Environmental issues in Eritrea

Eritrea faces environmental issues such as continued deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, overgrazing, and significant land loss as a result of the presence of hundreds of thousands of land mines.

Significant strides towards sustainability and environmental recovery have been made by the Government of Eritrea. The Eritrean Government has embarked on a program to reforest^[1] Eritrea (which in 1900 was 30% forested land, despite heavy logging^[2]) and prevent wood from being used as a fuel source.

In addition to its terrestrial responsibilities, the government of Eritrea, with the assistance of the UN Development Program has enacted a Coastal Marine and Island Biodiversity Conservation Project which is designed to protect the entire coastal zone of Eritrea. This is the first project of its kind in scope and magnitude in the world.^[3] This program is meant to create a sustainable environment for coming generations.^[4][5]

References

1. Swift, Richard (December 1992). "A traveler's notebook". New Internationalist. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
2. "Mangroves: Salt-resistant allies in the fight against hunger and poverty" (PDF). OPEC Fund Newsletter. 2003. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
3. "Eritrea set to protect entire coast in world first". AFP. 2006-12-13. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
4. "National symposium on utilization of marine resources held here". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
5. Pilcher, Nicolas; Mahmud, Sammy; Howe, Steffan; Teclemariam, Yohannes; Weldeyohannes, Simon (2006). "An Update on Eritrea’s Marine Turtle Programme and First Record of Olive Ridley Turtle Nesting in the Red Sea". Marine Turtle Newsletter. Retrieved 2006-12-13.

External links

• Initial National Communication under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.