TY - JOUR
T1 - Monitoring biodiversity loss in rapidly changing Afrotropical ecosystems
T2 - An emerging imperative for governance and research
AU - Achieng, A.O.
AU - Arhonditsis, G.B.
AU - Mandrak, N.
AU - Febria, C.
AU - Opaa, B.
AU - Coffey, T.J.
AU - Masese, F.O.
AU - Irvine, K.
AU - Ajode, Z.M.
AU - Obiero, K.
AU - Barasa, J.E.
AU - Kaunda-Arara, B.
PY - 2023/7/17
Y1 - 2023/7/17
N2 - Africa is experiencing extensive biodiversity loss due to rapid changes in the environment, where natural resources constitute the main instrument for socioeconomic development and a mainstay source of livelihoods for an increasing population. Lack of data and information deficiency on biodiversity, but also budget constraints and insufficient financial and technical capacity, impede sound policy design and effective implementation of conservation and management measures. The problem is further exacerbated by the lack of harmonized indicators and databases to assess conservation needs and monitor biodiversity losses. We review challenges with biodiversity data (availability, quality, usability and database access) as a key limiting factor that impacts funding and governance. We also evaluate the drivers of both ecosystems change and biodiversity loss as a central piece of knowledge to develop and implement effective policies. While the continent focuses more on the latter, we argue that the two are complementary in shaping restoration and management solutions. We thus underscore the importance of establishing monitoring programmes focusing on biodiversity-ecosystem linkages in order to inform evidence-based decisions in ecosystem conservation and restoration in Africa. This article is part of the theme issue 'Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions'.
AB - Africa is experiencing extensive biodiversity loss due to rapid changes in the environment, where natural resources constitute the main instrument for socioeconomic development and a mainstay source of livelihoods for an increasing population. Lack of data and information deficiency on biodiversity, but also budget constraints and insufficient financial and technical capacity, impede sound policy design and effective implementation of conservation and management measures. The problem is further exacerbated by the lack of harmonized indicators and databases to assess conservation needs and monitor biodiversity losses. We review challenges with biodiversity data (availability, quality, usability and database access) as a key limiting factor that impacts funding and governance. We also evaluate the drivers of both ecosystems change and biodiversity loss as a central piece of knowledge to develop and implement effective policies. While the continent focuses more on the latter, we argue that the two are complementary in shaping restoration and management solutions. We thus underscore the importance of establishing monitoring programmes focusing on biodiversity-ecosystem linkages in order to inform evidence-based decisions in ecosystem conservation and restoration in Africa. This article is part of the theme issue 'Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions'.
KW - biodiversity conservation
KW - ecosystem change
KW - environmental degradation
KW - governance
KW - policy implementation
UR - http://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6607490
U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2022.0271
DO - 10.1098/rstb.2022.0271
M3 - Article
C2 - 37246384
AN - SCOPUS:85160871996
SN - 0962-8436
VL - 378
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 1881
M1 - 20220271
ER -