An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century

Africa boasts high biodiversity while also being home to some of the largest and fastest-growing human populations. Although the current environmental footprint of Africa is low compared to other continents, the population of Africa is estimated at around 1.5 billion inhabitants, representing nearly 18% of the world's total population. Consequently, Africa's rich biodiversity is under threat, yet only 19% of the landscape and 17% of the seascape are under any form of protection. To effectively address this issue and align with the Convention on Biological Diversity's ambitious '30 by 30' goal, which seeks to protect 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030, substantial funding and conservation measures are urgently required. In response to this critical challenge, as scientists and conservationists working in Africa, we propose five recommendations for future directions aimed at enhancing biodiversity conservation for the betterment of African society: (i) accelerate data collection, data sharing and analytics for informed policy and decision-making; (ii) innovate education and capacity building for future generations; (iii) enhance and expand protected areas, ecological networks and foundational legal frameworks; (iv) unlock creative funding channels for cutting-edge conservation initiatives; and (v) integrate indigenous and local knowledge into forward-thinking conservation strategies. By implementing these recommendations, we believe Africa can make significant strides towards preserving its unique biodiversity, while fostering a healthier society, and contributing to global conservation efforts.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Bending the curve towards nature recovery: building on Georgina Mace's legacy for a biodiverse future'.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Published
2025-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2023.0443
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.69

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article

An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century

Kowiyou Yessoufou, Doubi Bi Tra Serges, Onella Mundi, Jon Paul Rodrı́guez et al.
16 citations
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
17.69
article

An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century

Kowiyou Yessoufou, Doubi Bi Tra Serges, Onella Mundi, Jon Paul Rodrı́guez, Akomian Fortuné Azihou, Orou G. Gaoue, Alan R. Hipkiss, Vincent Savolainen, Vincent Logah, Erasmus H. Owusu, Paul K. Ndang’ang’a, Eric Djomo Nana, Hanneline Smit‐Robinson, Chia Michelle Valérie Angui, Gabriel Ameka, Beth A. Kaplin, Simeon Bezeng Bezeng, Laura Atuah, Lucy Kemp, Craig Hilton‐Taylor, Wenceslas Gatarabirwa, Yanis Bouchenak‐Khelladi, Jacqueline Mbawine, Rodrigue Idohou, Paul Matiku, Consolata Gitau, Frank Carlisle
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Africa boasts high biodiversity while also being home to some of the largest and fastest-growing human populations. Although the current environmental footprint of Africa is low compared to other continents, the population of Africa is estimated at around 1.5 billion inhabitants, representing nearly 18% of the world's total population. Consequently, Africa's rich biodiversity is under threat, yet only 19% of the landscape and 17% of the seascape are under any form of protection. To effectively address this issue and align with the Convention on Biological Diversity's ambitious '30 by 30' goal, which seeks to protect 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030, substantial funding and conservation measures are urgently required. In response to this critical challenge, as scientists and conservationists working in Africa, we propose five recommendations for future directions aimed at enhancing biodiversity conservation for the betterment of African society: (i) accelerate data collection, data sharing and analytics for informed policy and decision-making; (ii) innovate education and capacity building for future generations; (iii) enhance and expand protected areas, ecological networks and foundational legal frameworks; (iv) unlock creative funding channels for cutting-edge conservation initiatives; and (v) integrate indigenous and local knowledge into forward-thinking conservation strategies. By implementing these recommendations, we believe Africa can make significant strides towards preserving its unique biodiversity, while fostering a healthier society, and contributing to global conservation efforts.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Bending the curve towards nature recovery: building on Georgina Mace's legacy for a biodiverse future'.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological SciencesVol. 380(1917)
Fauna and Flora International (GB), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (GB), University of Ghana (GH), University of South Africa (ZA), Université Nangui Abrogoua (CI), Université de Bourgogne (FR), Université de Dschang (CM), Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (VE), University of Johannesburg (ZA), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (GB), BirdLife International (KE), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (GH), University of Massachusetts Boston (US), University of Oxford (GB), University of Rwanda (RW), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), International Union for Conservation of Nature (United Kingdom) (GB), Mabula Ground Hornbill Project (ZA), Agroécologie (FR), Agrárközgazdasági Intézet (HU), Université de Parakou (BJ), Université d'Abomey-Calavi (BJ), Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CI), Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement (CM), Université d'Agriculture de Kétou (BJ), Kenya Forest Service (KE), International Union for Conservation of Nature (CH), Bayworld Centre for Research and Education (ZA), Imperial College London (GB), Nottingham Trent University (GB), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
Royal Society, Research England
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
17.69
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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