SCENARIOS OF AFRICAN BIODIVERSITY

REGIONAL WORKSHOP «SCENARIOS OF AFRICAN BIODIVERSITY»
Anticipation of the future of biodiversity and ecosystemic services and global change
mitigation and adaptation in Africa»
March 25-27, 2013, Libreville, Gabon
The goals
Present an overview of the scenarios of biodiversity that have been developed by international
research on Africa and to promote examples of research on African biodiversity scenarios that involve
managers of African biodiversity associating African and international researchers (in particular from
France);
•
Synthesize the stakes of the research on biodiversity scenarios in Africa:
- Identify the issues and majors stakes relating to the management and use of biodiversity
resources in the African context (wealth and degradation of biodiversity, fight against poverty);
- Clarify the expectations from African society actors toward the research on biodiversity scenarios
in terms of pressure, eco-systems, levels of diversity and considered responses, as well as in terms
of methods and operational tools and the required support to use/adapt these tools;
- Identify road blocks/solutions and share best practices regarding partnership between the
managers of African biodiversity and South/North researchers; propose actions to be developped,
especially by FRB, to facilitate this connection;
•
Identify research teams from South and North as well as African society actors interested in
research and development collaborations on the theme of biodiversity scenarios.
•
Foster research projects on the scenarios of biodiversity in Africa that are the results of
partnerships between African and international researchers (in particular from France) and African
actors involved in the management/use of biodiversity resources (and potential users of these
scenarios): these projects should allow to develop operational tools to help with management and
decision-making, and be adapted to the needs of African actors;
•
Provide ideas to reflect upon toward the implementation of the IPBES in Africa, and examine with
the African actors how to respond to this challenge. The workshop taking place a few weeks after the
first plenary session of the IPBES (January 2013), it should be possible to render the main outcomes
of this meeting at this workshop. Biodiversity scenarios might also be considered as a special
approach toward the implementation of a mechanism to mobilize scientific expertise to serve the
stakes of society in Africa.
Expected results from the workshop are
•
A synthesis report directly issued from the workshop (workshop acts) presenting a panoramic view of the
scenarios that have been developed by the sub-Saharian African research, the stakes and expectations
put forward by African actors, identified methods, best practices and difficulties, in the context of working
groups, toward the co-construction (South-North and science/society) of scenarios regarding sub-Saharian
Africa. This document should be helpful to both African scientists wishing to make research proposals of
scenarios as well as to society actors and African decision-makers wishing to either use research results as tools
to help with decision-making and/or to get directly involved with the co-construction of scenarios;
•
The strengthening of partnerships between African/international researchers (particularly from France),
African actors involved in the management/use of biodiversity resources, and potential users of scenarios;
such partnerships could later on find support in the context of call for proposals as for instance the 2013 call
from the FRB scenarios programme (with FFEM co-funding);
•
Research projects that will emerge from this workshop and that will lead, within three to four years, to
decision-making and management tools that can be used by African actors and policy-makers;
•
The start of a «virtual network» on biodiversity scenarios in Africa based on the network of researchers and
actors mobilized in the context of this workshop;
•
Shared recommendations for the implementation of IPBES in the African context, in particular regarding
the theme of biodiversity scenarios and help toward the strengthening of capacities.