Environmental protection  Due to the high dependence of rural communities on common property, it is necessary for local governments to implement environmental policies in order to protect the rights of the poor, who are the most affected when the quality of the environment worsens. Data from villages in Zimbabwe estimate the proportion of household income from common property as high as 40% (Dasgupta, 2002). A number of environmental protection campaigns are currently being executed in several African countries. One such campaign is the National Soil Fertility Action Plan, which is currently being prepared in 23 countries. In addition to this development, 15 National Action Plans have been submitted within the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Natural resources need to be maintained in order to provide a livelihood to largely communal rural communities, which for the most part depend on forests, and other open natural resources for their survival. It has been shown that in Tanzania the poor derive as much as half of their cash incomes from the sale of forest products, such as charcoal, honey, firewood and wild fruits (UNDP 2003). This is true for most Sub-Saharan African countries In addition, most methods used to purify minerals such as gold by most small-scale rural people involve pollution of rivers with toxic chemicals. Regional institutions in Africa have worked towards the implementation of development programmes aimed at reducing pressure on natural resources in the various areas of the continent.
The total population of Africa is projected to reach 1,941 million by the year 2050, from approximately 885 million in 2004 (Ashford, 2004). According to statistics collected by UN-Habitat 2002 and UN 2002, they indicate that out of a world total of 923,986 thousand urban slum dwellers, 869,918 thousand (94.1%) were from developing countries, with Africa accounting for 187,563 thousand or 20% (UNDP, 2003). It is important for local governments to ensure adequate planning policies in order to accommodate the predicted rising population. Local governments must also ensure the implementation of effective policies meant to regulate the activities arising from globalisation on the African economy such as the expansion in the number of urban industries, and the need for land for cultivating commercial crops, as well as to support the need for increased areas of subsistence farming. Another fundamental aspect that needs urgent attention is the issue of collecting more accurate data on environmental pollution and degradation and related statistics on the environment. Items such as farming methods employed, the pace of clearing of land for settlements, and charcoal burning, are presently not included in existing statistics. Appropriate measurements will provide a more precise indicator of the weight and quantitative value of negative environmental externalities on economic development in Africa. Chinese policy makers have now adopted the use of “green GDP” (The Economist, August 21st 2004), which takes into account the environmental costs on economic development.