It is projected that Western and Central African coastal populations will double to 50 million in the next 25 years, leading to a continuous chain of cities along the 1 000-km Gulf of Guinea (World Bank 1995a) which will exceed the carrying capacity of the coastal corridor.
The expanding land and sea-based activities along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa and in the Red Sea over the past 20 years also pose increasing threats to coastal ecosystems. Some 40-50 per cent of the Mediterranean population is already concentrated along the coast, and this population is expected to double by the year 2025 (UNEP 1996).