Biscuit Cow

I happened to cross a tiger sanctuary today. Yes, a very nice day indeed. Jungles when seen from the sky looks green and no trees can be identified. But when we go closer to them each tree is visible and the jungle has disappeared.  It is like our traditional ‘When I see a dog stone is not there and when I see a stone dog is not there.’ Meaning “If you can visualize a dog in a statue of stone the stone won’t be visible and if you can’t visualize only a stone would be visible. Of course it is similar to the ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’.

I tried to learn something from the leaning bamboo grass. What a wonder! They can’t stand alone. They grow as a bush together and they survive together. What a unity!

The banyan trees with aerial roots! In the age of old age homes for men, trees prepare for their winter days ahead.  There is no question of falling as the new roots go deep and spread far and wide.  We talk of nuclear families and nuclear wars too!

The creepers that can’t stand erect take the support of the other trees and plants and there is no apartheid seen or shown. What camaraderie!

Plants and trees stand and stand at times the roots clasping the soil and at times the soil clasping the roots clasp… no difference of opinions…only defense mechanisms!

Big and small flowers spreading the fragrance without any expectations whatsoever: in many hues without a hue and cry throughout the day … smiling and smiling and remaining heroes!

All along the way the monkeys were there to welcome me with their mischief. They were small and big and some on the milestones and some on the branches and some on the run. Generous people generously were throwing apples and banana fruits as the bus moved on. As experienced cricketer would do they were there to catch every fruit. All of them were nude but dressed in beauty.   For miles they were there and so smiles on our faces. 'Everything has beauty but not very one sees it.'

The sad part of the trip was a monkey struggling after hit by a speeding vehicle on the ghat road and I could see her hands gesturing helplessness. Even before I could think what could me response  my bus driver crossed the accident victim and discussions were there to help her in the midst of the jungle.  Fortunately the forest guards were there in a kilometer ahead on our way. As I informed them of the accident, promptly the guards rushed to assist the monkey. Hope I have done my duty.

Of course I got a friend in the form of a cow in a motel that was ready to munch Britannia Biscuits. It seemed the cow had forgotten to eat grass and love to have what we all have. I emptied the pocket and filled my heart with contentment. 

Land of Buddha and the Land of Buddhists

Panasonic, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawazaki, Toyota, Mitzubishi, Izuzu  and 1000 more companies are in India with Indians for decades. Hope the cultural unity brings in more hope and joy for the peoples of both the nations.

KYOTO – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the ancient city of Kyoto on Sunday, the second day of a visit intended to strengthen security and economic relations and counter a increasingly assertive China.

Modi was accompanied by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his visit to a historic temple a day after he had a private dinner with Abe.

It is unusual for the prime minister to greet a foreign guest outside Tokyo.

The two leaders visited the 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple of Toji, a World Heritage site, and offered prayers in front of ancient statues early Sunday.

They also took a short walk near a five-story pagoda in the company of a priest. Buddhism, born in the Indian subcontinent, was brought to Japan through China and Korea in the sixth century.

Later in the day Modi met Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka, who heads the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University and briefed the Indian leader about cutting-edge research.

Modi arrived Saturday at Kansai International Airport near Osaka and spent the night in Kyoto.

On Monday he will hold an official summit with Abe in Tokyo as well as meet with business leaders.

Both nations hope to curb Beijing’s rising activity in the East and South China seas and the Indian Ocean.

In New Delhi, Modi told Japanese media in an interview last week that the two nations could “upgrade” their relations in the fields of defense and security.

“I see in the recent changes in Japan’s defense export policies and regulations a possibility to engage in a new era of cooperation in high-end defence technology and equipment,” he said.

At the summit the two leaders are likely to agree on launching a “two-plus-two” security consultative framework involving their foreign and defense ministers, according to Japanese media.

Japan already has such arrangements with the United States, Australia, Russia and France.

India and Japan will also try to conclude talks on a civilian nuclear agreement that will allow Tokyo to export nuclear-related technology to New Delhi, reports said.

They are also expected to agree jointly to produce rare earths that could be exported to Japan, a move that will further reduce Japan’s reliance on China for the supply of such minerals.

Rare earths are vital for the manufacture of high-tech products such as hybrid cars and mobile phones.

Safety of Kids: at Home, Public Places and in Schools

Dimension I:  SAFETY AT HOME ENVIROMENT

Children are the asset of any nation. They are the future of the humanity. Hence their physical safety is of paramount importance. The increased urbanization has put our kids in a much disadvantageous position. The nuclear family set up, working parents, growing apartment culture and many more present new issues that act as detrimental to kids.

1. Playing with toys that are electrically operated without adult supervision must be avoided

2. Children must not ever play with sharp objects/toys

3. No tricks or games using saris or duppattas or any cloth/clothes covering faces or heads as they may choke breathing resulting in unsavory incidents

4. Even a bucket of water or a pot of hot water turn out to be a death trap for the small kids if they are not supervised.

5. Using immersion rods for heating water where small kids below the age 10 are very risky and dangerous.

6. Electrical points must not be close to the reach of the kids as they may use them with wet hands

7. No child to be allowed to operate gas stoves whatever is the emergency.

8. No child to be allowed to work in the kitchen. Asking them to bring down milk/hot water/ or hot oil as they may drop the containers once the heat reached their hands

9. Bathrooms need not have latches inside as they prove to be dangerous on many an occasions.

10. Parking of cars by adults inside garages require care as small kids may run or be standing nearby which can’t be noticed by the person in the drivers’ seat.

11. Children must never be left alone in a car as the child locking may get jammed. 

12. A two wheeler is for a maximum of two riders and is never to be used to carry large school bags, water bottles, lunch boxes, project charts or exhibits and two or three kids along with the rider.

Dimension-II:  Public Places

The increased urbanization has put our kids in a much disadvantageous position. The motorized roads, ever increasing traffic, commuting to schools, parks, malls or bus stands … everywhere we have to ensure the safety of our kids.

1.  Parallel riding in bicycles on roads must be avoided

2. The habit of carrying multiple bags while cycling/ or riding bikes must be dropped.

3. Riding a car or a bike by any one is dangerous for the rider/passenger/the other road users.

4. Children must avoid puddles of water in rainy days and must be careful for open manholes or live cables snapped due to rains/winds

5. Talking to strangers in person or via social media must be avoided. 

6.  Unclaimed objects must not be touched or handled but can inform the police of such objects

7. Buses, cars, trains are all machines and all of them require time to be stopped in emergencies. It is better to have faith in ourselves than in the ‘breaking system’ of a machine.

8. Water bodies are dangerous for those who are not swimmers and seas/oceans must not be misunderstood for swimming pools. They generate large waves and moving sand which are not there in swimming pools.

9. Running rivers may hide whirlpools and a dry river bed may conceal ‘quick sand’

10. Entering or exiting a moving bus or train is dangerous and hence must be avoided.

Dimension-III:  School Campus

The kids spend their active time mostly in schools. Ensuring their safety in classrooms, labs, play areas, corridors, stairs and in washrooms are very crucial. Discuss with your group members and come out with safety measures.  

1.  No sliding/skidding in the corridors

2. Never run inside the school. Reserve it for the playground.

3. Never stand on your chairs or tables and throw objects up as the ceiling fans may cause havoc

4. Do not handle the electrical switches or the equipments in your classroom in the absence of your teacher.

5. Don’t crowd the washrooms and they are not the places for any discussion.

6. Handle with care. The dividers, the pencils and many more sharp things you use must be put inside boxes immediately after their use.

7. An adolescent child has gained strength and it is not known to him/her. Hence your small pat may be felt as a big hit by your friend. Avoid that.

8. Never twist your friends hands as both of you are not aware of the tolerable limits of the hands.

9. Sports fields too require lot of precautions and strictly listen and follow the instructions given

10. In labs never touch the equipments/chemicals/liquids in the absence of your teacher.

Getting on the school bus

• When the bus arrives, stand at least three giant steps (6 feet) away from the bus.

• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the Side walk or along the side of the road until you are five giant steps (10 feet) ahead of the bus. Then you can cross the street.

• Be sure the bus driver can see you and you can see the bus driver.

• Never walk behind the bus.

• If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up first because the driver may not be able to see you.

Behavior on the bus

• When on the bus, find a seat and sit down. Loud talking or other noise can distract the bus driver and is not allowed.

• Never put head, arms or hands out of the window.

• Keep aisles clear—books or bags are tripping hazards and can block the way in an emergency.

• Before you reach your stop, get ready to leave by getting your books and belongings together.

• At your stop, wait for the bus to stop completely before getting up from your seat, then walk to the front door and exit, using the handrail.

Getting off the school bus

• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk at least ten feet ahead of the bus along the side of the road until you can turn around see the driver.

• Make sure the bus driver can see you.

• Wait for a signal from the driver before beginning to cross.

• When the driver signals, walk across the road keeping an eye out for sudden traffic changes.

• Do not cross the center line of the road until the driver has signaled that it is safe for you to begin walking.

• Stay away from the wheels of the bus at all times

WEALTH OUT OF WASTE

                                                 

Tips for WOW.

The uses of empty Pepsi/Coke bottles

1.  To make compounds around the school, gardens, benches in gardens, foot ball courts and in any open area where seating arrangement is required can be made/fence/compounds are to be erected.

·        Fill the bottles with any type of sand to strengthen the material. Close the lid. And use them as we use bricks in construction.

2. The empty bottles can made into flower vases, bottle holders, art works, flower pots and bird feeder.

3. Make arrangements for source segregation and go for a compost yard in your school

4. We can go for vermicomposting and utilize the manure for your gardens or sell them

5. Bio-gas plants can be erected to meet the needs of the school labs

6.  Old and unused clothes can be brought to the school and long bits can be cut and they are made as small ropes and wound up as door mats. They would be colorful and would be water absorbing.

7. Empty shoe boxes can be brought to school and can be placed in isolated places or on the branches of trees with their tops covered and with openings on one side would be used by birds as nests. The crows may also use them for laying eggs and hatching them

8. Waste paper discarded at home can be collected and put in water and after grinding them the paste can be used for the creation of beautiful dolls or the figures of our liking.

9.  Large China man toys or larger tyrant size figures can be made in combinations of clay, paper, waste plastic and empty bottles.

10. The stumps of large trees can be brought and used as single seaters/dining tables.

11. Disposed glass bottles can be used to create wonderful attractive figures.

12. Empty white gourd  which is ripe can be made into a container to keep powdery things after drying them and.

13. From the banana stems the fibers can be taken out and make door mats/wall hangers

14. Empty coconut shells are strong and ladles and small cups can be made out of them

15. From the hay or the tall grass that grows on water bodies or with the palm or coconut leaves we can make shelters for the watchmen or an outhouse or a garden hut for relaxation

16.  If the landscaping of the garden is slope watering would be easier

17. Children can be encouraged to bring the mango seeds they generate in their homes and they can be sown in the school garden

18.  With the help of the coconut fiber we can make wall hangers which can act as heat blockers during summer as water can be sprinkled on them which would act as shields.

19. Wooden planks we get in the school campus can be used as lids to cover pots or vessels

20. Empty Pepsi bottles can be cut and made as pencil or pen stands with little paint work outside, the pen stand becomes cute

21. Rings of plastic bottles can be cut and colorful threads of wool or cotton decorating outside they become cute bracelets for girls.

22. Gardens in air. The very same bottles are cut to size and earth with organic manure filled in becomes suitable for growing small herbs or decorative plants/grass.

23. Perforate the pepsi bottle with soldering iron and make it attractive. Decorate the upper rim with a colorful tape and use the bottle to store erasers and small knick knacks.

24. Buy the required machinery and bring an unused CD to make an attractive clock. Don’t forget to paint the CD with the color of your choice.

25. With the toilet paper rolls we can make cute pen stands with suitable outer covering and closing one end.

Warning:  All the above require adult supervision.

Ultra Volatile Rays

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation, with wavelengths between 100 and 400 nm. Small amounts of UV radiation are essential for the production of vitamin D in humans, but exposure to large doses may have short- and long-term adverse effects on the skin, the eyes and the immune system.

What are simple action steps for sun protection?

Q: What are simple action steps for sun protection?

A: Shade, sunglasses, clothing and hats provide the best protection – applying sunscreen becomes necessary on those parts of the body that remain exposed, like the face and hands. Sunscreen should never be used to prolong the duration of sun exposure.

• Limit time in the midday sun. The sun’s UV rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Take particular care when in the sun during these hours.
  
• Watch for the UV index. This important resource helps you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent overexposure to the sun’s rays. When the UV Index is moderate or above, sun protection is required.
  
• Use shade wisely. Seek shade when UV rays are the most intense, but keep in mind that shade structures such as trees, umbrellas or canopies do not offer complete sun protection.
  
• Wear protective clothing. A hat with a wide brim offers good sun protection for your eyes, ears, face, and the back or your neck. Sunglasses that provide 99 to 100 percent UV-A and UV-B protection will greatly reduce eye damage from sun exposure. Tightly woven, loose fitting clothes that covers as much of the body as possible will provide additional protection from the sun.
  
• Use sunscreen. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30+ liberally to exposed skin and re-apply every two hours, or after working, swimming, playing or exercising outdoors.
  
• Avoid sunlamps and tanning parlours. Sunbeds and sunlamps increase the risk of skin cancer and can damage unprotected eyes. They should be avoided entirely.
  
• Protect children. Children are generally more susceptible to environmental hazards than adults. During outdoor activities, they should be protected from high UV exposure as above, and babies should always remain in the shade.

Source:WHO

Facts on Ebola

Key facts

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
• EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
• Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.

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Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

Genus Ebolavirus is 1 of 3 members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus), along with genus Marburgvirus and genus Cuevavirus. Genus Ebolavirus comprises 5 distinct species:

• Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV)
• Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV)
• Reston ebolavirus (RESTV)
• Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV)
• Taï Forest ebolavirus (TAFV).

BDBV, EBOV, and SUDV have been associated with large EVD outbreaks in Africa, whereas RESTV and TAFV have not. The RESTV species, found in Philippines and the People’s Republic of China, can infect humans, but no illness or death in humans from this species has been reported to date.

Transmission

Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.

Among workers in contact with monkeys or pigs infected with Reston ebolavirus, several infections have been documented in people who were clinically asymptomatic. Thus, RESTV appears less capable of causing disease in humans than other Ebola species.

However, the only available evidence available comes from healthy adult males. It would be premature to extrapolate the health effects of the virus to all population groups, such as immuno-compromised persons, persons with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and children. More studies of RESTV are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn about the pathogenicity and virulence of this virus in humans.

Signs and symptoms

EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. Ebola virus was isolated from semen 61 days after onset of illness in a man who was infected in a laboratory.

The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21 days.

Diagnosis

Other diseases that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of EVD can be made include: malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed definitively in a laboratory through several types of tests:

• antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• antigen detection tests
• serum neutralization test
• reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• electron microscopy
• virus isolation by cell culture.

Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk; testing should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.

Vaccine and treatment

No licensed vaccine for EVD is available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use.

Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.

No specific treatment is available. New drug therapies are being evaluated.

Natural host of Ebola virus

In Africa, fruit bats, particularly species of the genera Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata, are considered possible natural hosts for Ebola virus. As a result, the geographic distribution of Ebolaviruses may overlap with the range of the fruit bats.

Ebola virus in animals

Although non-human primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir but rather an accidental host like human beings. Since 1994, Ebola outbreaks from the EBOV and TAFV species have been observed in chimpanzees and gorillas.

RESTV has caused severe EVD outbreaks in macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) farmed in Philippines and detected in monkeys imported into the USA in 1989, 1990 and 1996, and in monkeys imported to Italy from Philippines in 1992.

Since 2008, RESTV viruses have been detected during several outbreaks of a deadly disease in pigs in People’s Republic of China and Philippines. Asymptomatic infection in pigs has been reported and experimental inoculations have shown that RESTV cannot cause disease in pigs.

Prevention and control

Controlling Reston ebolavirus in domestic animals

No animal vaccine against RESTV is available. Routine cleaning and disinfection of pig or monkey farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating the virus.

If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately. Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.

As RESTV outbreaks in pigs and monkeys have preceded human infections, the establishment of an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities.

Reducing the risk of Ebola infection in people

In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.

In Africa, during EVD outbreaks, educational public health messages for risk reduction should focus on several factors:

• Reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission from contact with infected fruit bats or monkeys/apes and the consumption of their raw meat. Animals should be handled with gloves and other appropriate protective clothing. Animal products (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
• Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission in the community arising from direct or close contact with infected patients, particularly with their bodily fluids. Close physical contact with Ebola patients should be avoided. Gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn when taking care of ill patients at home. Regular hand washing is required after visiting patients in hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at home.
• Communities affected by Ebola should inform the population about the nature of the disease and about outbreak containment measures, including burial of the dead. People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried.

Pig farms in Africa can play a role in the amplification of infection because of the presence of fruit bats on these farms. Appropriate biosecurity measures should be in place to limit transmission. For RESTV, educational public health messages should focus on reducing the risk of pig-to-human transmission as a result of unsafe animal husbandry and slaughtering practices, and unsafe consumption of fresh blood, raw milk or animal tissue. Gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues and when slaughtering animals. In regions where RESTV has been reported in pigs, all animal products (blood, meat and milk) should be thoroughly cooked before eating.

Controlling infection in health-care settings

Human-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus is primarily associated with direct or indirect contact with blood and body fluids. Transmission to health-care workers has been reported when appropriate infection control measures have not been observed.

It is not always possible to identify patients with EBV early because initial symptoms may be non-specific. For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices at all times. These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (according to the risk of splashes or other contact with infected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.

Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus should apply, in addition to standard precautions, other infection control measures to avoid any exposure to the patient’s blood and body fluids and direct unprotected contact with the possibly contaminated environment. When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with EBV, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).

Laboratory workers are also at risk. Samples taken from suspected human and animal Ebola cases for diagnosis should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories.

WHO response

WHO provides expertise and documentation to support disease investigation and control.

Recommendations for infection control while providing care to patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola haemorrhagic fever are provided in: Interim infection control recommendations for care of patients with suspected or confirmed Filovirus (Ebola, Marburg) haemorrhagic fever, March 2008. This document is currently being updated.

WHO has created an aide–memoire on standard precautions in health care (currently being updated). Standard precautions are meant to reduce the risk of transmission of bloodborne and other pathogens. If universally applied, the precautions would help prevent most transmission through exposure to blood and body fluids.

Standard precautions are recommended in the care and treatment of all patients regardless of their perceived or confirmed infectious status. They include the basic level of infection control—hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment to avoid direct contact with blood and body fluids, prevention of needle stick and injuries from other sharp instruments, and a set of environmental controls.

Source: WHO

What is Ebola?

Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness and one of the world's most virulent diseases. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. During an outbreak, people at higher risk of infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact with sick people and anyone who has died from Ebola. People who are ill with the disease need to receive expert care in appropriate facilities. Ebola outbreaks can devastate families and communities, but the infection can be controlled through the use of recommended protective measures. 

Poverty-Environment Initiative Leads the Way Towards an Inclusive Green Economy

Photograph: Paballo Thekiso/FAO/UNEP-UNDP Poverty and Environment Initiative

When the global financial crisis began in 2008-09, environmental sustainability dwindled as a policy priority for many countries and budgets for environment and sustainable management of natural resources were cut across the globe.

For the nine African countries where the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI) has been working since 2005, however, a different kind of response was discernible.

Situated on a continent where economic growth is largely driven by natural resources and convinced of the benefits derived from pro-poor sustainable environment management, the countries of Botswana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania have become pioneers in taking practical steps towards an inclusive, pro-poor green economy.

The Poverty-Environment Nexus: a growing problem

African economies and rural livelihoods remain heavily dependent on natural resources, particularly renewable resources such as soil and water, and on the associated productive sectors such as agriculture and forestry.

Stories from across the continent are all too familiar with small-holder farmers in Malawi and Tanzania experiencing reduced yields as a result of soil degradation; artisanal miners in Burkina Faso facing increasing health problems after prolonged exposure to chemicals; and people searching for new livelihood opportunities in urban areas and abroad in the face of diminishing economic and social returns from natural resources.

With the youngest and fastest-growing population in the world and institutional capacity constraints, tackling these problems represents an enormous challenge in Africa. Despite this, these nine countries are making headway.

Crunching the numbers

Economic valuations of natural resources and the environment have produced some powerful findings which have started to make a viable case for green economy investment and prompted action in a number of PEI-supported governments.

Such evaluations have shown in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Mozambique, the costs of unsustainable natural resource use is equivalent to between 17 to 22 per cent of GDP. Once such numbers are accepted and understood, other branches of government - beyond the Ministries of Environment - rapidly take note, instigating sector-wide support for policy reforms.

In Mauritania, for example, such findings were used to advocate for the integration of poverty-environment related objectives into the National Poverty Reduction Strategy and were instrumental in the decision to change the project lead agency from the Ministry of Environment to the Ministry of Finance.

Generating policy change

Public Environment Expenditure Reviews (PEERs) in each of the PEI countries have been able to highlight the typically low budget allocations and expenditure for sustainable environment and natural resource management.

Comparison of this audit to the results of other PEI economic studies can reveal some powerful conclusions. For example, in Mali environmental expenditure was estimated to be 1 per cent of GDP, despite the fact that the costs of inaction with regards to environmental sustainability amount to 21 per cent of the GDP.

Thus, the return from investing in sustainable natural resource use is high, yet at present that benefit is not being fully captured.

Making this reality known has prompted positive action from Ministries of Planning and Finance who are now energized to increase investment in sustainability.

This is evidenced by the fact that in five of the PEI-supported countries, public resource allocations for pro-poor environmental sustainability have increased since the start of the programme.

Reform more important now than ever

While the world is recovering from the global financial crisis, Africa is experiencing rapid economic growth largely driven by agriculture and extractive industries, two sectors with significant equality and environmental challenges, making poverty-environment mainstreaming more relevant than ever.

The early progress made in these nine countries has demonstrated the win-win solution offered by strengthening the linkages between environmental sustainability and human development. PEI is showcasing their successes globally as best practices in sustainable development in a bid to mainstream poverty-environment objectives in more national plans in Africa and beyond.