Africa: With Little Progress At COP16 Biodiversity Summit, Africa Demands More Action

Home to diverse ecosystems like primary forests, peatlands and mangroves, Africa nevertheless faces severe biodiversity degradation. Despite the recent Cop16 conference in Colombia offering limited progress for protecting Africa’s flora and fauna, analysts hope future efforts will address the continent’s environmental concerns more effectively.

Africa is one of the world’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity, but evidence has shown that these natural reserves are degrading significantly – which is bad news for the continent.

Most analysts admit that not enough came out of Cop16 – held in Cali, Columbia last month – and hope to see biodiversity issues taken more seriously.

Africa is also home to one third of the world’s biodiversity, harbouring eight of the 34 critical biodiversity reserves listed by the NGO Conservation International.

But its biodiversity remains in grave danger.

Although the UN summit in Colombia aimed to turn words into action – two years after a landmark UN-brokered deal to protect nature from a massive wave of destruction – delegates could only assess on what little progress has been made.

Summit to save nature enters final day with disagreement on funding

For Zitouni Ould Dada, a senior advisor to the FAIRR Initiative and former deputy director of the Climate and Environment Division at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), not enough progress has been made.

“It looks like the biodiversity Cop is very slow and it’s not delivering to the pace and the scale that we want,” he told RFI English.

“It is good that there is a recognition that we do have a problem with biodiversity – that we need to preserve our ecosystems and biodiversity – but we’re not doing enough to make that happen. We still talk more about what’s needed rather than doing it because we know what needs to be done.”

A commitment to achieve the protection of 30 percent of the world’s biodiversity by 2030 has been agreed, so the target is defined and clear.

But according to Ould Dada, all partners involved need to be much faster in achieving the change that is needed rather than wasting time at Cop meetings.

“We’re coming out with less results than we should at this time while the challenges that we are living through are mounting,” he insisted.

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Accept Manage my choices Urgent need to act

Africa’s natural heritage is vital to both its economy and communities, yet often faces overexploitation, according to Mamadou Diallo of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Diallo emphasised that Africa had hoped Cop16 would secure stronger protection for 30 percent of its land and seas, but achieving this requires political commitment, especially from northern hemisphere countries that, he argued, prioritise resource extraction over equitable conservation.

Africa, he urged, must unify its voice to demand justice and sustainable resource use from these nations.

“The countries of the North want to exploit Africa’s resources, only after that will they listen to us,” Diallo told RFI. “Africa should remain aware of this – and speak with one voice – to be able to face the countries of the North to get equity and justice in the exploitation of resources.”

UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action

Progress on Indigenous rights

One positive outcome of Cop16 was a response to the world’s indigenous peoples’ demands on recognition of their role as guardians of nature.

This was obtained on 1 November, with a decision to grant them strengthened status within United Nations negotiations on biodiversity.

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This includes recognising people of African descent among indigenous peoples who are key stewards in conservation efforts.

Another achievement was the first ever agreement on nature’s genetic data.

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Accept Manage my choices The Colombian presidency also made a strong proposal for the creation of a dedicated fund for biodiversity.

For Africa, it was a major demand. But the European Union and other Western countries – such as Switzerland or Canada – were reluctant.

In the end – with too many issued to confront – Cop16 dragged on and the delegates left exhausted and disappointed, promising to tackle the needs for the Earth’s biodiversity again at other events.

As the Cop29 on climate change starts on 11 November in Azerbaijan, Ould Dada insisted that these challenges are all linked: “the policies and measures we put in place have to be interconnected as well,” he concluded.

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