"But a far bigger effort, by countries within and outside the continent, is needed," said a U.N. statement on the report.

The report, Africa Environment Outlook (AEO), said growing populations, wars, debt, natural disasters and disease had damaged the continent's rich environment over the past 30 years.

In the next 30, poverty, pollution and disease were likely to be worsened by climate change, the unchecked spread of species from outside Africa, the uncontrolled growth of cities and pollution from cars and industry, UNEP said.

The U.N. body urged a wide range of anti-pollution measures by African nations and foreign development partners.

UNEP executive director Klaus Toepfer, speaking at the worldwide launch of the report in the Ugandan capital, said the document contained the facts on which action could be based.

"We have all the resources, both financial and technological, to build Africa and the lives of its citizens and to conserve its astonishing biological richness and diversity," he said. "I urge countries across the world to take the findings from the AEO and finally seize the opportunity to deliver responsible prosperity to this continent."

CRITICS DOUBT AFRICA'S WILL TO IMPLEMENT REFORMS

But Non Governmental Organisations were sceptical about the ability of African governments to implement the needed reforms.

"The problem has not been one of lack of data but more a problem of implementation at the national level," said Godbar Tumushabe, executive director of the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE).

"The report misses out good governance as one of the biggest factors in promoting sustainable development."

Other critics said the lack of a time frame to tackle the problems was a major drawback of the report.

"My main problem...is that it is too general, there are no time frame commitments," said Frank Muramuzi, President of the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE).

"It does not say that in the next two years we should have achieved this, that or the other, which makes one wonder about the seriousness of the thing, and whether it can be implemented.

"What is going to happen is that they will come back a few years from now and agree on exactly the same things."

GLOBAL WARMING, POLLUTION

Africa is extremely vulnerable to global warming because of its dependence on rain-fed agriculture and lack of money to offset any resulting damage, the report says.

Crop yields in parts of Southern Africa may fall by as much as 20 per cent if global warming continues.

Experts expect significant extinction of plants and animals over coming decades if global warming grows unchecked, it says.

Air pollution is on the rise in a continent which has the highest rate of urbanisation in the world. The problem is made worse by taxes that encourage dirty fuels, a sharp rise in the import of cars and out-dated, inefficient industrial plants.

Renewable energy, such as wind, solar and waste-into-energy projects are starting to be introduced in some countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Mauritius.

BIODIVERSITY

Africa has some of the most species-rich areas in the world, ranging from the Mediterranean Basin forests of the north to the Guinean Forest, the Western Indian Ocean islands and the Karoo of southern Africa. The latter is the world's richest desert where 40 percent of its over 4,800 plant species are unique.

Wildlife is vulnerable to efforts to boost timber, crop and mineral exports, the report said. Animals are endangered by slash and burn agriculture, poaching, invasive alien species, and inadequate enforcement of conservation laws.