Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment - Tapa dura

"Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar is a timely, excellent publication that offers pertinent information for handling conservation activities and promoting sustainable use of freshwater biodiversity in Africa and associated islands, including Madagascar. This significant tool for wetland managers in Africa opens new horizons. I urge all wetland managers to read it and use it repeatedly, so that we can collectively apply its helpful guidelines." --Anada Tiega "Until now the variety and splendor of African wetlands have been well-kept secrets. At last we have a book that provides a tantalizing taste of some of those marvelous but highly threatened systems. Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar provides fundamental information on ninety-three of Africa's most significant wetland areas. Who can resist reading a book about places as diverse as the Okavango Swamps, the Kafue Flats, the Sudd, the Kasai, Lake Malawi, the Dry Sahel, the Inner Niger Delta, and Madagascar's Eastern Highlands, among many, many others?" --Jenny Day "Without doubt, the availability and quality of freshwater resources are the critical environmental management issues not only for the decade, but also for the century. Add the need to conserve biological diversity, and you have the key to ensuring the base for sustainable development and human survival. Blending detailed analyses with important essays on the conservation and wise use of wetlands and freshwater ecosystems, this book will be an invaluable resource for everyone implementing the Ramsar Convention and all who are concerned with African biodiversity and human development." --Peter Bridgewater

As part of a global effort to identify those areas where conservation measures are needed most urgently, World Wildlife Fund has assembled teams of scientists to conduct ecological assessments of all seven continents. Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar is the latest contribution, presenting in a single volume the first in-depth analysis of the state of freshwater biodiversity across Africa, Madagascar, and the islands of the region. Looking at biodiversity and threats in terms of biological units rather than political units, the book offers a comprehensive examination of the entire range of aquatic systems. In addition to its six main chapters, the book includes nineteen essays by regional experts that provide more depth on key issues, as well as six detailed appendixes that present summary data used in the analyses, specific analytical methodologies, and a thorough text description for each of Africa's ninety-three freshwater ecoregions. Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar provides a blueprint for conservation action and represents an unparalleled guide for investments and activities of conservation agencies and donor organizations.