African ecosystems are among the most diverse and productive wild lands in the world.
Best- known are the east and southern savanna systems, which teem with unparalleled populations ofe large migratory mammals. Across the continent's center spans a continuous block of equatorial rain forest second only to the Amazon in size. Offshore, rich, but fragile, coral reefs stretch from the Horn of Africa to the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania. But amid this gallery of wildlife, Africa faces tremendous challenges. Extreme poverty, the highest human population growth rates in the world, limited economic opportunities, and rapidly changing political systems combine to create tremendous pressure on both people and natural resources.