scholarly journals Fifty shades of red: Lost or threatened bryophytes in Africa

Bothalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Van Rooy ◽  
Ariel Bergamini ◽  
Irene Bisang
Keyword(s):  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Red List ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Regional Red Lists ◽  
Specialist Group ◽  
Threatened Bryophytes

Background: A Red List of threatened bryophytes is lacking for Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Bryophyte Specialist Group has recently launched the ‘Top 10 Initiative’ to identify the 10 species on each continent that are at highest risk of extinction.Objectives: The main aim of this paper was to highlight some of the lost or strongly threatened bryophyte species in sub-Saharan Africa and the East African islands and to draw up a Top 10 list for Africa.Method: Lost or threatened species have been identified with the help of experts on the bryoflora of Africa, global and regional Red Lists and taxonomic literature. Each species on this candidate list is discussed at the hand of its taxonomy, distribution, habitat, threat and current global or regional Red List status as far as previously assessed.Results: Fifty bryophyte species, representing 40 genera and 23 families, have been identified as Top 10 candidates. Of these, 29 are endemic to Africa and 21 are restricted to the East African islands. The majority of the candidate species occur in one of eight ‘biodiversity hotspots’ with most species (19) in the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands hotspot.Conclusion: This is the first list of lost or threatened bryophytes for Africa and the first Top 10 list of the IUCN Bryophyte Specialist Group. It represents an important step towards regional and global Red List assessment of bryophytes, thus meeting the targets of the Updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011–2020 and priorities of The Shenzhen Declaration on Plant Sciences.

scholarly journals First Report of East African Cassava Mosaic Begomovirus in Nigeria

Plant Disease ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. O. Ogbe ◽  
G. I. Atiri ◽  
D. Robinson ◽  
S. Winter ◽  
A. G. O. Dixon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Mosaic Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cassava Mosaic Disease ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Manihot Esculenta Crantz ◽  
Cross River State ◽  
Sub Saharan

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important food crop in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the major production constraints is cassava mosaic disease caused by African cassava mosaic (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic (EACMV) begomoviruses. ACMV is widespread in its distribution, occurring throughout West and Central Africa and in some eastern and southern African countries. In contrast, EACMV has been reported to occur mainly in more easterly areas, particularly in coastal Kenya and Tanzania, Malawi, and Madagascar. In 1997, a survey was conducted in Nigeria to determine the distribution of ACMV and its strains. Samples from 225 cassava plants showing mosaic symptoms were tested with ACMV monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (1). Three samples reacted strongly with MAbs that could detect both ACMV and EACMV. One of them did not react with ACMV-specific MAbs while the other two reacted weakly with such MAbs. With polymerase chain reaction (2), the presence of EACMV and a mixture of EACMV and ACMV in the respective samples was confirmed. These samples were collected from two villages: Ogbena in Kwara State and Akamkpa in Cross River State. Co-infection of some cassava varieties with ACMV and EACMV leads to severe symptoms. More importantly, a strain of mosaic geminivirus known as Uganda variant arose from recombination between the two viruses (2). This report provides evidence for the presence of EACMV in West Africa. References: (1) J. E. Thomas et al. J. Gen. Virol. 67:2739, 1986. (2) X. Zhou et al. J. Gen. Virol. 78:2101, 1997.

scholarly journals Volcanic activity and hazard in the East African Rift Zone

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Biggs ◽  
Atalay Ayele ◽  
Tobias P. Fischer ◽  
Karen Fontijn ◽  
William Hutchison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
East African Rift ◽  
Volcanic Hazards ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Rift System ◽  
East African Rift System ◽  
East African ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
African Rift

AbstractOver the past two decades, multidisciplinary studies have unearthed a rich history of volcanic activity and unrest in the densely-populated East African Rift System, providing new insights into the influence of rift dynamics on magmatism, the characteristics of the volcanic plumbing systems and the foundation for hazard assessments. The raised awareness of volcanic hazards is driving a shift from crisis response to reducing disaster risks, but a lack of institutional and human capacity in sub-Saharan Africa means baseline data are sparse and mitigating geohazards remains challenging.

ANALYSIS OF THE BRI AND CHINA’S OFDI IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
ZHIKAI WANG ◽  
YANGYANG LU ◽  
SIMIN ZHANG ◽  
ENGIDAW SISAY NEGASH
Keyword(s):  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Transportation Cost ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
World Population ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

The “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) has been launched by the Chinese government in 2013. The aim was to stimulate cross-border economic development in massive geographical areas covering Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and Latin America which accounts for 80% and 40% of the world population and gross domestic product (GDP), respectively. The BRI has devised an extension of the “going global” strategy to reconfigure China’s overseas sector in order to extend its spillovers, and create more development opportunities for participating countries. In practice, cross-border infrastructure was a comprehensive role to reduce transportation cost; however, the BRI was vast by nature that includes financial support, policy cooperation, investment, trade facilitation, and people-to-people exchanges for the humanitarian strategy. Against this backdrop, the overarching objective of this study was to analyze the impact of the BRI and Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on the bilateral trade between China and Sub-Saharan Africa countries. The investigation was carried out using a trade gravity model, balanced panel dataset, and multivariate regression estimation strategy for robustness checks covering 16 years. The result showed that Chinese OFDI, home, and host country’s GDP and GDP per capita income variables have a positive and statistically significant impact on the bilateral trade. Moreover, the BRI has explained positively on the bilateral trade; however, it does not have enough evidence to stimulate significantly, and it usually takes a long time for the effects of the BRI investment on trade and OFDI. The study also found that geographical distance and official exchange rates have explained negatively and statistically significant impact on the bilateral trade.

scholarly journals Mammals of Serra do Cipó National Park, southeastern Brazil

Check List ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. V. C. Câmara ◽  
L. C. Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Red List ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Serra Do Cipó ◽  
Minas Gerais State ◽  
Regional Red Lists ◽  
Mammal Diversity ◽  
Important Site

The mammals of the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna Biome) are still poorly known; only a few localities have been properly surveyed and studied. Hereby, we present a survey of the mammals of Serra do Cipó National Park, a protected area of Cerrado in Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. A total of 55 species from eight orders were listed, which have been captured, observed or recorded in the literature. Some mammals are endemic or listed as threatened either by IUCN’s red list or by the national and regional red lists. Serra do Cipó National Park is an important site for scientific research and conservation of Minas Gerais’ biodiversity, though there is little information on mammal diversity and distribution in the park. We hope our study can help us fill this gap and improve the effectiveness of this national park in protecting Cerrado mammals and other vertebrates.

Identifying threatened species in the "south" using new criteria

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Stattersfield
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
New Criteria ◽  
Clear Objective

The first application of the new IUCN threatened species categories to birds is reviewed. The advantage of this system is that it is characterized by clear, objective, quantitative criteria. However, for many species, requisite numerical data are lacking, and the magnitude of potential threats has to be inferred. Numbers of threatened species are compared for South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Indo-Pacific Islands. Further analysis identifies the most important countries in terms of priority for conservation action for threatened species, the key habitats for their survival and the main dangers faced. The changes between successive Red Lists indicate a possible extinction crisis of considerable magnitude, whereby half the world's birds could disappear in 800 years. Averting this crisis requires identifying and protecting sites where suites of threatened species co-occur.

Tanzania: Civil–Military Relations and Nationalism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel G. Zirker
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Military Training ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Civil Military Relations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Military Relations ◽  
The Military

Why have there been no successful military interventions or civil wars in Tanzania’s nearly 60 years of independence? This one historical accomplishment, by itself striking in an African context, distinguishes Tanzania from most of the other post-1960 independent African countries and focuses attention on the possibilities and nature of successful civil–military relations in sub-Saharan Africa. Contrary to most civil–military relations theory, rather than isolating the military in order to achieve civilian oversight, Tanzania integrated the military, the dominant political party, and civil society in what one observer called a combination of “political militancy” and “antimilitarism,” somewhat akin, perhaps, to the Chinese model. China did provide intensive military training for the Tanzanians beginning in the 1960s, although this could in no way have been expected to ensure successful integration of the military with civil society, nor could it ensure peaceful civil–military relations. Eight potentially causal and overlapping conditions have been outlined to explain this unique absence of civil–military strife in an African country. Relevant but admittedly partial explanations are: the largely salutary and national developmental role of the founding president, Julius Nyerere; the caution and long-term fear of military intervention engendered by the 1964 East African mutinies; Tanzania’s radical foreign policy as a Frontline State; its ongoing territorial disputes with Uganda and Malawi; concerted efforts at coup-proofing through the co-opting of senior military commanders; and the country’s striking ethnic heterogeneity, in which none of the 125 plus ethnolinguistic tribes had the capacity to assume a hegemonic dominance. Each factor has a role in explaining Tanzania’s unique civil–military history, and together they may comprise a plausible explanation of the over 50 years of peaceful civil–military relations. They do not, however, provide a hopeful prognosis for future civil–military relations in a system that is increasingly challenging the dominant-party state, nor do they account for Tanzania’s subsequent democratic deficit.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Response in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons From Uganda

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e46-e48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Lumu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
East African ◽  
Limited Disease ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Sub Saharan

ABSTRACTThe prolongation of the Ebola epidemic may have allowed some countries to prepare and respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. In Uganda, the surveillance structure built for Ebola virus disease (EVD) has become a pillar in the COVID-19 response. This testing and tracing apparatus has limited disease spread to clusters with zero mortality compared with the neighboring East African countries. As more sub-Saharan countries implement social distancing to contain the outbreak, the interventions should be phased and balanced with health risk and socioeconomic situation. However, having a decision-making matrix would better guide the response team. These initial lessons from EVD-experienced Uganda may be helpful to other countries in the region.

scholarly journals Access to improved sanitation facilities in low-income informal settlements of East African cities

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Okurut ◽  
R. N. Kulabako ◽  
P. Abbott ◽  
J. M. Adogo ◽  
J. Chenoweth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
Basic Sanitation ◽  
Improved Sanitation ◽  
Joint Monitoring ◽  
Sub Saharan

Throughout Africa, the population in urban areas is increasing rapidly, often exceeding the capacity and the resources of the cities and towns to accommodate the people. In sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of urban dwellers live in informal settlements served by inadequate sanitation facilities. These settlements present unique challenges to the provision of sustainable and hygienic sanitation, and there is insufficient information on access to improved facilities. This paper reports findings of a study undertaken in low-income informal settlements using a mixed methods approach to assess access to sanitation and identify the barriers to household uptake of improved sanitation facilities. More than half of the respondents (59.7%) reported using sanitation facilities that are included in the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme definition of improved sanitation. However, a high proportion of these facilities did not provide access to basic sanitation. Less than 5% of all the respondents did not report problems related to sustainable access to basic sanitation. The findings highlight the urgent need to develop specific and strategic interventions for each low-income informal settlement, to upscale the sustainable access and use of improved sanitation in urban centres.

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