Conservation groups sign agreement for Biodiversity Protection in Africa, globally

By MIKE MWANIKI
The Africa Biodiversity and Collaborative Group (ABCG) and the Society for Conservation Biology in Africa (SCBA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that will see the two organisations work together in support of the sustainable use and management of biodiversity in Africa and globally.
The MoU outlines their joint commitment to address threats to biodiversity, including climate change, food production systems, poverty, and weak governance.
Both parties pledge to cooperate and collaborate to advance these goals and support African State Parties in negotiating and implementing a successful post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
According to a press release, the announcement was made during the Society for Conservation Biology’s (SCB) 31st International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB 2023) taking place in Kigali, Rwanda from July 23 to 27, 2023.
The theme of the Congress: ‘The Future is Now: Sustaining Biodiversity for Today and Tomorrow’, reiterates and reinforces the urgency of collective action in protecting our natural resources.
The Congress is the premier global meeting for conservation scientists and professionals, including researchers, students, agency personnel, environmental educators, practitioners, and other conservation stakeholders to address conservation challenges and present new research in conservation science and practice.
The Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG) is a multi-institutional association that brings together cross-sectoral expertise to achieve greater impact than any one individual organization.
Speaking at the event, ABCG Director Ms Rubina James lauded the partnership terming it a milestone for conservationists in the region as the collaboration will benefit its members through sharing of information and access to technical and scientific data, advancing the development implementation of conservation programs, advocacy and influencing activities that enhance achievement of sustainable development and transformative policy shifts, among other benefits.
“By accessing the wide-ranging expertise and extensive networks of ABCG members throughout sub-Saharan Africa, ABCG is in a unique position to address critical conservation issues by developing, testing, and promoting innovative conservation approaches,” she noted.
The Society for Conservation Biology is a global community of conservation professionals, students and non-profits dedicated to advancing the science and practice of conserving biodiversity.
This new collaboration will support to mobilize assistance, resources, and strategic support for the purpose of strengthening SCBA’s capacity.
“We are excited as SCBA to collaborate with ABCG in advocacy and influencing activities that enhance our shared vision on conservation and work towards transformative policy shifts at government and the continent’s leadership levels…
“With our collective efforts as scientists and conservationists we can make big strides in the conservation of our planet,” said Badru Mugerwa, President of the SCBA.
The 31st ICCB conference provides a platform for sharing latest science and insights in biodiversity conservations with topics in genetics, ecology, biogeography, anthropology, history, psychology, economics, conservation marketing, and religion.
ABCG will present findings on a study titled, ‘Assessing Community Responses to Climate Change and Impacts on Biodiversity: A 3-year study in sub-Saharan Africa’.
The study highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between climate change coping strategies and their potential impact on biodiversity, providing valuable insights for developing nature-based actions to improve the resilience of people and nature to climate change.
The consortium will also share their progress in engaging stakeholders to develop and mainstream land use planning in Africa towards climate-smart sustainable development.