At the heart of the global biodiversity conversation, African nations are facing a hard truth: the continent's funding gap for biodiversity conservation is not closing fast enough. The African Development Bank is now calling on African governments to treat biodiversity conservation as a national investment priority, not an afterthought.
The AfDB's message is direct. Conservation cannot sit at the edges of development planning. It needs to be woven into the core of how governments budget, build, and grow their economies. Without that shift, the financing gap will keep widening no matter how many international conferences are held.
The timing matters. CBD COP17 puts a global spotlight on biodiversity commitments, and African countries are under pressure to show up with more than good intentions. The AfDB's position is that the real work happens at home, in national budgets and long-term development strategies, before any international money can meaningfully follow.
Originally published by Premium Times.