Integrating African Climate Priorities into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

The policy brief advocates for a synergistic approach to the climate and biodiversity crises within the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It argues that Africa must take a leadership role to ensure that climate finance and implementation are 'nature-positive' and based on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to prevent maladaptations, such as monoculture afforestation. The document emphasises that successful outcomes require the participatory inclusion of local and rural communities and the integration of urban ecological infrastructures.

• African stakeholders must proactively integrate climate change interventions into the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) because treating climate, biodiversity, and human society as integrated systems is essential for successful policy.
• Africa should advocate for climate finance negotiations to be 'nature-positive' rather than solely 'climate-positive', specifically by applying a nature-based solutions (NbS) lens.
• A lack of integration between climate and biodiversity actions can lead to maladaptations; for example, promoting afforestation with monocultures or non-indigenous species can be highly detrimental to biodiversity and may displace local people.
• Nature-based solutions (NbS) are identified as one of the most cost-effective methods for both mitigating and adapting to climate change, often performing as well as or better than alternative interventions.
• Forests, including dryland forests, are critical for Africa as they are highly biodiverse, threatened, and estimated to absorb approximately 30% of current carbon emissions.
• To avoid adverse effects on biodiversity and livelihoods, project implementation must involve co-designing with local stakeholders and prioritising capacity building in rural communities most affected by climate and biodiversity loss.
• There is a growing need for investment in ecological infrastructures within expanding urban areas to combat biodiversity loss and climate change impacts in built environments.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2022). Integrating African Climate Priorities into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. https://saiia.org.za/research/integrating-african-climate-priorities-into-the-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Integrating African Climate Priorities into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. 2022. https://saiia.org.za/research/integrating-african-climate-priorities-into-the-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Integrating African Climate Priorities into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework |date=18 March 2022 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/integrating-african-climate-priorities-into-the-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2022integrating, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Integrating African Climate Priorities into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/integrating-african-climate-priorities-into-the-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }