Abstract
The field of conservation biology has set itself some imposing tasks: to describe Earth’s biological diversity, to protect what remains, and to restore what is damaged. It is also a crisis discipline because decisions often need to be made under pressure, with limited resources, and under tight deadlines. That said, a long-term conservation vision is also needed that extends beyond the immediate crisis. Efforts to preserve biodiversity while overcoming conflicting human needs can be accomplished by striving towards sustainable development—economic development that satisfies both present and future needs without unsustainable economic growth that is compromising the natural world. But emerging threats are never solved by people who defend the status quo or resist change, but by individuals who rapidly respond to new challenges as soon as they arise. One of the biggest challenges facing conservation biologists is inadequate funding. Fortunately, an increasing number of mechanisms are being established to fill funding voids, including multilateral funding consortiums, debt-for-nature swaps, payments for ecosystem services, and a range of grassroots initiatives. To avoid leaving urban citizens detached from nature, conservation biologists need to reach out and educate the public, and particularly children, about their work. This can be achieved through citizen science projects, field programmes for the public, and writing materials suitable for adults and children for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
Highlights
Introduction to SubSaharan Africa2.1 Sub-Saharan Africa’s Natural Environment2.2 History of Conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa2.4 Ongoing Conservation Challenges p. 24 p. 29 p. 37 p. 44
Some impacts are an unavoidable consequence of human activities; vast resources are currently invested in finding ways to mitigate those impacts
Many threatened species continue to be illegally exploited in an unsustainable manner; in the worst cases, the profits from poaching are funding human-rights atrocities and organised criminal networks
Summary
Box 1.2 The Okapi Wildlife Reserve: Protecting Nature and Providing for People 14 Rosmarie Ruf & Marcel Enckoto. Box 5.1 The Importance of Liberia’s Forest Network to the Survival of the Pygmy Hippopotamus. Box 5.3 Migratory Birds of Africa: The Largest of the Last Great Migrations? Box 6.1 Does Oil Palm Agriculture Threaten Biological Diversity in Equatorial Africa?. Box 8.3 Fenced Reserves Conserving Cheetahs and African Wild Dogs in South Africa. Box 11.1 The Overlooked Role of Behavioural Ecology in the Conservation of African Mammals. Box 12.3 Thoughts on Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Sub-Saharan Africa. Box 13.3 Marine Protected Areas in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean 481 Abraham J. Box 14.2 Importance of Protected Areas in Cities: Insights from the City of Cape Town. Box 15.3 Tracking Species in Space and Time: Citizen Science in Africa Phoebe Barnard
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