The 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference opened on Wednesday in Montreal, Canada, with the goal of adopting a global biodiversity framework.
Delegates from 196 countries will discuss the adoption of the so-called “30 by 30” initiative, which involves the designation of 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030.
As UN data shows, Africa hosts a quarter of Earth’s biodiversity, being one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. However, it is under threat of losing its natural treasures, with an observed 59% drop in the abundance of large mammal populations between 1970 and 2005, as well as a projected 50% decline of lion populations over the next 20 years in West, Central, and East Africa.
According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, global wildlife populations have on average dropped by around 69% since 1970. The organization has alerted that the main driver behind the current rapid rate of biodiversity loss is human activity since the Industrial Revolution.
“There is some evidence that we could probably reduce our food waste by half. You’re thinking, well how could that save an elephant in Africa? Well, that means that we don’t need to deforest another hectare of land to produce palm oil,” she said.
African biodiversity is endangered by different factors, one of the primary ones being climate change, which, according to experts, could cause the loss of more than 50% of Africa's bird and mammal species by 2100.
Recently, a 30 to 50% reduction in the hippopotamus population during the past decade has been reported. According to the media, ten African states called for the EU to accept a ban on the commercial trading of hippo products in order to prevent poaching.