A brief synthesis of the state of the environment is given using the main themes in AEO-1 as the baseline, but discussing this within the context of the Brundtland report and the programme areas of NEPAD-EAP. Where appropriate, the general regional situation has been placed in the global context. Six thematic areas, forming the basis of the chapters, have been used in the analysis – Atmosphere, Land, Freshwater, Forests and Woodlands, Coastal and Marine Environments, and Biodiversity. For all these areas, human settlements are closely related to patterns of environmental change, and thus in each chapter human settlements are discussed briefly as they relate to specific aspects of environmental change. Chapter 12: .
