Sterling University said in a statement Wednesday (December 3) that the study, published in the journal Nature, found that Sub-Saharan Africa has lost 24 percent of its biodiversity since pre-industrial times.
Hayley Clements, lead author of the study from the Centre for Sustainable Transitions at Stellenbosch University, said that many global biodiversity assessments fail to reflect the reality of Africa because they rely on limited local data. "By working directly with those who research and manage African ecosystems, we can get a much more realistic picture of where biodiversity is declining, where it is remaining, and why," Clements said.
The five-year project gathered insights from 200 experts across Africa, from researchers and rangers to tour guides and museum curators. Their combined knowledge was then used to create a continent-wide Biodiversity Intact Index, which measures the percentage of native species abundance remaining in each area.
According to the study, while some disturbance-tolerant plant species have only declined by around 10 percent, populations of large mammals such as elephants, lions, and some antelope species have declined by more than 75 percent compared to historical levels. This decline is due to the expansion of agricultural land, unsustainable harvesting, and intensive grazing.
Central African countries maintain the highest levels of intact biodiversity thanks to
intact moist forests, while West Africa exhibits the lowest levels due to severe forest and savannah degradation.
Meanwhile, more than 80 percent of remaining wild plants and animals are found in productive lands rather than protected areas.
"Protected areas remain vital, especially for Africa's large mammals, but they alone are not enough to halt biodiversity loss. Sustainable management of shared productive landscapes is key to maintaining biodiversity and supporting livelihoods," Clements added.
