Africa Rethinks Conservation Funding as Traditional Donors Scale Back
Nairobi, Kenya – As the world marked World Wildlife Day on Tuesday, a critical question loomed over Africa’s conservation efforts: how to sustain vital biodiversity protection as traditional funding sources dwindle. A shifting geopolitical landscape is prompting major donors to tighten budgets, leaving conservation initiatives across the continent at a crossroads.
Luther Bois Anukur, Regional Director for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Eastern and Southern Africa, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “There has been a shrinking of financing for biodiversity conservation, especially with the closing of USAID, which was a big financier for biodiversity work in Africa,” Anukur said in an interview with Inter Press Service. “This came as a shock and certainly slowed down the work of biodiversity conservation in Africa because some organisations have gone under, and some projects have closed altogether.”
However, Anukur views this challenge as an opportunity for African nations to reassess their approach to conservation financing. He argues that relying on donor funding is unsustainable, asserting that “biodiversity is not a charitable cause. It is actually part of the sovereign natural assets, and so we need to look at ways in which countries can link their economies to biodiversity conservation.”
The economic foundations of many African nations – fresh water, agriculture, tourism, and energy – are intrinsically linked to healthy ecosystems, Anukur pointed out. Protecting biodiversity, therefore, isn’t simply an environmental concern, but a core economic imperative.
A key element of this shift involves empowering local communities, who often bear the brunt of living alongside wildlife. Anukur stressed the need to move beyond viewing communities as mere beneficiaries of conservation efforts and instead recognize them as leaders. “People in Africa have lived alongside wildlife for many years,” he said. “However, the cost of living with wildlife has been very high… Yet, we have not seen benefits go to communities in a proportional manner. We need to see benefits going to communities in an equitable manner that is commensurate to the services and the sacrifices they provide.”
Several African nations, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya, have already demonstrated successful models of community-led conservation that generate both ecological recovery and economic returns. These models hinge on securing land rights, ensuring accountable governance, and establishing direct revenue flows to communities, alongside partnerships with the private sector.
Anukur urged African finance ministries to recognize nature as a national asset, comparable to roads or power grids. “Ministers of finance look at risks, they look at assets, and they look at returns,” he explained. “But very clearly, nature is Africa’s largest asset. And so investing in our environment basically means that we are supporting our water systems, our agriculture, our fisheries, and our ecosystems.”
He also highlighted the importance of utilizing tools like the IUCN Red List and Green List to inform long-term, evidence-based policies, integrating conservation considerations into broader development planning for infrastructure, agriculture, and extractive industries.
Ultimately, Anukur believes a shift towards “generative growth” – balancing economic development with ecosystem protection – is essential. “We need to balance everything,” he said. “There should be cross-sectoral collaboration… We would want the environment to be right at the centre of budget projections.”
As Africa navigates this evolving landscape, prioritizing investment in its natural assets is not just an environmental necessity, but a pathway to sustainable economic growth and improved livelihoods.