometric size, pointedness, and convexity) on the same individuals during consecutive breeding seasons (i.e., before and after molt in sub-Saharan wintering areas) and located wintering areas using light-level geolocators. Wing pointedness of females but not males during 1year negatively correlated with vegetation vigor (gauged by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; NDVI) in the African area where individuals spent the next winter. Partial least-squares path modelling showed that the association between wing morphology and NDVI was sex-dependent. Conversely, NDVI during wintering did not predict wing morphology in the next breeding season. Because wing morphology can have carry-over effects on subsequent performance, we investigated selection on wing traits and found strong positive fecundity selection on wing size of females. Our results suggest that female barn swallows choose their wintering habitat depending on their wing morphology. In addition, directional fecundity selection operates on females, suggesting sex-dependence of current selection on the flight apparatus.

Networks of sites of high importance for conservation of biological diversity are a cornerstone of current conservation strategies but are fixed in space and time. As climate change progresses, substantial shifts in species' ranges may transform the ecological community that can be supported at a given site. Thus, some species in an existing network may not be protected in the future or may be protected only if they can move to sites that in future provide suitable conditions. We developed an approach to determine appropriate climate-change adaptation strategies for individual sites within a network that was based on projections of future changes in the relative proportions of emigrants (species for which a site becomes climatically unsuitable), colonists (species for which a site becomes climatically suitable), and persistent species (species able to remain within a site despite the climatic change). Our approach also identifies key regions where additions to a network could enhance its future effectiveness. Using the sub-Saharan African Important Bird Area (IBA) network as a case study, we found that appropriate conservation strategies for individual sites varied widely across sub-Saharan Africa, and key regions where new sites could help increase network robustness varied in space and time. Although these results highlight the potential difficulties within any planning framework that seeks to address climate-change adaptation needs, they demonstrate that such planning frameworks are necessary, if current conservation strategies are to be adapted effectively, and feasible, if applied judiciously.

Energy-water nexus design and operation towards the sustainable development goals

Presentation de l'editeur : Natural resource management by rural citizens in tropical regions is crucial both to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem processes, but also to the the well-being and food security of the people that live there. This situation is especially acute in Africa where conflicts between habitat destruction and utilization can arise in areas which are important not only for biodiversity but for the long-term maintenance of ecosystems on which the people ultimately rely. There can also be conflicts between outside specialists and the indigenous knowledge of local communities. A holistic approach involving local peoples in management of their natural resources is therefore essential. A range of approaches to the problem is explored here in relation to natural resource management to local development and livelihoods, and the multi-functional nature of land-use. Major topics debated are the dichotomy between strictly protected areas and ones including human activity, people-centred rather than legally enforced conservation, market forces, and the interrelationships between agriculture and conservation. The book has 12 chapters, prepared by researchers actively involved in community aspects of natural resource management in Africa, and is based on an international workshop held in Niamey, Niger, in 2008. It will be of interest to all involved in the community approach to biodiversity conservation in less developed countries generally and not only in Africa as many of the issues addressed are pertinent globally. Contents: Natural resource management by rural citizens in developing countries: innovation still required (Emmanuel Torquebiau, Russel D. Taylor). The strategic pillars of communal natural resource management: benefit, empowerment and conservation (Marshall W. Murphree). Community based natural resource management in Zimbabwe: the experience of CAMPFIRE (Russel D. Taylor). Mobilizing for nature in southern African community-based conservation policies, or the death of the local (Estienne Rodary). Parks-people conflicts: the case of Gonarezhou National Park and the Chitsa community in south-east Zimbabwe (Solomon Mombeshora, Sebastien Le Bel). Cotton expansion and biodiversity loss in African savannahs, opportunities and challenges for conservation agriculture: a review paper based on two case studies (Frederic Baudron et al.). The challenge of participatory natural resource management with mobile herders at the scale of a Sub-Saharan African protected area (Aurelie Binot et al.). The last African white giraffes live in farmers' fields (Romain Leroy et al;). Bees, farmers, tourists and hunters: conflict dynamics around Western Tanzania protected areas (Yves Hausser et al;). Community hunting in logging concessions: towards a management model for Cameroon's dense forests (Cedric Vermeulen et al.). Conservation value for birds of traditionally managed isolated trees in an agricultural landscape of Madagascar (Emily A. Martin et al.). Can engaging local people's interests reduce forest degradation in Central Vietnam? (M. Boissiere et al.). Taking into account local practices and indigenous knowledge in an emergency conservation context in Madagascar (Chloe N. Marie et al.). Reprinted from Biodiversity and Conservation 18: 10 (2009).

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the management of rangelands used by mobile populations, such as transhumant herders, must include large scale, sometimes cross-border, components. This mobility, common and significant in transhumant livestock production systems is, in most cases, not taken into account in conservation and natural resources management strategies around protected areas. Most conservation projects which include a development goal are designed to provide support to sedentary subsistence agricultural populations. Securing “pastoral lands” is seldom included as part of protected areas land management approaches. This paper focuses on the difficulty of integrating pastoral, agricultural and conservation issues into a regional land management plan. Based on a case study in Chad (Zakouma National Park), we pay particular attention to local mechanisms of land tenure negotiation, the mobile actors and the complex political landscape that this creates.

Wildlife law enforcement in Sub-Saharan African protected areas : a review of best practices

The Landsat archives have been made freely available in 2008, allowing the production of high resolution built-up maps at the regional or global scale. In this context, most of the classification algorithms rely on supervised learning to tackle the heterogeneity of the urban environments. However, at a large scale, the process of collecting training samples becomes a huge project in itself. This leads to a growing interest from the remote sensing community toward Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) projects such as OpenStreetMap (OSM). Despite the spatial heterogeneity of its contribution patterns, OSM provides an increasing amount of information on the earth’s surface. More interestingly, the community has moved beyond street mapping to collect a wider range of spatial data such as building footprints, land use, or points of interest. In this paper, we propose a classification method that makes use of OSM to automatically collect training samples for supervised learning of built-up areas. To take into account a wide range of potential issues, the approach is assessed in ten Sub-Saharan African urban areas from various demographic profiles and climates. The obtained results are compared with: (1) existing high resolution global urban maps such as the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) or the Human Built-up and Settlements Extent (HBASE); and (2) a supervised classification based on manually digitized training samples. The results suggest that automated supervised classifications based on OSM can provide performances similar to manual approaches, provided that OSM training samples are sufficiently available and correctly pre-processed. Moreover, the proposed method could reach better results in the near future, given the increasing amount and variety of information in the OSM database.

Purpose In the sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, energy poverty (EP) is a serious problem, especially in rural areas where clean cooking electricity (CEA) is scarce. Therefore, there is a need to examine how CEA is improved in this region. Thus, this research aims to cover this gap and provide major policies that can be adopted in this region. Design/methodology/approach This study looks into different approaches to improve access to CEA in rural communities, as well as the complex issues related to EP. This is one of the first studies to examine how financial development (FD), natural resources rents (NRR) and green finance (GF) can be used to promote CEA of the SSA countries. The annual data of the 43 SSA countries is used for the period 2000–2021 and the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is used for data analysis purposes. Findings The results show that NRR and FD are fundamental in fostering the CEA in the SSA countries’ rural areas. Therefore, these factors are essential in eradicating EP. The resource bless theory is thus supported, while the resource curse theory is opposed. GF does not significantly promote CEA in the SSA countries’ rural areas, though it presents a positive influence because of the positive coefficients in the results. Economic growth (EG) in African countries, reduces CEA. Originality/value This research provides new insights into how EP can be reduced with NRR and FD in the SSA region. Thus, in line with sustainable development goal 7, this research recommends the use of financial and natural resources to promote CEA. Moreover, to improve the influence of GF in alleviating EP, institutional quality should be improved.

The zeitgeist of mobile banking epoch in Sub-Saharan Africa has marked a fundamental transition from the use of physical currency, debit/credit cards and cheques towards a mobile banking e-commerce. In these countries mobile banking provides consumers with added-on advantages such as user-friendliness, cost effective, fast transaction speeds and increased customer satisfaction. Despite the popularity of mobile banking, consumers in most rural areas have largely remained excluded from such beneficial financial innovation. In addition, the extent to which mobile banking services are being adopted by rural consumers has not increased as expected, yet, economic growth and development of Sub-Saharan Africa could fundamentally be contingent on how these potential consumers adopt and use mobile banking innovations. The main objective of the study was to examine the adoption of mobile banking in Sub-Saharan African rural areas drawing lessons from Zimbabwe. Quantitative data was collected using a questionnaire from a random sample of 100 respondents. The findings show that the likelihood of adopting mobile banking in rural Sub-Saharan Africa regions are influenced by perceived usefulness, compatibility perceived ease of use and demographic factors. The likelihood of deferring the adoption of mobile banking are due to complexity, relative advantages, perceived usefulness, social influence and perceived risk. The study recommends policies that reduce perceived risk and complexity, increase trust, confidentiality and awareness knowledge among rural user.

This chapter provides an overview of main data, trends, and dimensions of inbound degree recruitment and mobility in the regions. There are few studies about student mobility in Latin America, and most of them are focused either on outbound degree and credit mobility to Europe and North America, and/or on inbound credit and certificate mobility within the region. A lack of national and regional policies and strategies for internationalization and international recruitment are the main factors explaining the low degree of inbound mobility in Latin America. Inbound mobility has grown steadily within the past decade, even faster than domestic enrollment. Morocco has become a significant exporter of tertiary education services, with an offer tailored to African students, who make up three-quarters of its international students. The sub-Saharan African higher education area represents a diverse space, characterized by student mobility driven by complex historical factors.

BackgroundSelective migration may affect health indicators in both urban and rural areas. Sub-Saharan African urban areas show evidence of both negative and positive selection on health status at outmigration. Health...

The study purpose was to determine the prevalence and determinants of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in a rural community sample of 15–19-year-old Kenyan adolescents in a region with high HIV burden. Data were from an observational study examining ethical issues in adolescent HIV research (N=4084). Participants reporting suicidal ideation were assessed for suicide risk. Directed content analyses were conducted using assessment reports. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with suicide outcomes. Prevalence of suicidal ideation was 16%. Of these, 38% were low risk and 12% were moderate/high-risk. Females and sexually active adolescents had higher odds of suicidal ideation and being categorised as moderate/high-risk. Adolescents with higher depression scores had higher odds of reporting ideation. Pregnancy was protective for females while impregnating a partner was a risk factor for males. Abuse from a family member, financial stress and health concerns were the most frequently mentioned precipitants of ideation. However, only abuse increased odds of suicide behaviour. Effective programmes to identify and support sexually active, pregnant, and distressed adolescents at risk for suicide are needed. Approaches involving families, schools, health facilities, and community gatekeepers may have the most promise in sub-Saharan African rural areas with limited mental health services.