In a world grappling with environmental crises, Africa must take the lead in addressing its environmental challenges.
By Fred Kockott and Kemunto Ogutu
The Global North — wealthy nations in Europe and North America — are missing the mark when it comes to supporting African-led research on climate change and the continent’s urgent environmental issues.
While this dynamic isn’t new, it came to the fore at last week’s 13th annual Oppenheimer Research Conference. It wasn’t just a showcase of African scientific knowledge; it was also a battlefield for ideas, a place where the fight for recognition and relevance played out in real time. Emerging from all this was a key question: Who gets to dictate the narrative and solutions for Africa’s ecological challenges?
More than 400 delegates attended last week’s research conference held in Midrand.
Notable blind spots
As the conference unfolded, the stark disconnect between the priorities of Global North researchers and stark African realities became a serious talking point.
“Most research in Africa is not being led by Africans,” said wildlife biologist, Dr Winnie Kiiru.
Her presentation, titled “Transforming Spaces of Research”, touched on the skewed power dynamics in research.
Kiiru lamented the trend of non-African researchers swooping in, gathering data and leaving without fostering meaningful collaboration. This created a knowledge vacuum that distorted and undermined the essence of conservation research grounded in local context and expertise.
Stifled
Unfortunately, the stark reality is that for many African researchers, their passion for conservation was stifled by limited funding and opportunities, said Kiiru.
She echoed the concerns of others who have had to navigate bureaucratic hurdles and the overwhelming influence of Western priorities in the scientific discourse.
Kiiru’s call for cross-border collaboration to address this, resonated with conference organiser Dr Duncan MacFadyen, head of Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation. Kiiru’s plea was not mere rhetoric; it stemmed from a genuine need for African scientists to step up and shape the research agenda, said MacFadyen.
Tree-planting obsession
He cited as an example the role that Africa’s grasslands play as one of the world’s largest carbon sinks — a fact often overlooked in global environmental conversations.
“This obsession that the global North has with planting trees doesn’t always work for Africa,” said MacFadyen.
“Planting trees in areas where there were never any trees can have negative impacts on biodiversity particularly in terms of water usage,” explained MacFadyen, referencing a key presentation from conservation biologist Professor Sally Archibald.
“Trees consume a lot of water compared to grass, and the value of grass from a carbon perspective is immense,” said MacFadyen. “It’s not just about above-ground biomass; it’s the below-ground biomass that must be considered. Carbon models that focus on grasslands and rangelands are vital.”
Oceans’ call
On the ocean’s front, Dr. Arthur Tuda, the executive director of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA),delivered a sobering assessment of marine science research in Africa. He noted that marine science research received as little as 0.1% of national budgets across Africa.
Amid this, ocean resources were being plundered at all levels. Tuda’s call for increased investment in marine research was not merely a suggestion but an urgent necessity, said MacFadyen.
This sense of urgency was driven home at the very start of the conference in the keynote address by former Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe.
“We are gathered at a critical juncture in human history. The clock is ticking, and the consequences of our actions – or inaction – are more evident than ever,” he said.
He cited the alarming statistics:
- Extinction threat: 6,400 animals and 3,100 plants in Africa at risk.
- Species decline: Vertebrate populations have dropped by 39% since 1970.
- Land degradation: 20% of Africa’s land is degraded.
- Deforestation: The Congo Basin loses 500,000 to 1.2 million hectares of forest annually, with a 30% tree cover decline.
- Blue economy: Projected growth of $405 billion by 2030 is now contracting by 30% due to climate impacts.
- Funding gap: The biodiversity funding gap is $700 billion, with a goal to increase international financing to $20 billion per year by 2025.
Given these challenges, the pivotal role scientists can play in driving solutions, could not be underestimated, said Desalegn, concluding with an Ethiopian proverb: “The one who is mistaken is the one who does nothing.”
Snared up
Also on the opening the day, Dr. Howard Hendriks, SANParks’ managing executive for conservation, discussed uncomfortable trade-offs required to achieving harmony between nature and people.
He stressed that conservation-minded people, will see rooibok and impala as part of biodiversity; the hungry may see it as food.
“We obsess about biodiversity, but the majority don’t think about it,” said Hendricks, reminding the meeting of the extent of unemployment in the country and that less than half of school children will likely get a matric certificate.
In an interview with Roving Reporters, he noted that SANParks’ flagship national reserve, the Kruger National Park, was an immensely valuable resource that benefited many people, not least those involved in tourism.
Yet many of the nearly three million South Africans living near its 250km boundary were poor. Unemployment rates in the region exceed the national average and social services were thin on the ground.
Amid this, snaring of wildlife has fast become a customary way of life, and the resulting bushmeat trade has grown into a significant business beyond just ‘meat for the pot’.
He spoke of “thousands and thousands” of snares SANParks removed from Kruger each year and how teenagers and even younger children joined dog hunts and set snares.
Being oblivious to all this – a term he calls “obliviosis” – is something that we should avoid at all costs. Read: Beyond oblivion: critical trade-offs necessary to balance biodiversity and community needs in South Africa.
Adaptation and resilience
Amid these heavy discussions, glimmers of hope emerged about nature itself adapting to a warming world. Take, for instance, Dr Camille Parmesan’s work on hybrid species to the resilient Edith’s Checkerspot butterfly. “The butterfly’s ability to adapt locally is crucial for its survival as climate changes,” Parmesan observed.
Read: How hybrid species will save the world
However, this adaptation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Since time immemorial, long before humankind existed, life on Earth has weathered countless climate shifts over millions of years, evolving through mass extinctions and transformations that predate humanity. This enduring resilience invites us to reconsider our role in this unfolding story: how has the planet managed to adapt long before we arrived, and what does that mean for our future?
Deep view
In our current response to climate change, we need to recognise how species evolve and adapt, as well as the importance of preserving genetic diversity, said Parmesan. Her long-term study revealed that while the butterfly is adapting, it’s also forced to make tough choices—laying eggs on plants that pose different risks, a metaphor for the choices that human society faces today.
Fiery dilemmas
Professor William Bond’s talk on controlled burns as a method for preserving grasslands struck a similar chord. He articulated the role of fire and herbivores in maintaining these ecosystems, emphasising the need to rethink traditional conservation practices that have failed to keep pace with ecological realities. “High-intensity controlled burns are needed to maintain open grasslands,” he asserted, challenging norms that have often sidelined fire as a management tool.
The implications of his argument were stark: the very systems designed to protect these ecosystems could, in fact, contribute to their decline. As Bond put it, “Human actions disrupt this balance,” and the conference served as a reminder that real solutions will require a departure from outdated practices.
Emerging researchers
In a post-conference interview, MacFadyen said there was a growing need for investment in long-term African research projects that had meaningful and tangible impacts.
He expressed excitement over 600 early-career scientists from 40 countries had this year applied for the US$ 150,000 Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer (JWO) research grant.
This year’s winner, climate change biologist Shannon Conradie, will use her grant to investigate how complex, changing environmental conditions impact the survival and fitness of wildlife.
Moving forward
Beyond the JWO grant, the OGRC currently funds over 326 projects led by African researchers, many of which focus on African grasslands, wildlife, and sustainable ecosystems.
But it was not just money, said MacFadyen, but also setting up support structures and partnerships to “ensure that African research stays in Africa, empowering local scientists to address unique environmental challenges.”
He acknowledged that for many emerging researchers the path forward is fraught with challenges, from securing funding and navigating bureaucratic hurdles through to dealing with external researchers unfamiliar with local realities.
Despite these challenges, the consensus was clear, said MacFadyen: African researchers must step up their game and take the lead in addressing ecological challenges experienced by people, wildlife and nature in Africa.
“Action is required,” he added. “Sadly, lip service won’t cut it.” – Roving Reporters
- This story was produced with the assistance of Jive Media Africa – science communication partner to Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation (OGRC).
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