Sub-Saharan Africa has lost 24% of biodiversity – Nature study
An African-led study published in Nature finds sub-Saharan Africa has lost 24% of its biodiversity since pre-industrial times, with some large mammals down by more than 75%. More than 80% of remaining wild plants and animals occur outside protected areas, underscoring the need to manage working landscapes – a key issue for destinations reliant on wildlife tourism.
The assessment – based on the Biodiversity Intactness Index and input from around 200 Africa-based experts including teams at Wits University and Stellenbosch University – maps where biodiversity is declining and why. It identifies cropland expansion and intensive livestock grazing as major pressures, with lowest intactness in parts of West Africa and in high-cropland countries such as Nigeria and Rwanda, while Central Africa’s humid forests remain comparatively intact; the authors say the data can guide policy, support community-led models and promote biodiversity-positive farming to protect nature-based tourism and livelihoods.
Source: Phys.org
