The African Union is working diligently today to resolve issues surrounding protecting Africa’s biodiversity. Africa hosts nearly a quarter of global diversity within the continent, yet it is being destroyed through various factors, mostly those that are man made. The consequences of such events can be dire, resulting in issues like food insecurity, conflicts over land, and the increased transmission of zoonotic diseases.
In one bloc, Mozambique is attempting to combat some of the issues the delegation sees within its own borders. This includes deforestation and the loss of various animal habitats.
“In my bloc right now the working paper is focusing on, well our topic is biodiversity in Africa and we’re focusing on clean energy as something that we’re trying to build through Africa in terms of infrastructure and to not pollute the oceans anymore,” the representative of Mozambique told the Chicago Tribune. “This committee is also focused on preventing logging and poaching. The African Union doesn’t get published or talked about so we are not able to receive the same support as Ukraine in our wars and we need more press.”
As the committee unfolded, it became evident that there was much to negotiate before passing a resolution. While many delegates spoke of the need to find redundancies between the papers in order to be concise and thorough, it did not appear that there was action associated with the sentiment.
One of the other many blocs in the room consists of nations such as Guinea, Burundi, Niger, Zambia, Rwanda, Sudan, and Nigeria. Compared to the efforts of Mozambique’s bloc, this bloc is more focused on the impacts of tourism on the area saying, “We think our biggest thing in our paper is eco tourism. Eco tourism is the middle ground between protecting biodiversity and improving the economy. Right now a lot of countries in Africa benefit from tourism because we have phenomenal savannas and rainforests. However, these tourisms have a very huge environmental effect whether it be like single use plastics or carbon emissions. So, we hope by encouraging ecotourism for the benefit of the environment we can both improve the economy and protect biodiversity.”
“Ecotourism essentially is a win-win because it not only benefits the economy but also concerns the environment,” the delegate from Sudan added.
While it appears there is still more work to be done, the efforts of the African Union are commendable and are sure to yield results in the upcoming sessions.