Impacts of socio-economic development and urbanization on natural resources - case studies from Africa

During the last decades, the African continent has been experiencing population dynamics at rates which are considered to be among the strongest in human history. While Africa's population increased rapidly to currently 1.1 billion of people, it is expected to double until the year 2050 [1]. This human population increase goes in line with a strong urban growth, and urbanization rates of some African cities already rank among the highest in the world. In many African countries, this growth is additionally boosted by considerable migration from rural areas, and is concentrated on only few major cities, which results in uncontrolled proliferation of slums and urban poverty.