Natural Resources, Socio-Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta-Oti Basin, West Africa

This book presents the outcome of an interdisciplinary and international workshop supported by the Volkswagen Stiftung (funding line ‘Knowledge for Tomorrow’) on the topic of ‘Natural Resources, Socio-Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta-Oti Basin, West Africa’. The conference was jointly organised by Goethe-University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Kara (Togo) held from March 6 to 8, 2019 in northern Togo. It aimed to strengthen capacities of junior scientists from the sub-region, exchange and mobilise theoretical and methodological background from various scientific fields (Botany, Construction, Geology, Geography, Infrastructure, Politics, Remote Sensing, Sociology and Urban Planning). One goal was to deliver reliable elements for ongoing and profound environmental analyses that lie outside the common questions of the academic and civil society stakeholders.

Ecosystem fragmentation and deforestation in West Africa are mainly triggered by humans such as agriculture and small-scale forest disturbances for charcoal and firewood production. Increasing population pressure, declining of carrying capacity and demand for agricultural land caused the reduction of land conservation capacities, even in protected areas. The complexity of interactions between environmental and socio-ecological systems and subsequent effects (sensitivity) has raised ongoing international awareness in light of ongoing climate change. By the example of natural resources, land use and stakeholders’ perceptions within the Volta-Oti Basin the book’s proceedings present, discuss and distribute new findings that will sustainably stimulate the international debate. The workshop also intended to overcome national borders and language barriers between the Anglophone (Ghana) and the Francophone (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo) research communities, and supported better West African cooperation and networking. The young as well as the established partners formed new collaborations, and the event at the University of Kara (Togo) was a truly unique opportunity for all involved, not only to discuss science, but also to assess applied and best future management practices for the Oti-Volta Basin in West Africa.

Jürgen Runge (1962) is a Professor of Physical Geography and Geoecology at the Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany. He is the director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary African Studies (ZIAF). As an environmentalist and consultant he has worked for many years in West and Central Africa on the evolution of tropical landscapes, former and recent climate changes. He is the editor of the series “Palaeoecology of Africa” and a member in several scientific editorial boards. The outcome of his studies has been used for regional planning (land use, infrastructure, management of natural resources). From 2007-2010 he was working for the German International Cooperation (GIZ) leading a subregional project on geological resources, transparency and good governance in Africa. Currently, he is involved in capacity development measures such as international summer schools and training workshops. Assogba Guézéré (1970) is an Associated Professor of Human Geography at the University of Kara, Togo. For many years he has been working on the topics of urban and regional planning and challenges of public transport in the countries of the global South. As a regional expert and consultant, he was active for World Bank. He is the director of the PREDES centre (Pôle de Recherche et d’Expertise sur la Dynamique des Espaces et des Société) where he is involved in inter- and transdiciplinary projects. In 2016 he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at University of Kara, also responsible for international exchange and collaboration. Laldja Kankpénandja (1974) is a Geographer and Geomorphologist specialised in tropical ecosystem dynamics, land use, sustainable rural development and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Since 2005 he has been applied as lecturer in teaching and research at the University of Kara, Togo. In 2016 he graduated in geomorphology at the University of Lomé. As member of the PREDES centre (Pôle de Recherche et d’Expertise sur la Dynamique des Espaces et des Sociétés) he has been working in collaboration with non-governmental organisations on environmental and social topics in Togo.