Scientists reveal how a new strategy in Africa is having unprecedented success — here’s what it’s accomplished

In an effort to conserve nature and reduce deforestation, several African countries have teamed up with non-governmental organizations to co-manage protected areas. 

According to a press release by France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), the collaborative management strategy includes 127 partnerships that span 1 million square kilometers (more than 386,000 square miles) across 16 countries. 

An international research team from INRAE and Le Havre University investigated how much of an effect the management models had on deforestation rates. The findings, published in the journal PNAS, showed that protected areas saw a 55% reduction in deforestation, while the most vulnerable protected areas experienced 66% less tree removal. 

As sub-Saharan Africa houses 13% of the world’s biodiversity and around 20% of its forests, per the news release, governments established the continent’s first protected area in 1925 to safeguard these immense natural resources. 

Following the conservation of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, government bodies created thousands of other protected areas. However, underfunding and ineffective management have made it difficult for governments to oversee such vast wilderness. 

To fill the management gap, co-management initiatives have sprung up over the last two decades between several African states and NGOs. Through these collaborative management partnerships, NGOs manage thousands of square kilometers across several states for 25 to 40 years. INRAE stated that NGOs normally support projects for just 2-5 years, so this long-term partnership will provide even more benefits for people and the environment. 

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Funds from the partnership will go toward training staff and park rangers, building roads and tourism infrastructure, and installing power plants near the Virunga and Garamba Parks to boost living conditions for communities.

Researchers noted that these investments in energy development and staff recruiting have made the biggest difference in the protected areas most threatened by human activities. The findings prove that co-management between governments and NGOs can play a critical role in preserving biodiversity and ecosystems in the long term.

Other conservation efforts have borne fruit in South Africa, where a private reserve released at-risk southern white rhinos to boost the population, and an urban farm restored a huge forest area.

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