This week the world marks the International Day for Biological Diversity. Coming on the heels of the UN’s landmark biodiversity report, we ask ourselves: how do we preserve bio-diverse ecosystems necessary for human existence while developing equitably? The Lead Author of the IPBES’s Africa regional assessment examines four potential paths.
Africa is rapidly developing, with the ADB estimating average growth to be 3.6% in 2019-20. Unfortunately this growth has been uneven and come at great cost to critical ecosystems and social stability. If African nations are going to reach their SDG targets by 2030 and their African Union Agenda by 2063, what has to change to ensure more ecologically sound, equitable development?
A new study, published in Liaison Énergie-Francophonie, suggests four potential development paths that consider social equity and the impact on the ecosystems.
![Roughly the length of a finger, the insects fly together by the millions and devour crops. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]](https://storage.googleapis.com/cgiarorg/2024/04/Tiksa-Negeri-Reuters-640x428.png)