Africa's rich biodiversity is rapidly declining with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warning that 6,400 animals and 3,100 plants on the continent are at risk of extinction. Home to roughly a quarter of the world's mammal and bird species, Africa's biodiversity is a significant economic driver. Scientists say its loss poses a threat to millions of livelihoods on the continent. Kaddu Sebunya, the Chief Executive Officer of African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) spoke to The New Times on the link between biodiversity and African economies and what can be done to prevent biodiversity loss. Below are the excerpts: What are the drivers and accelerators of biodiversity loss? Human activity such as logging and destructive farming is a big cause of biodiversity loss. Activities from North America, Europe and Asia have changed the environment in which biodiversity thrives and we have all seen the impact of climate change on most of the biodiversity. The rapid industrialisation is also contributing to the biodiversity loss. Are African governments doing enough to prevent biodiversity loss? In my experience working with African governments, I have seen that many of them have the right policies and plans for conservation or addressing biodiversity loss. Good leadership is key. For example, Rwanda has taken a strong governance approach to conservation, evidenced by its strict anti-poaching laws and the conservation of mountain gorillas. However, most of the African governments fall short on implementation. There are so many organisations that have been set up through the United Nations system for financing biodiversity including the Global Environment Facility, the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund and the Green Climate Fund. But the funds are not reaching the ground. For example, the real foot soldiers who are the civil society organisations, the communities that interact with biodiversity, the park services, to name a few, do not get much of these funds. So, that's where most of these programmes designed by African governments fail. The other challenge is the exclusion of biodiversity conservation in the planning of our economic development. It seems like African governments have decided to develop first and conserve later, which is what the western world did. Biodiversity conservation and economic development are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, one cannot happen without the other. In some cases, however, we need to accept the inevitable tradeoffs between conservation and development. Finally, conservationists need to have the right conversations with African leaders to help them embrace conservation, not just as a tourism revenue source, but also as a way to diversify the economy and uplift rural communities. The right perspective of conservation will help African leaders make conservation an economic and national policy priority. AWF is involved in the Volcanoes Park Expansion Project. What's the update so far? This is an exciting project where the government is restoring the Volcanoes National Park. Restoring, because the park was much bigger than it currently is. The interesting thing about this project is the approach used for the park restoration. The government is planning economic programmes for the people that are going to lead to the expansion of the park. For example, introducing a bamboo economy as opposed to growing maize, potatoes and beans near the park. Gorillas feed on bamboo, so introducing it as a cash crop and bringing in impact investors like the Rwanda Green Fund to invest in small community industries that can produce bamboo toothpicks, bamboo chairs and other furniture, will work to conserve the park while economically uplifting the community. The project is in phases. The first phase involved a community engagement campaign where discussions with the affected community took place to rope them in on the detailed project activities and ensure their involvement in the project. About 3,000 households will be affected by the park restoration project and we will put up a green village for these households. The next phase was coming up with a master plan that identified areas to be used for settlement and what economic activities would be carried out. The master plan also maps out areas that will be left as protected and others that will be used for agriculture, infrastructure development, and so forth. The next phase is identifying bankable economic projects for both the community and private investors. We will showcase these projects to potential investors who will have the opportunity to either have equity or be co-owners in some of the projects. We are currently in this phase. The project will take time but it will shape a model for future biodiversity conservation in Africa. The UN Biodiversity Conference is coming up next month. Are countries on track with the global biodiversity plan of 2022? No, countries are not on track and it is quite disappointing. We are heading to COP16 to track progress made at the national and regional levels, yet only one country (Uganda) out of the fifty four in Africa has revised and updated their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. However, Africa, through the African Union Commission, was the first region to come up with a regional strategy and action plan early last year, which speaks to the continent's determination to reverse biodiversity loss. We are not where we would like to be but we are making progress in the right direction. Governments need to be more deliberate in their national budgeting processes for instance, for us to achieve the goal of domestication. The 29th edition of the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate change is set to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan. At COP27, the loss and damage fund was established. Is there progress on this front? The loss and damage fund conversation was based on Africa 'begging' to be compensated. I think we need to ask what are the consequences for the rest of the world if compensation is not given? Africa is saving the world at its own expense. The conversation should not be about compensation, rather, Africa needs to put a price to its natural resources. What's the price of the Congo Basin which is the largest carbon sink in the world, for example? What's the price for the Nyungwe forest? Africa holds the key to many global climate solutions. So, the conversation needs to change from compensation to putting a premium value for what the continent has to offer. What should African countries prioritise at COP29? First of all Africa needs to show up at COP29 as one bloc, not fifty four different countries. That makes the continent's voice stronger. Let the continent show up with a united front and clearly articulate what it brings to the table, while asking pertinent questions. For example, is it possible to rethink the mechanism around carbon credits, where polluting countries bring funds to build a better economy for communities living around these carbon sinks so that they do not have to cut down the trees? That is more sustainable than the current model. So, Africa should speak one voice and show the value of what the continent has to offer. How can Africa finance conservation activities without relying on donor funding? Africa needs $1.2 trillion annually for biodiversity conservation in protected areas only. The figure will be more if we consider non-protected areas. The private sector is key. Conservation is not charity work and we need to create opportunities for the private sector who would want to make profit. The role of governments is to create a conducive environment for the private sector to come in and conserve biodiversity as they regulate and monitor their activities to ensure communities are also benefiting. So the key to funding is roping in the private sector.
