United Nations Environment Programme

1. United Nations Environment Programme UNEP was established in 1972 with the mandate: “To keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration by governments.” - UN General Assembly 1972

2. United Nations Environment Programme However - UNEP is not alone in seeking the attention of policy makers and the public. UNEPmust compete in a crowded marketplace of ideas.

3. United Nations Environment Programme How can UNEP and others in the environmental community get our message across?

4. How do we at UNEP and others in the environmental community get our message across? Text is important, but it requires an active interest on the part of the reader. Even when the text is condensed into short form and technical language is minimized – text documents still require the active interest of the reader. Those who already have an active interest in any given issue will read journal articles and reports.

5. How do we at UNEP and others in the environmental community get our message across? Graphical presentations (photos, images, graphs, charts, tables, etc.) enhances the text and helps to attract the attention of the reader.

6. Spatial Resolution Satellite Global (>1km) Earth Local (1m) 1st Earth Observation satellite launched in 1972 Distance from Earth – approx. 720 km (447 miles)

7. Apollo Image of the Planet Body text This view of the Earth from space drove home how finite, interconnected and fragile our planet is. Most used image in the world

8. Growth of the Antarctic ozone hole 1999 1979 1990 1988 1992 1997 1982 1986 1994 1984 Darkest blue areas represent regions of maximum ozone depletion. 2007

9. Raising awareness about Tropical Deforestation Body text Rondonia, Brazil • 1975 -Healthy natural vegetation • 1989 -“Fishbone” pattern on the landscape indicate agriculture fields • 2001 -Agriculture continues to replace forest cover

10. Dramatic Changes in Arctic: Imagine an Ice-free Arctic 1979-2003: Progressive Loss of Arctic Ice

11. United Nations Environment Programme One Planet Many People: Atlas of our Changing Environment

12. WHAT What is happening where? WHY • - Trend over time is the most compelling information • Hope images will contribute to change the way we perceive the environment • “ A Picture is worth thousands words” and ‘ Seeing is believing” HOW Story of environmental changes told using current and historical satellite data, ground photographs and a short narratives

13. Value-added analysis from UNEP Landsat Image

14. Landsat Image Map Data

15. Landsat Image Map Data

18. The border between Guatemala and Mexico runs through Mexico's Chiapas Forest and Guatemala's El Peten. In this pair of images, the border is easy to see, even without the black lines that have been overlaid on the images to show the outlines of the two countries. The region crossed by this border was once biologically very diverse. On the Guatemalan side, it still is, as most of the El Peten remains as closed canopy forest because of lower population densities and the protected status of the Sierra de Lacondon and Laguna del Tigre National Parks. Across the border in Chiapas, however, a larger and increasing population has an obvious effect on the landscape. Between 1974 and 2000, much of the forest on the Mexican side of the border has been converted to cropland or pasture.

19. AFRICA: Atlas of our Changing Environment

21. Objectives of Atlas • Provide visual evidence of ecological assets, transboundary issues and environmental changes to make public and decision-makers aware of these issues; • • Identify important environmental issues, track progress towards them and tell stories of local changes in all 54 countries; • Draw attention towards MDG Goal 7: Environmental Sustainability; • • Help connecting local to global through images, interesting facts & figures and graphics; • • Provide resource materials for educational purposes.

22. What policy relevant questions being addressed • What is status and trend of environment in Africa? • What are transboundary issues which needs international cooperation? • What are important environmental issues in each of African Countries? (Priority Setting) • What progress countries have made towards MDG7? • What are “scientific evidence” of significant local environmental changes in countries? (Risks and opportunities) • What and Where are place based early warning of emerging issues? • What are some interesting facts and figures about African countries?

23. What this Atlas does not cover? • Programmes and policies of various agencies; • Country policies and legislations • Limited analysis based on images but no  policy analysis or detailed assessments; • Limited interpretation of facts and figures; • Difficult to visualize impact of climate change and changes in land degradation. • Needs more “personalized stories or “voices of environment”

24. Africa Atlas :Vital Statistics • 390 pages • 123,000 words • 316 Satellite images • 104 locations of environmental changes • 319 Ground photos • 151 Maps • Printed in English and French same time • All materials are non copy-righted, available for free use

26. and Change at a continental scale

28. Africa - Lightning Centre of the World

29. Seasonal Pattern of Wildland Fires

30. Chapter 2, a look at transboundary issues.

31. Every year, herds of wildebeest, zebra, and other herbivores migrate between the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.

36. Wetlands restoration around Diawling National Park: Mauritania

37. Revitalised Land: Tahoua Province, Niger

38. Important environmental issues

39. Some findings • Deforestation is one of the most important environmental issues in 35 countries; • Africa has one of the highest deforestation rate but we did not find major frontiers of deforestation; • Africa is lightening center of the world; • Rapid population growth around Lake Victoria and the lake’s falling water level provides early warning of potential……; • Success stories include land revitalisation evident by the growth of tree clusters in images of Niger, and in one instance, the expansion of wetlands resulting from a restoration project to control flooding in Mauritania. • In Botswana population to elephant proportion is 14:1

40. Tracking progress towards MDG7

41. Emmanuel Tachie-Obeng – Ghana Erick Khamala – Kenya Blessing Siwela – Zimbabwe / Botswana Bernard Adusei - Ghana Eugene Apindi Ochieng – Kenya Henok Alemu – Ethiopia Mahamadou Keita – Mali Sami Eria – Uganda Visiting scientists from African countries have worked on the “Africa Atlas” in the Sioux Falls office over the 12 + months Meron Abrham – Ethiopia René Siwe – Cameroon

42. Africa, Atlas of Our Changing Environment Regional Review Meeting of the Atlas of Africa’s Changing Environment 30 July – 1 August 2007, Cairo, Egypt

43. For more information and free download go to: http://www.na.unep.net/AfricaAtlas/ To purchase go to: http://www.earthprint.com/ THANK YOU