An introduction to the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

Africa is home to an exceptional diversity of biological species and ecosystems, having the world’s second largest tropical rainforests, large freshwater and mountain ecosystems and six of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots. In Africa, however, a large part of the population directly depends on the environment and natural resources for their livelihoods. Loss or depletion of environmental resources in Africa and the impact of drought and other natural disasters have continued, thereby raising levels of poverty among its population.

The past half century has seen increasing global awareness on the need to sustainably manage the environment. Environmental awareness has covered issues like ecosystems management; need to protect the ozone layer; pollution control; sustainable development; trade-related aspects; climate change, among others. The world has also witnessed immense progress in scientific knowledge and approaches to sound management of the environment. As science developed, a number of multilateral environmental agreements and other international instruments were also agreed upon by the international community to better manage the environment for sustainable development.

These multilateral environmental agreements generally provide for the legal, administrative and operational framework for addressing global environmental issues and challenges, leaving implementation aspects to be addressed at regional, sub-regional, national and local levels. At the African regional level, the largest forum that can implement global commitments and address issues specific to Africa is the African Union.

The establishment of the African Union in 2002 has seen renewed commitment by the nations of Africa to sound environment and natural resources management for sustainable development, as exemplified in the African Union’s Constitutive Act of 2002. It therefore became necessary for the African Union, in the said renewed commitment, to agree on a revised instrument not only to secure the continent’s environment and natural resources, but also to translate global commitments into a regionally binding instrument, i.e., under the framework of the Revised African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2003.

The Revised African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, that was adopted in Maputo on 11th July 2003 at the Second Summit of the African Union (“Maputo Convention”), is a revision of the 1968 Algiers African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (“Algiers Convention”). The Algiers Convention was the first regional convention on the environment that served as a basis for the African states to conserve their environment and natural resources and address issues of regional importance.
     
The Maputo Convention encapsulates Africa’s distinctive response to changes in attitudes, legal and policy perspectives, scientific developments and international law. It addresses a continent-wide spectrum of issues ranging from sustainable management of land and soil, water, air and biological resources, and seeks to integrate conservation and better environmental management strategies into social and economic development aspirations. The Maputo Convention guarantees stronger institutional tools to ensure its implementation. It establishes an independent secretariat, a conference of the parties and a financing mechanism all geared towards its effective implementation at regional level in collaboration with the Parties.