APAC - Articles

The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) was the first of its own continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens , and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions.

The congress happened from the 18th to the 23rd of July 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. The objective of the congress was to position Africa protected and conserved areas within the broader goals of economic development and community well-being and to increase the understanding of vital role parks play in conserving biodiversity and delivering the ecosystem services that underpin human welfare and livelihoods.

The Congress attracted participants from across the African continent and beyond, representing governments, African regional bodies, NGOs, national and international experts and organizations, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth, academia, the judiciary, development partners and the private sector.

African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance (ACBA) forms one of the many NGOs and CSOs that actively participated in the African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) through its diverse membership. ACBA members participated through side events, pavilion activities, and attendance at high-level events and other side events hosted by other participants.

The congress was by Africans for Africa and celebrated and acknowledged the skills and commitment of Africa to conservation, #sustainableuse

The Congress identified priority actions to strengthen Africa’s protected and conserved areas in a manner that is just, equitable and fair and deepens the involvement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The high-level events, pavilion events and other side events that happened at APAC led to the documentation of the Kigali Call to Action for people and Nature

Formed in February 2020, the African CSO Biodiversity Alliance (ACBA) provides a platform for African CSOs to speak with one voice on issues of Sustainable Use of nature that contribute to conservation and equitable benefits from nature. The ACBA members comprise of national NGOs and CSO networks, community-based organizations (CBOs), youth networks and individual experts that share ACBA’s vision and values. Therefore, to become a member of ACBA, you must be an African-based non-Governmental Organization (NGO)/CBO or an individual working in the area of biodiversity rights, community resilience, policy and advocacy.

In collaboration with African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance (ACBA), International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) are launching a policy brief on ‘Responsible Tourism to Africa’s Great Apes’ at the IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) in Kigali, Rwanda on 19 July 2022, 4:00 PM CAT, at the ACBA pavilion.

The WWF 2020 Global Living Planet report highlights the crisis that our planet is in. It shows that on average we have lost 68% of monitored populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2016. Species’ population trends are important because they are a measure of overall ecosystem health. A decline in species also means reduced ecosystem integrity, stability, and ecosystem services. The African Continent is significantly impacted by our biodiversity as it gives the key impetuses catalyst to the biogeochemical responses expected to maintain the ecosystem benefits that control global physiology.