Trends, threats and strategies , by Don Hinrichsen and Stephen Olsen. The state of the world's coastal areas. You'll need to study their site carefully, read their notes, as they stop along the way to talk to people, even to teach. Right now, even as sophisticated as we think we are, we do not integrate well. Integrated as a concept is in many respects a new phenomenon.
Integrated management is tough.
Integrating systems can be even harder. Those kinds of things. You might select an area of science that interests you, and explore what Africans are doing there and how or whether they are interfacing with Americans. It would be a wonderful area of study for you.