Editor's note. and hands. author's team V. I. Gusarov, Moscow: Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2013, 252 p.

The peer-reviewed monograph, prepared by a team of African scientists, is devoted to one of the most important and urgent problems of modern Africa - the study of complex and multifaceted processes of environmental and human relations on the African continent.

The relevance of the research conducted by the authors is stated in its content, which reflects the processes of environmental degradation, depletion of water resources, the spread of traditional and new tropical diseases, as well as the role of national health systems, environmental measures and international cooperation in solving social and environmental problems of the continent.

Section I describes the current ecological state in African countries. First of all, we are talking about the main cause of all the continent's environmental problems-deforestation and its consequences, which are expressed in desertification, soil erosion and reduction of biodiversity. Currently, as a result of desertification and soil erosion, Africa annually

it loses about 70 thousand square kilometers of land suitable for agricultural cultivation. The transformation of vast territories into a desert has a sharply negative impact not only on the socio-economic processes in Africa, but also on the person himself, and also causes a serious threat to the conservation of biological diversity, in particular in the seas surrounding the continent. Degradation of forest, land, and pasture resources threatens the livelihoods of most of Africa's rural population. The problems of environmental pollution are compounded by an increase in the volume of household waste under the influence of rapid urbanization and demographic processes, the movement of "dirty" industries and the export of hazardous industrial waste from developed countries, the construction of oil refineries, etc.

The measures taken with varying degrees of activity and intensity by various African countries, inter-African and international organizations against deforestation and desert encroachment are yielding very little results. The facts presented in the monograph show that African farmers, pastoralists and nomads, who are daily faced with the problem of survival, practically have no other choice but to further destroy their habitat. The authors rightly conclude that the continent's ecological and resource potential is rapidly being depleted and is no longer being renewed. This means that the process of interaction between nature and man in Africa is thoroughly disrupted, and there is a stable socio-ecological imbalance.

Section II, devoted to the problem of water resources depletion in Africa, is interesting and important from the point of view of the subject matter of the stated study. This problem, which is of a global nature, is particularly acute in the countries of the African continent. It is here, the authors emphasize, that the presence of water literally means life itself, determines economic activity and the existence of the state. However, one of the main goals set out in the UN Millennium Declaration (2000) - halving the proportion of people without permanent access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 - is far from being achieved. At the current rate of development, sub-Saharan Africa is projected to meet its water targets only by 2040 and its sanitation targets by 2076.

The monograph covers in detail the issues of reducing Africa's water supply, including the impact of this reduction on agriculture, the state of water infrastructure, conflicts over water sources, and assesses the sanitary and hygienic provision of cities, taking into account their supply of clean drinking water and increasing volumes of household waste. In general, according to the authors, water scarcity is one of the most negative and disturbing manifestations of the growing socio-ecological crisis in Africa, which requires serious immediate action on the part of both national Governments and international organizations.

The undoubted advantages of the monograph include studies on the spread of traditional and new tropical diseases on the continent, which are given considerable attention in section III. A special place is given to AIDS as one of the most serious consequences of the relationship between humans and the environment. The authors cite disappointing data, according to which in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion of HIV-infected people among the population aged 15 to 49 years has already reached or exceeded 20%. This confirms the fact that Africa has become the epicenter of the disease in the world.

Despite such overwhelming data, some medical developments and their implementation have made some progress in the fight against AIDS in recent years. These include improvements in prevention programs and antiretroviral treatment, which have resulted in a decline in the number of people newly infected with HIV and dying from AIDS. However, two-thirds of Africans living with HIV who are in urgent need of treatment still do not have access to appropriate treatment. Africa lacks the medical staff, financial resources, equipment and medicines needed to prevent and treat this terrible disease. We need to combine all efforts at the international and national levels, and actively engage the international community with Governments, the private sector and civil society in African countries.

As for the dynamics of traditional diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, schistosomatosis and other infectious and parasitic diseases, their spread is based on the chronic poverty of the majority of the African population, which is unable to receive adequate medical care. It is characteristic that in a changing environment under the influence of

traditional, often "forgotten" tropical diseases (smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, etc.) are "revived" and acquire new, more dangerous forms.

Despite the increased efforts of the international community and African countries themselves to combat infectious diseases over the past decade, if current trends continue, sub-Saharan Africa will not be able to achieve the global goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - "stop the spread of HIV by 2015/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases and start a trend towards reducing the incidence."

Section IV focuses on the role of national health systems and environmental interventions in addressing social and environmental challenges. Its authors analyze in detail the relationship between ecology and the state of health of Africans, taking into account such factors as malnutrition, unsanitary conditions, extreme poverty of the lower strata of society, the presence of huge masses of refugees and forcibly displaced persons, and draw reasonable conclusions. The deteriorating environmental quality in the region inevitably reduces the level of public health as the most important condition for maintaining human activity. The state of the environmental situation seriously undermines the physical and psychological development of Africans. The continent's population is already threatened by chronic health problems, increased mortality rates and reduced life expectancy precisely for reasons related to environmental degradation.

This section focuses on the health crisis in most African countries, which is mainly caused by budget cuts and a lack of medical personnel, necessary equipment and medicines, and identifies ways to address health problems, in particular the need for inter-African and international cooperation in this area.

The final, fifth section of the monograph provides concrete examples of how African Governments and international organizations are taking measures to overcome the environmental crisis. The most common forms of inter-African cooperation in the field of environmental protection in recent years have been special organizations for solving urgent environmental problems of certain regions of the continent and bilateral contacts within sub-regional integration groups. The main role in the implementation of international agreements in the field of nature and environment protection on the African continent is played by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other UN agencies that function as donors and research and information centers.

A study by a team of African scientists has shown that, despite certain actions taken by African governments to preserve natural heritage and overcome the worsening environmental crisis, they are far from equal in size and do not correspond to the scale of environmental problems. The main reason for this discrepancy is the extremely limited economic opportunities of the majority of African countries, which occupy the lowest places in the main socio-economic indicators in the world rankings. In addition, Africa does not have the necessary scientific and technical capacity and technological capabilities for an adequate environmental policy that can address environmental problems. In these circumstances, the international community is called upon to provide serious assistance to the States of the continent in solving environmental problems, including the urgent transfer of environmentally effective technologies.

In general, as the authors of the monograph quite rightly conclude. The African continent alone cannot cope with the impending natural disaster. The African environmental crisis as part of the global one cannot be overcome without external assistance, without coordinated joint actions and efforts of the entire international community. Africa needs strong international support and effective assistance in a wide variety of areas, including economic, financial, technological, human resources and organizational.

The advantages of the monograph include the use of the latest statistical data, the availability of tables confirming the author's concepts, and the fact that it fully reflects not only the stated topic, but also the current socio-economic situation on the continent. The authors trace the close relationship between the political, social and economic factors of the development of African societies and the resulting environmental crisis.

At the same time, this work is not without some shortcomings, which, however, do not reduce its scientific level. These include excessive specification in the title of individual chapters, some imbalance between the presentation of factual material and its analysis, as well as ambiguity in some cases of the author's personal position in the research being conducted.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the peer-reviewed monograph of the Center for Sociological and Political Studies of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a serious study, characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and a high scientific level.

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