Weak coordination, funding gaps threaten Africa's biodiversity hotspots

While African countries have made significant progress in integrating forests into national biodiversity, climate change, and land restoration policies, weak institutional coordination, limited funding, and inadequate stakeholder participation continue to undermine conservation efforts in some of the continent's most important biodiversity hotspots, experts say.

Speaking during a regional webinar organized by the African Forest Forum on Monday, researchers and policymakers said forests remain central to achieving biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development goals. However, translating policy commitments into effective action on the ground remains a major challenge.

Presenting findings from studies conducted in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Madagascar, Moussa Massaoudou, a visiting scientist at the African Forest Forum, said biodiversity hotspots are under increasing pressure from climate change, population growth, poverty, and habitat degradation.

He said effective biodiversity conservation will require integrated governance approaches that promote institutional coherence, stakeholder participation, and sustainable financing.

Presenting findings from a case study on Mount Cameroon National Park, Prudence Galega, director of the Multimedia Judicial and Legal Documentation Centre at Cameroon's Ministry of Justice, said that although numerous institutional platforms and policy instruments exist, coordination gaps and overlapping mandates continue to hamper effective implementation.

Chemuku Wekesa, a principal research scientist at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, examined forest governance within the Coastal Forests Biodiversity Hotspot, including Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Buda Forest, and the Kaya forests.

He said Kenya has established strong linkages among forestry, biodiversity, climate change, and desertification policies. Nevertheless, challenges persist due to fragmented governance, competing land uses, limited funding, and declining institutional capacity.

Wekesa called for stronger coordination among institutions such as the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, National Museums of Kenya, and county governments to reduce duplication and improve conservation outcomes.

Jeannin Ranaivonasy, a faculty member in the Department of Forestry and Agroecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change at the School of Agronomy in Madagascar's University of Antananarivo, said there is strong formal recognition of forests across national climate, biodiversity, and land restoration strategies.

However, he said implementation remains constrained by weak operational coordination, dependence on external funding, and limited capacity at regional and local levels.

Ranaivonasy said Madagascar lost 5.4 million hectares of forest cover between 2001 and 2025, equivalent to 32 percent of its forest area in 2000. He added that deforestation and land-use change account for approximately 81 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn