Africa’s high dependence on natural resources makes its people vulnerable to environmental changes. This vulnerability relates to natural and human phenomena, inter alia, climate change and variability, pollution, population growth, competition for water, data availability and quality, and knowledge gaps.
Acknowledging the urgency of the vulnerability issues affecting the livelihoods of Africa’s people and environment, UNEP-DEWA and START initiated a study in February 2003 to assess the “Vulnerability of Water Resources to Environmental Change in Africa.” The goal of the study was to facilitate the management of vulnerability risks at transboundary, national, and local river/lake/groundwater basin levels, by assessing the impacts of environmental and human-driven changes on water resources. The study should be of great interest to governments, policy- and decision-makers at various levels, and to affected communities since it provides insights into these critical issues and how they could be mitigated.