FULL NAMES:
STUDENT NUMBER:
UNIQUE NUMBER: 824111
MODULE CODE: GGH2604
MODULE NAME: PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ASSIGNMENT: 02
SEMESTER 1_2025
, PART ONE
Africa has long been acknowledged as a continent rich in both renewable and non-renewable
resources, from fertile soils and mineral deposits to forests and freshwater systems. While these
natural endowments offer development potential, the patterns of their exploitation have raised
serious concerns about the sustainability of environmental systems across the continent. As
highlighted in the United Nations Environment Programme (2024), human use of land, minerals,
forests, and water resources has often come at the cost of environmental degradation. In southern
Africa, this is most evident in the form of land degradation, where a combination of poor
agricultural practices, mining activities, overgrazing, and deforestation has destabilised
ecosystems and reduced the land’s productive capacity. Simultaneously, the Fynbos biome,
unique to the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, faces escalating threats from urban
expansion, invasive alien species, and climate change. These two examples demonstrate how the
unregulated or poorly managed exploitation of natural resources can lead to the collapse of
environmental integrity and biodiversity. This essay will examine the environmental
consequences of human resource exploitation in Africa, focusing specifically on land degradation
in southern Africa and the threats facing the Fynbos biome.
Land degradation in southern Africa is a multifaceted issue, driven largely by anthropogenic
pressures. Among the leading contributors is unsustainable agricultural expansion, particularly
the use of marginal lands that are not suited for intensive crop farming. In Botswana, Namibia,
and parts of South Africa, there has been an increase in land clearing for cultivation, leading to
the removal of native vegetation and exposure of soil to erosion. According to Whitehead
(2014:67), soil erosion has reached critical levels in many of these areas, where natural
vegetation no longer anchors the soil. Once the topsoil is lost, the land becomes less fertile and
more susceptible to desertification. Overgrazing is another major concern, particularly in semi-
arid regions, where livestock numbers often exceed the carrying capacity of the land. This results
in the trampling of vegetation and compaction of the soil, which in turn disrupts water infiltration
and plant regrowth (GGH2604 Study Guide, 2018:43). In Lesotho, overgrazing by cattle and
goats has led to severe gully erosion, a process where rainwater concentrates into narrow
channels, removing soil and leaving behind deep cuts in the landscape. The economic
STUDENT NUMBER:
UNIQUE NUMBER: 824111
MODULE CODE: GGH2604
MODULE NAME: PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ASSIGNMENT: 02
SEMESTER 1_2025
, PART ONE
Africa has long been acknowledged as a continent rich in both renewable and non-renewable
resources, from fertile soils and mineral deposits to forests and freshwater systems. While these
natural endowments offer development potential, the patterns of their exploitation have raised
serious concerns about the sustainability of environmental systems across the continent. As
highlighted in the United Nations Environment Programme (2024), human use of land, minerals,
forests, and water resources has often come at the cost of environmental degradation. In southern
Africa, this is most evident in the form of land degradation, where a combination of poor
agricultural practices, mining activities, overgrazing, and deforestation has destabilised
ecosystems and reduced the land’s productive capacity. Simultaneously, the Fynbos biome,
unique to the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, faces escalating threats from urban
expansion, invasive alien species, and climate change. These two examples demonstrate how the
unregulated or poorly managed exploitation of natural resources can lead to the collapse of
environmental integrity and biodiversity. This essay will examine the environmental
consequences of human resource exploitation in Africa, focusing specifically on land degradation
in southern Africa and the threats facing the Fynbos biome.
Land degradation in southern Africa is a multifaceted issue, driven largely by anthropogenic
pressures. Among the leading contributors is unsustainable agricultural expansion, particularly
the use of marginal lands that are not suited for intensive crop farming. In Botswana, Namibia,
and parts of South Africa, there has been an increase in land clearing for cultivation, leading to
the removal of native vegetation and exposure of soil to erosion. According to Whitehead
(2014:67), soil erosion has reached critical levels in many of these areas, where natural
vegetation no longer anchors the soil. Once the topsoil is lost, the land becomes less fertile and
more susceptible to desertification. Overgrazing is another major concern, particularly in semi-
arid regions, where livestock numbers often exceed the carrying capacity of the land. This results
in the trampling of vegetation and compaction of the soil, which in turn disrupts water infiltration
and plant regrowth (GGH2604 Study Guide, 2018:43). In Lesotho, overgrazing by cattle and
goats has led to severe gully erosion, a process where rainwater concentrates into narrow
channels, removing soil and leaving behind deep cuts in the landscape. The economic
