Africans bear the brunt of biodiversity loss

For millions across Africa and the developing world, the biodiversity crisis is not an abstract problem – it’s the soil that no longer yields bountiful harvests and the fish that no longer return to coastal waters.But the world spends 30 times more money destroying nature than protecting it, and Africa often lacks the necessary resources to address the crisis, the head of the UN’s Biodiversity Convention warned this week at a major scientific forum in Nairobi.Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth. In addition to maintaining natural ecosystems, having a variety of species – both flora and fauna – also supports human survival through food and medicine.“Thanks to biodiversity, we have food. Biodiversity gives us clean water. It helps us fight climate change. It makes us more resilient,” Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Astrid Schomaker told UN News. “All these issues matter to all of us.”Africa is home to 25 per cent of the world’s biodiversity but has also lost about 24 per cent of its species since the pre-industrial period, according to a recent study. The continent is uniquely impacted by biodiversity loss because many people rely on its ...