Key African Priorities for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

The report advocates for a transformative shift in Africa's development policies to address biodiversity loss and climate change. It proposes using COVID-19 economic recovery packages as a 'green stimulus' to invest in ecological infrastructure and full-cost accounting of natural capital, aligning with the AU's Agenda 2063 and the post-2020 global biodiversity agenda.

• Africa's biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) are essential for food, water, energy, health, and livelihoods, but are severely degraded by unregulated land cover change, habitat loss, and over-exploitation.
• Climate change is expected to become the dominant driver of environmental change in Africa, and current national policies and adaptation strategies are likely too conservative because they rely on outdated temperature change scenarios.
• The extractives sector, including agriculture, is a primary driver of environmental crises, contributing to over 90% of biodiversity loss and freshwater stress, and more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions.
• To reverse ecosystem degradation, Africa must implement development policies that incorporate national full-cost accounting of natural capital and prioritize investment in nature-based solutions (NbS) to restore ecological infrastructure.
• The economic stimulus packages required for COVID-19 recovery present a unique opportunity for a 'green stimulus' approach that creates short-term jobs through forest and landscape restoration while providing long-term benefits in watershed protection and crop yields.
• African youth identify natural resources and 'multisectoral green jobs' as the sector with the highest potential for future employment, calling for a development path based on environmental restoration.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2020). Key African Priorities for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. https://saiia.org.za/research/key-african-priorities-for-a-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Key African Priorities for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. 2020. https://saiia.org.za/research/key-african-priorities-for-a-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Key African Priorities for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework |date=21 May 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/key-african-priorities-for-a-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2020key, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Key African Priorities for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/key-african-priorities-for-a-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }