AFRICA STEPS UP BIODIVERSITY ACTION AS KENYA HOSTS KEY REGIONAL RESTORATION TALKS
By: Gladys K
African countries have been urged to move from biodiversity promises to measurable action as Kenya hosted a high-level regional meeting focused on restoring degraded ecosystems and strengthening environmental accountability.
The call was made during the Subregional Workshop on Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting linked to Target 2 of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, held in Nairobi and convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Opening the meeting, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr. Deborah Mulongo Barasa said ecosystem restoration must be supported by strong monitoring systems if countries are to demonstrate real progress in reversing biodiversity loss.
“Restoring nature is not only about planting trees or rehabilitating land. It is about securing water, sustaining livelihoods and building climate resilience. But without proper monitoring and reporting, we cannot prove impact or improve our actions,” Dr. Barasa told delegates.
She noted that with global attention shifting from commitments to implementation, countries must now show tangible outcomes backed by credible data and transparent reporting frameworks.
The Nairobi workshop brings together policymakers and technical experts from 11 Eastern and Southern African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Rwanda, to accelerate implementation of Target 2 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which seeks to restore at least 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems worldwide by 2030.
A major highlight of the meeting was the official designation of RCMRD as a Subregional Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centre under the CBD, positioning the Nairobi-based institution as a hub for biodiversity data, geospatial tools and technical support for countries in the region.
RCMRD Director General Dr. Emmanuel Nkurunziza said the Centre’s new mandate would help countries improve the quality of biodiversity data and harmonise reporting systems to meet global standards.
“Our role is to ensure that restoration efforts across the region are supported by reliable information and coordinated approaches that allow countries to report progress with confidence,” he said.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary linked biodiversity restoration to the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, noting that initiatives such as the 15 billion trees programme are not only rehabilitating ecosystems but also creating jobs and enhancing food security.
Chairperson of the RCMRD Governing Council and Zambia’s Permanent Secretary for Lands and Natural Resources, Patrick Mucheleka, stressed the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared environmental challenges.
“While our countries differ, we face similar pressures on land and ecosystems. Working together gives us a stronger chance to turn restoration commitments into real results,” Mucheleka said.
In a video message, CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker urged governments to adopt a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in tackling biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, describing partnerships as key to accelerating implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The workshop also brings together representatives of other African biodiversity support centres, reinforcing continental collaboration ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), where countries’ progress will be globally assessed.
As Africa prepares for this critical milestone, the Nairobi meeting is expected to strengthen the region’s capacity to deliver coordinated, science-based and accountable ecosystem restoration across the continent.
Comments
Post a Comment