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Developing river and lake basins for sustained economic growth and social progress
Author(s) -
Marquand David
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
natural resources forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1477-8947
pISSN - 0165-0203
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1989.tb00326.x
Subject(s) - environmental degradation , context (archaeology) , politics , environmental planning , developing country , drainage basin , water resources , social change , economic growth , geography , environmental resource management , development economics , political science , economics , ecology , cartography , archaeology , law , biology
It is evident that river basin development in Africa can do much to provide environmental stability to wildly erratic hydrologic and climatic cycles, to produce more food and to contribute to economic growth. The experience to date of river basin development in Africa has not proven as positive as in many developing countries. There are too many examples of ill‐conceived and ill‐suited schemes that contribute to further environmental degradation, social dislocation and hardship, and weaken already stressed national economies. The experience in Africa suggests that the real challenge for Africans to achieve environmentally self‐sustaining water resources development lies in establishing the appropriate social and environmental context for physical development to take place. Attention needs to focus on regional development, multi‐objective planning, community participation, environmental resiliency, the institutional arrangements for regional development, and the political and economic conditions within the basin states.