Senegal Prior to Ordering Meat Term Paper

" There is also a problem with deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion and over-fishing, and because of the clear-cutting of forested areas in Senegal, a process of "desertification" is well underway. The problem of desertification is significant because according to United Nations' information (Thompson Gale / Nations Encyclopedia) 46% of Senegal is classified as semiarid. There has been "inadequately controlled cutting of forests for fuel" and there has also been significant overgrazing of existing grasslands (which are dwindling away). The capital of Dakar suffers from "improper sanitation" according to Nations Encyclopedia; but on the positive side of urban life, 92% of city dwellers have access to safe drinking water. Still, wherever you look in Senegal, you can't escape the fact that this is a third world country; to wit, 35% of people living in rural Senegal do not have access to safe drinking water.

Those above-mentioned facts having been presented, there is nevertheless positive progress being made for the environment; to wit, a movement of African non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called the African Mangrove Network is working towards "...sustainable management of marine and/or coastal ecosystems" and their principal effort is toward the preservation, rehabilitation and expansion of the vitally important mangrove forests (www.africanconservation.org).And additionally, Senegal is presently "shutting down all mining operations in protected forests in a bid to preserve the country's natural resources," according to an article in the Inter-Press Service News Agency (Sakho, 2007).

RECOMMENDATIONS: While there are legitimate concerns about the environmental problems in Senegal, the initial research into the seriousness of the ecological conditions in Senegal does not present enough factual evidence to deter a potential import relationship with companies in Senegal. It would be advisable to conduct additional research into the exchange rates in Senegal, into banking and economic matters, and into how successful (or unsuccessful) other countries have been in terms of an import-export relationship with Senegal vendors.

Works Cited

African Conservation. "Senegal: The African Mangrove Network." Retrieved April 12, 2007 from http://www.africanconservation.org/senegal.html.

CIA. "The World Factbook: Senegal." Retrieved April 12, 2007, at http://www.cia.gov/publications/factbook/pring/sg.html.

Encyclopedia of the Nations. "Senegal: Environment." Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Thompson - Gale at http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/e/africa/Senegal-ENVIRONMENT.html.

Sakho, Amadou. "Senegal Shuts Down Mining Operations in Protected Areas." Inter

Press Service News Agency. Retrieved April 12, 2007, at http://ipsnews.net.