Africa Environment Outlook (2nd report)
AEO-2
Geographical coverage
| Geographical scale of the assessment | Regional |
|---|---|
| Country or countries covered | |
| Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name |
Geographical scale of the assessment
Regional
Country or countries covered
Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name
Conceptual framework, methodology and scope
Assessment objectives
To examine the state of existing resources and highlight the opportunities and potential (current and future) of these to achieve sustainable development, eradicate poverty and reduce vulnerability, and enhance environmental sustainability.
The AEO-2 addresses five questions:
How and why is the environment important from a human perspective?
How is the environment changing and why, and what opportunities does it hold?
Are there special issues which affect the environment and development that require immediate attention or new approaches?
How will different policy choices affect the road to the future?
What can be done to ensure development and improve quality of life while ensuring that environmental value is retained?
Mandate for the assessment
Conceptual framework and/or methodology used for the assessment
Global Environment Outlook (GEO)
URL or copy of conceptual framework developed or adapted
System(s) assessed
- Marine
- Coastal
- Inland water
- Forest and woodland
- Cultivated/Agricultural land
Species groups assessed
Ecosystem services/functions assessed
Provisioning
- Genetic resources
Regulating
Supporting Services/Functions
Cultural Services
- Recreation and tourism
Scope of assessment includes
Drivers of change in systems and services
No
Impacts of change in services on human well-being
No
Options for responding/interventions to the trends observed
No
Explicit consideration of the role of biodiversity in the systems and services covered by the assessment
Yes
Timing of the assessment
Year assessment started
2002
Year assessment finished
Ongoing
If ongoing, year assessment is anticipated to finish
Periodicity of assessment
Repeated
If repeated, how frequently
AEO published in 2002, AEO-2 in 2006, and AEO-3 is currently underway.
Assessment outputs
Website(s)
Report(s)
Communication materials (e.g. brochure, presentations, posters, audio-visual media)
Journal publications
Training materials
Other documents/outputs
Tools and processes
Tools and approaches used in the assessment
Process used for stakeholder engagement in the assessment process and which component
Stakeholder involvement was a result of the wide consultations undertaken by the hundreds of contributors to AEO-2. A companion volume, Human Vulnerability to Environmental Change, contains a series of case studies that involved stakeholders in their preparation. Governments were fully involved in the preparation of AEO-2, providing data and other information.
Key stakeholder groups engaged
The number of people directly involved in the assessment process
Incorporation of scientific and other types of knowledge
Supporting documentation for specific approaches, methodology or criteria developed and/or used to integrate knowledge systems into the assessment
Assessment reports peer reviewed
No
Data
Accessibility of data used in assessment
The data used came from Governments, international agencies, collaborating centres, peer-reviewed literature and consultations with stakeholders.
Policy impact
Impacts the assessment has had on policy and/or decision making, as evidenced through policy references and actions
Independent or other review on policy impact of the assessment
No
Lessons learnt for future assessments from these reviews
Its policy impact derives from the strong support of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, the apex body for the environment in Africa. At least 22 individual countries and five subregions have adopted the AEO assessment framework in preparing their own environment outlook reports. AEO was used in the development of the Environment Initiative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, which provides the framework for environmental programmes in the region.
AEO-2 is also expected to contribute to implementing the Millennium Development Goals. Collaborating organizations include the Agence internationale pour le développement de l’information environnementale, the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe, the Indian Ocean Commission, the Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa and the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre. They also help to enhance the policy impact and relevance of AEO-2.
