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Biography |
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Salif Diop has been in UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) as a Senior Officer for nearly 15 years. He is a water specialist with extensive experience in various aspects of coastal oceanography, freshwater assessment, aquatic and marine issues, sustainable management, and development. He holds from University Louis Pasteur/Strasbourg/France, a 3rd cycle doctorate he defended in 1978 and a state doctorate he defended in 1986. He had spent a 1-year sabbatical as a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Miami/USA, Division of Biological and Living Resources in 1986/87. He is a member of various expert and working groups, including numerous scientific and research institutions. As such, he spent his first sabbatical year as Senior Fulbright Fellow in the USA at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in 1986/87. He has more than 40 referred publications with 5 books as main author and co-author and has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize Certificate – IPCC 2007. Other 120 publications can be added to his own list as technical documents, research work, monographs, thesis, abstracts, and book reviews. He is a University Professor, Member of the National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal since February 2006, Member of the African Academy of Sciences (ASS) since December 2009 and Member of the World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Sciences in the Developing Countries (TWAS)since October 2010. For more details, including recent publications, kindly consult the following website: http://www.esalifdiop.org
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Abstract |
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Some critical aspects of water resources management in Africa: Challenges, Constraints and Opportunities for Sustainable Development |
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The Africa Water Vision 2025 – "An Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation, and the environment" offers a context within which water resources may be sustainably managed. In the other hands, the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has rightly put water issues, water and sanitation in particular, but also water-energy nexus and water for food as a priority area in its new 2013-2018 Strategic Plan.
As we all know, water is directly or indirectly used in almost every economic sector in Africa including agriculture, manufacturing, trade, mining, tourism and transport. Water is both an ecosystem ‘good’, providing drinking water, irrigation and hydropower, and an ecosystem ‘service’, supplying people, whether they are aware of it or not, with functions such as cycling nutrients and supporting habitats for fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as ‘cultural services’ such as scenic vistas and recreational opportunities.
Considering the challenge of properly addressing integrated water resource management (IWRM) as a whole, the prospect of improving human well-being in Africa is critically dependent on the capacity to respond to water-related environmental changes which increase risks and reduce opportunities for the advancement of human well-being and in particular efforts to eradicate poverty among poor and vulnerable populations. Because of the complexity of water challenges, including in the various water sectors, responses need to focus on root causes and the underlying drivers of water-related environmental changes rather than only on the pressures or symptoms. Evidence-based policy making requires more reliable data and critically reviewed information, hence the importance of credible scientific assessments for better understanding of our freshwater resources for sustainable management and development. |
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