Underlying the strife afflicting Africa, and integral to its failure to develop economically, is massive and widespread environmental degradation and loss of resources. The scale of the problem is increasingly obvious, and the need for solutions ever more urgent. In this book, the authors argue that National Environmental Action Plans (NEAPS), implemented by each country, hold out the best prospects for recovery and for returning control of each country"s destiny to its own people. They can lay the foundations of sustainable development, while preserving equally essential cultural values and identity. Part 1 traces the origins of NEAPS; Part 2 analyzes the NEAP processes and problems; Part 3 considers some of the first results and their impact on development; Part 4 explores future directions in environmental planning and management in Africa.