The village of Guié in central Burkina Faso may not have much name recognition in the grand scheme of things. But for more than a decade, this community has been the site of an initiative that provides hope in the fight against desertification.

The U.N. Security Council, whose primary mandate is to prevent wars and preserve world peace, will once again break tradition next week when it debates the newest threat to international security: climate change.

In Africa, local communities had well-developed traditional indigenous knowledge systems for environmental management and coping strategies, making them more resilient to environmental change. This knowledge had, and still has, a high degree of acceptability amongst the majority of populations in which it has been preserved.

Tanzania Gender Networking Programme has issued a strong statement condemning profit hungry companies that came to Africa to reap profits from our natural resources such as water.

Water levels are still keeping thousands in camps after flooding in Namibia's northern Caprivi region in early March, and aid agencies warn it could take months before displaced residents can return home. Torrential rain in neighbouring Angola caused the Zambezi River to burst its banks and spill onto the floodplains.

Peter Wamboga-Mugirya reports for SciDev that scientists are challenging politicians over the planned give-away of a natural forest east of Kampala, Uganda, for a sugar plantation. The Ugandan state-owned newspaper The New Vision last month (20 March) reported that Uganda was in the process of leasing 7,100 hectares ? around a quarter ? of the Mabira Central Forest Reserve to the Sugar Corporation of Uganda, part of the international Mehta group.

The Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) of the University of the Western Cape Recently held a conference entitled Land, Memory, Reconstruction and Justice: Perspectives on Land Restitution in South Africa. A series of insightful papers dealing with the issue of land restitution in Africa were presented and are available online.

It's affordable, and central to stopping deforestation in Chad. But, butane gas has a long way to go before it becomes a household staple in this Sahelian country: many Chadians have a fixed belief that gas is simply too dangerous to use.

The quadrupling of Senegal's population in 47 years has led to an increase in the amount of land under cultivation, rising demand for firewood and charcoal, and accelerated urbanisation. The result: Senegal loses about 350,000 hectares of its forests annually to fires that are frequently started to clear land for farming, and more than 80,000 hectares for agricultural needs, according to the Centre for Environmental Preservation (Centre pour la sauvegarde de l'environnement, CSE).

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals for poverty eradication aim to halve the number of people without access to safe water and sanitation by 2015. Safe drinking water remains a mirage for the vast majority in poverty-stricken Sierra Leone, and there has been scant public discussion of the possible solutions. Bai-Bai Sesay reports for PANOS.

Accustomed to their age-old freedom to roam, the nomadic pastoralists of Uganda are now having to cope with a law that seeks to settle and ‘modernise’ their communities. Sharon Lamwaka reports for PANOS on unforeseen implications for the survival of the long-horned Ankole cow, and for food security.

Throughout southern Africa customary laws governing land management are coming into conflict with modern statutory laws that aim to put land on the market. A land dispute in Zambia between a group of villagers and a big sugar company highlights some of the issue, including festering class divisions.

Africa has no option but to use biodegradable material to save the environment, says Nobel Laureate Prof Wangari Maathai. “The warning on climate change is so definite that it can no longer be ignored. The leadership in Africa needs to address issues concerning the environment,” she said.

Clashes caused by a dispute over land rights in the western Kenyan district of Mount Elgon have continued, exacerbating the plight of about 45,000 displaced people, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said.

The figures tell the story. In 1990, forests in Mali extended over more than 14 million hectares. But by 2000 they covered 13,117,643 hectares, according to a national report on the state of the environment made public in 2005. This marked a reduction of about seven percent in the West African country's forests, in just a decade.

Mozambique aims to lead a green revolution in sub-Saharan Africa by using science to improve crop varieties, and by boosting innovation. Government budgets are ready to meet new investments.

A new report by the World Development Movement features public water experts from Brazil, Cambodia, India and Uganda, describing in their own words the successes they have had in connecting the poor to clean water.

Human activities are largely responsible for a loss of forest cover in Morocco. The government is taking steps to combat deforestation, but more remains to be done. In recent years ecologists and officials have raised the alarm that without sufficient awareness campaigns and government action, Morocco may lose its forests.

Namibia has purchased two commercial farms near the Etosha National Park on behalf of a tribe of bushmen who were evicted from their ancestral lands inside the famed game reserve 100 years ago, a minister said.

Kenya has called on developed nations to extend support to developing countries to strengthen their capacity in tackling environment challenges. Addressing a two-day international conference on sustainable development underway in Nairobi, President Mwai Kibaki said African governments could not contain the enormous challenges of energy and environmental conservation on their own.