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CONCLUSION

In this blog I have explored a variety of issues related to water and environmental change across the African continent. However, I have found myself focusing largely on countries in North and East Africa, including Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. These regions of Africa contain a diverse range of environments such as the Moroccan Hamada, the sub-Saharan frontier, the Saharan plains of Egypt and the Ethiopian and Kenyan highlands. These environments are distinct and vastly different to one another; however, they share a range of common concerns in relation to water and environmental change including extreme climatic and ecological shifts. While each environment has differences in local geography, examining the hydrological system in each environment demonstrates that they are interlinked by various measures of separation.

Whilst the case studies I have explored are relatively complex, one significant factor that has been a constant theme is the persistent force of environmental change in ecologically delicate regions. This includes the fast-disappearing oases on the periphery of the Sahara, the vulnerable state of the Nile River and the risk of increased flash flooding in East Africa. The scientific projections and forecasts that have been referred to throughout this blog have demonstrated the need for drastic action in order to prevent widespread irrevocable environmental changes, particularly in regions that are already in a vulnerable state. The solutions to environmental change in Africa differ in complexity. In this blog I have not investigated the potential climate change reversal schemes in detail, but I have discussed large infrastructural and community led projects such as afforestation and agricultural schemes in Morocco and Kenya and The Great Green Wall project in the Sahel. These schemes have demonstrated to provide a degree of relief to hydrological issues, creating a step towards a more sustainable future. I hope such schemes can continue under correct governance so that a balance between hydrological development and environmental stability can be reached. 

Thank you for reading.

 

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