Stakeholders raise concerns over growing threat to achieve biodiversity in Africa

Concerns have been raised over growing threat to biodiversity, as stakeholders insist that the $967 billion needed yearly to reverse biodiversity loss in Africa and other part of the world may remain a mirage.

Reportedly, variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up the natural world is under threat.

In a policy released by the International Support Network for Africa Development (ISNAD-Africa) in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nation (WWF) experts at the organisation stated that there is a global financial need for biodiversity conservation and restoration as well as reversing biodiversity loss.

Adedoyin Adeleke, executive director, ISNAD-Africa, stated in the document that while 78 percent of the world’s biodiversity finance is generated in developed economies, about 22 percent is generated in developing economies, as Covid-19 and other issues have worsened the funding challenges for the reserver of affected biodiversity.

“The continent still depends on traditional funding sources for conservation such as government and donor support as well as self-generated revenue, which is needed yet inadequate to bridge this funding gap. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the conservation-related funding significantly due to decline of tourism across African countries. Hence, there is a crucial need to diversify and increase self-generated revenues and develop innovative financing mechanisms,” he said.

To achieve the goal of the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, Adeleke said there is a need include 2030 milestones in the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), stressing that the move must include easily communicable and define the outcomes that must be achieve by 2030 to reverse biodiversity loss and put the world on track to achieve the 2050 Vision.

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Adeleke added that it was crucial to improve measurability of outcomes needed by 2030.

“We recommend that parties refine and complement the milestones provided in the first draft of GBF to ensure they help focus the attention and actions of key decision makers, stakeholders and sectors on what needs to be achieved by 2030.

“In order to avoid confusion, we need to be clear that while milestones focus on outcomes, all targets should focus on the transformative actions needed to achieve the 2030 mission. Strategies aimed at implementing the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework should be integrated with efforts aimed at mitigating and adapt climate change.

“Thus, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework targets should be linked to international climate goals for climate mitigation and adaptation through mechanisms such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to ensure nature-positive investment,” he said.

He added that there should be disclosure and transparency on financial contribution and investment on the protection of biodiversity similar to the Enhanced Transparency Framework in the Paris agreement.

Adeleke noted that there is a need to align and link strategies tor implementing post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework with green strategies and net zero emissions in order to create an opportunity for more biodiversity funding.