Why Biodiversity is Important in Africa?

The Southern African region has a rich natural heritage of global significance to the world’s climate and biological diversity – or biodiversity. It is defined as the degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet.

The Southern African region contains remarkable species richness and diversity. It hosts exceptional ecological processes. South Africa ranks as the third most biologically-diverse country in the world, while in Madagascar, the endemic species richness relative to the land mass area is unparalleled.

Over centuries, the people of Southern Africa have developed strategies for using, tending and caring for their biological resources for the benefit of their own and future generations. Unfortunately, the capacity of nature to maintain this biological wealth is rapidly diminishing due to habitat loss and degradation resulting from unsustainable development, driven by economic and social factors such as:

·         Pollution

·         Invasion by alien species

·         Climate change

·         Overharvesting of natural resources

·         Lack of recognition of indigenous knowledge

·         Property rights add to the situation.

At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. In addition, the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change.

Biodiversity for FREE

A healthy biodiversity provides a number of natural services for everyone – an unlimited benefit for a fee of none. It is quite a lot of services we get for free! One of Africa’s assets, if not the most important, is their biodiversity. A perfectly rich and diverse is best to describe it. It could be possible that it’s a good escape tool to Africa’s never ending poverty. It is a great way to create equilibrium in the entire continent.

The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth. Declining biodiversity is therefore a concern for many reasons which is a different story in Africa.

Africa has this kind of asset which no one can steel and copy. The African government should endure the enhancement of their assets – impose policies that will strengthen it and punish those who misuse it. They should create awareness campaigns to let everyone know how important biodiversity is to every individual by offerings its limitless benefits. They should also stress that promoting a rich biodiversity can help their beautiful country in every sense.

The government should push more efforts on the continue boosting of biodiversity, where everyone has an important role to play, to use it as an instrument to pave way to a more cheerful Africa.

Humphrey Kariuki Ndegwa is the CEO and founder of Dalbit International, a petroleum supplier group operating all over the African region. In his blogs HumphreyNdegwa.com, HumphreyKariuki.com, and HumphreyKariukiNdegwa.com, Humphrey writes about his insights on business, development, and African economy.