Among the initial goals of the land reform programme in Zimbabwe was the resettlement of people from densely populated communal rural areas to newly acquired farm land. However, in the rush to implement the government's fast-track land reform programme, this has not happened, say analysts and the would-be beneficiaries of land reform. They also point to signs that cronyism has affected land redistribution.

As far as oil and gas are concerned, agitators for revenue from their proceeds forget to discuss environmental problems emanating from exploration. Some of these problems involve the control of chemical substances capable of causing illness, intensive heat due to gas flaring, air and water pollution. These would possibly lead to extinction of animals in our bushes and all kinds of species in our rivers, streams or ponds. Worse, is the loss of human lives, states this editorial in Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper.

The financial cost of climate change is already huge and is likely to increase in future years, according to a new report, Natural Catastrophes 2002. Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, has called on industrialised nations to "take action to help the poorer parts of the world adapt, to help them cope with the more unstable and more extreme environments likely in the coming decade".

Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab made an impassioned plea to commercial farmers to "change their hearts and minds" to avoid Zimbabwe-style land grabs. Speaking to members of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) - which represents commercial farmers' interests - Gurirab said last week's eviction of six families who had lived for several decades on a farm near Gobabis should not be seen in isolation.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international media watchdog, says the environment for media freedom in Namibia has changed for the worse since President Sam Nujoma took over the Information and Broadcasting Ministry portfolio.

Efforts to mitigate the impact of erratic rainfall on agricultural production in drought-prone southern Malawi have begun to bear fruit. Through the provision of 80 simple treadle pumps, which cost about US $27 each, World Vision has been able to use the donations of 3,000 Australian families to lessen the impact of drought on the southern Mlolo area.

As the 8th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) comes to a close, WWF, the conservation organization, is disappointed by the lack of urgency in addressing dangerous climate change impacts such as increased intensity of extreme weather events, coral bleaching and sea level rise.

Canadian oil company Talisman Energy on Wednesday announced the sale of its Sudanese oil interests, saying it would end uncertainty over their future. "Shareholders have told me they were tired of continually having to monitor and analyse events relating to Sudan," Talisman president and chief executive officer, Jim Buckee, said in a statement.

Over the past two years, the government has used all the money allocated for land redistribution for resettlement purposes. This occurs after several years of underspending, says a top official at the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation.

Seven hydropower dam projects in Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Uganda that have been proposed for climate emissions credits under the Kyoto Protocol are just business as usual and will not reduce emissions, charge two rivers protection organizations.

A conservation group said Monday it has clear evidence that smugglers are continuing to feed market demand for ivory in the Far East, fuelling a surge in elephant poaching. The agency said the hub of the syndicate was in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, where poached tusks from Zambia and other southern African countries were gathered and packed for shipping.

Global warming is helping to cause an unprecedented series of famines, which is pushing the world beyond its ability to cope, says the United Nations. In some countries - such as Somalia and Zimbabwe -the crisis has been greatly aggravated by conflict and government policies.

Opened by King Mswati III and South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma in June to help alleviate their countries' chronic water shortages, the Maguga Dam appears to be the first victim of an impending drought.

Efforts undertaken by developing countries to strengthen their economies, enhance energy security, or protect local environments are at the same time significantly reducing the growth of their greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report released by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

A crude oil pipeline belonging to Royal/Dutch Shell has ruptured in southern Nigeria's Delta State. The resulting oil slick has affected five communities, company officials said on Wednesday.

Crop diversification, irrigation and the expansion of a free farm input scheme for Malawi's subsistence producers are among the measures being introduced by the government, in order to boost food output next year.

New settlers have occupied only about half of the farmland confiscated by the government, in one of the country’s formerly most productive agricultural areas. This is close to a month after the expiry of the first deadline for them to move on.

Thousands of drought-stricken people have migrated into one of Ethiopia’s most important national parks, threatening its ecosystem, the UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (EUE) has warned.

"There is effectively a state of anarchy reigning in the diamond fields of Mbuji-Mayi," said Amnesty International, as it launched a new report, entitled 'Democratic Republic of Congo: Making a Killing', about the diamond industry in government-controlled DRC. "Unarmed civilians, including children, are regularly being killed in cold blood, but no-one is ever brought to justice for these killings and nothing is being done to end the killings."

Journalist Campbell takes the reader on a journey to the dark side of the glittering image of diamonds, a darkness too long out of sight of Euro-American consciousness. Campbell explores the significance of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone. He recounts the horrors of this war-torn nation, with child-soldiers and deranged adults who have reportedly cut off the hands and elbows of innocents or even removed fetuses from pregnant women via machete. The underlying motivation for the violence and strife of Sierra Leone is centered in the diamond trade. The trade has earned the name "blood diamonds" and has financed conflicts and rebellions around the world, including the al-Qaeda network.