TY - JOUR
T1 - An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century
AU - Bezeng, Bezeng S.
AU - Ameka, Gabriel
AU - Angui, Chia Michelle Valérie
AU - Atuah, Laura
AU - Azihou, Fortuné
AU - Bouchenak-Khelladi, Yanis
AU - Carlisle, Frank
AU - Doubi, Bi Tra Serges
AU - Gaoue, Orou G.
AU - Gatarabirwa, Wenceslas
AU - Gitau, Consolata
AU - Hilton-Taylor, Craig
AU - Hipkiss, Alex
AU - Idohou, Rodrigue
AU - Kaplin, Beth A.
AU - Kemp, Lucy
AU - Mbawine, Jacqueline S.
AU - Logah, Vincent
AU - Matiku, Paul
AU - Ndang’ang’a, Paul Kariuki
AU - Nana, Eric D.
AU - Mundi, Onella N.N.
AU - Owusu, Erasmus H.
AU - Rodríguez, Jon Paul
AU - Smit-Robinson, Hanneline
AU - Yessoufou, Kowiyou
AU - Savolainen, Vincent
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s)
PY - 2025/1/9
Y1 - 2025/1/9
N2 - 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’.
AB - 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’.
KW - 30×30 target
KW - Africa
KW - autonomous systems
KW - green bonds
KW - indigenous peoples and local communities
KW - key biodiversity areas
KW - robotics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214579572&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2023.0443
DO - 10.1098/rstb.2023.0443
M3 - Article
C2 - 39780590
AN - SCOPUS:85214579572
SN - 0962-8436
VL - 380
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 1917
M1 - 20230443
ER -