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AFRICA ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK 3 • Authors’ Guide
10
PART 3
Background to the
analytical framework
The analytical framework to guide part II authors for the
AEO-3 is a hybrid of the Opportunities framework as
used in the AEO-2 report and the Drivers-Pressures-State-
Exposure-Effects-Actions (DPSEEA) framework commonly
used in health and environment assessments.
The Opportunities
Framework
The Opportunities framework is an improvement of the
Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach
that is widely used in many reporting processes in Africa. The
major difference between the two is that the Opportunities
framework includes a slant towards the opportunities that
the environment provides for development. This approach
focuses on looking at the potential opportunities for reducing
poverty and promoting sustainable livelihoods. It starts by
taking an inventory of existing resources and looking at trends
in the recent past at the scale of interest (local, national,
sub-regional or regional); and explaining why the observed
trends have occurred.
The DPSEEA Framework
The DPSEEA framework allows for the mapping of a
spectrum of environmental health issues. The framework adopts
a linear or ‘chain’ approach to mapping environment and health
issues from high-level cultural, political
Drivers
of environmental
change to
Pressures
which modify the physical environment
to produce an environment with defined characteristics
(
State
). A particular environmental state will impact humans
through varying amounts of
Exposure
resulting in certain health
Effects
. Societal responses are, in fact,
Actions
, applied at the
Drivers, Pressures, State, Exposure and Effect levels as part of
management efforts. The
Actions
are aimed at reducing the
magnitude of the driving forces, the impact of the pressures,
alterations to the state of environmental risks, exposure and
effects. The DPSEEA framework is shown in Figure 1.
From a policy perspective, the Actions or responses can
be mapped at any point along the DPSEEA framework
chain. The Actions may seek to protect or repair a degraded
environment, enhance environmental conservation measures
or replicate good practices through lesson-learning. The
DPSEEA framework recognizes that whether a particular
aspect of the environment (a State) results in an Exposure
for the individual and whether that exposure results
in a health Effect (positive or negative), is influenced by
the context. That context may be demographic, social,
behavioural, cultural or genetic; and aspects of the context
may also be targets for policy and action to improve the
health outcome. The context to a large extent determines
a society’s vulnerability and/or risk to environmental change.
The CCs and sub-regional authors will ensure context issues
and opportunities are adequately reflected in the reporting
through contextualized analysis and case studies.
ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK
The DPSEEA framework
Driving forces
e.g. Economic, political, social
& institutional
Pressure
e.g. Resource depletion, waste
release
State
e.g. Degraded ecosystem
services; pollution
Exposure
e.g. Exposure and susceptibility
to pollution & infections
Effect
e.g. Morbidity & mortality
Action
Mainstream environment
and health into economic
development.
Promote sustainable &
equitable patterns of
production/consumption.
Build capacity to monitor
& manage waste &
resources.
Monitor health; improve
personal protection from
pollution and infections.
Treatment; rehabilitation
Source:DiarmidCampbell-Lendrum
Adapted from Corvalán C, Briggs D, Zielhuis G., eds. (21)
Figure 1: Key elements of the
DPSEEA Framework
Source: Corvalán C, Briggs
D,
Zielhuis
G.,
(Eds).
(2000). Decision-Making
in
Environmental Health:
From
Evidence to Action. Geneva,
World Health Organization.