GABORONE, Botswana – The Gaborone Declaration, which was adopted at the conclusion of the first Africa Biodiversity Summit, which took place from November 2 to 5, 2025, has been welcomed by the African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance (ACBA).
According to ACBA, a group that brings together like-minded CSOs in Africa to define Africa’s position on the post-2020 GBF, it is a genuinely historic accomplishment that the Botswana government and the African Union hosted the summit. The significance of biodiversity in bolstering Africa’s ecosystems, supporting adaptation and mitigation efforts, and being essential to African culture, livelihoods, and well-being is further reaffirmed.
In a statement, ACBA indicated that, more importantly, biodiversity was acknowledged as a vital resource for the continent’s sustainable development.
“Any opportunity to attain sustainable results for both humans and the environment must acknowledge the interdependence of the root causes of biodiversity loss and the decline of nature, as well as the necessity of our actions being equally interconnected. Addressing the root causes of the problem is necessary to stop biodiversity loss. When we consciously change attitudes, systems, and behaviours to address the fundamental causes of biodiversity loss, this can occur. The IPBES transformative change assessment study, which was delivered at the CBD SBSTTA 27 in Panama in November 2024, provides a clear explanation of this,” the statement reads in part.
The Africa Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030, to which ACBA had the honour of contributing, calls for improved governance and expedited implementation, even though the preamble to the declaration does not explicitly identify governance as one of the major indirect drivers of biodiversity loss.
The group noted that the Declaration highlights the necessity of methodically incorporating ecological considerations into every industry. Institutions and governance structures need to be inclusive, accountable, and flexible in order to be successful.
Inside the main themes of the Rio Conventions
Additionally, the Declaration highlights the growth of transboundary and protected conservation areas, highlighting Africa’s role in reaching the 30×30 target under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF). ACBA has continuously promoted inclusive, bottom-up conservation strategies that make use of local expertise and citizen science in relation to the 30×30 aim and the growth of protected areas. According to ACBA, conservation should occur in areas where people reside and make a living.
“Unsurprisingly, one of the main themes of the Rio Conventions was financing biodiversity. Encouragingly, leaders urged the mobilisation of domestic resources, asking countries to progressively commit at least 1% of GDP to biodiversity. ACBA has argued that the continent’s biodiversity contributes towards global public goods such as adaptation and mitigation to climate change, resilient societies, water availability and quality, food systems and health. As a result, developed nations must support the preservation of biodiversity, its sustainable use, and just and equitable benefit sharing. Although the proposal for an African Biodiversity Fund is commendable, its operationalisation must take into account both the continent’s commitment to its capitalisation and current funds,” the statement further reads.
ACBA observed that it is necessary to question the designation of financial instruments as new financial mechanisms, such as payments for ecological services (PES), green and blue bonds, and biodiversity credits. Implementing these so-called “innovative financial mechanisms” carries significant dangers of greenwashing and misleading solutions, even if they represent possible prospects for the continent to receive funds without conditions.
What does Africa need to do to achieve transformative change
Numerous programs, according to ACBA, that are labelled as “innovative” are opaque, lack transparency, and disadvantage frontline populations. The group went on to suggest that Africa must steer clear of measures that strengthen or even legitimise the systems that are responsible for the loss of biodiversity. Funding for biodiversity conservation needs to be clearly defined.
“A mentality shift is one essential adjustment needed for transformative change that tackles the root causes of biodiversity loss. The request to incorporate biodiversity education into the national curriculum and civic initiatives is welcomed by ACBA. People must be aware of the decisions they make and the principles that guide them. Such a change will unavoidably lead to a move away from actions detrimental to the deterioration of nature and biodiversity.”
The group further reiterated that African nations are unfairly burdened financially by the debt crisis, which restricts their ability to fund social services like biodiversity and climate change initiatives.
“Due to rating agencies’ classification of Africa as a high-risk capital destination, African nations frequently pay higher loan interest rates than their industrialised counterparts. As a result, ACBA applauds African governments’ request for changes to the international financial system that would enable grant-based support for biodiversity,” the statement concluded.
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