Environmental management, including natural resource conservation and environmental impact assessment has progressed since the 1980s with almost every country in Africa having a system of integrated environmental management.
Sierra Leone is one of the youngest in establishing environmental management and monitoring the impacts of development on the environment. It is important however that lessons learned and effective approaches to environmental management are shared amongst governments and civil society and that partnerships are fostered to encourage sustainable development. In order to do this, a number of networks have formed in Africa for the purpose of supporting individuals and organizations in the discipline of environmental management, which consists of government policy makers and enforcers, academic practitioners and civil society organisations. These networks build capacity and share knowledge and information to allow individuals and groups to learn from each other and implement effective environmental management.
During this presentation, Mr Hauptfleisch, representative of an environmental network called the Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment (SAIEA), will introduce some of these networks and how individuals, organisations and government institutions in Sierra Leone may benefit from environmental networks across Africa.