Experts said on Wednesday that the Horn of Africa region is struggling to cope with the loss of biodiversity caused by climate change, which is exacerbating hunger, water stress, poverty, and resource conflicts. Levis Kavagi, Regional Coordinator for Ecosystems and Biodiversity Africa of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said that rising temperatures pose an existential threat to the habitat of the Greater Horn of Africa.
“The temperature in this area is rising faster than the global average that threatens biodiversity and ecosystem services,” Kavaji’s Virtual Forum on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystems in East Africa organized by the Intergovernmental Development Authority (IGAD) in Nairobi Said. He said that climate pressures have compromised the sustainability of the region, as evidenced by hunger, poverty, water scarcity, forced migration and widening gender gaps.
Climate adaptation policies need to be coordinated to improve the resilience of communities and ecosystems in the wider Horn of Africa.
Kavagi said that cross-border cooperation in the fields of research, capacity building, early warning, knowledge, and technology transfer is the key to promoting climate resilience in areas where repeated droughts occur in the region.
Tidiane Ouattara, a space science expert affiliated with the African Union Commission, said that countries in the Horn of Africa should use technology and local innovation to minimize the impact of climate change on important ecosystems. According to Ouattara, investment in robust monitoring and early warning infrastructure will increase the ability of countries in the Horn of Africa to respond quickly to climate shocks, including droughts and floods. He said that the use of space science will help improve the climate resilience of the sectors that support livelihoods in the region.
The Horn of African countries are trying hard to enhance biodiversity conservation amid climate and human-induced threats.
King’oo said that the implementation of nature-based climate adaptation projects in the region has accelerated to boost the resilience of biodiversity hotspots that sustain livelihoods through agriculture, water, energy supply, and tourism.
with information from: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2021-05/20/c_139956871.htm
