The Future is African: Youth at the Heart of Transformative Change for Biodiversity

In 2020, the global uprising against racial injustice forced every sector of society, including conservation, to confront long-standing patterns of exclusion. In southern Africa, this reckoning was amplified by a widely criticised racialised study questioning why Black South Africans “avoid” biological sciences. My response, The Achilles Heel of Conservation, argued that the central failure is not one of individual interest or material pursuit, but of systemic design. I asked the question: Who are we conserving Africa for if the majority, especially its youth, are excluded or not part of the solutions?

Five years later, despite important efforts being made, the structural work needed is still in its infancy. The political moment for these discussions has passed. Meanwhile, rising alt-right ideologies in the global North and their growing influence in Africa threaten progress toward transformation. These dynamics mirror the concerns of the IPBES TCA in the rising global inequality, the disconnect of people from nature and failing economic systems that compromise biodiversity and planetary health.

Drawing on scientific publications I have coauthored and case studies from my work with young people through my youth organisation Matabeleland Youth Conservation Society, the Gorongosa Restoration Project and the Nature Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers community (NEWF), I share lived experiences in devising pathways for transformative change that centre African women and youth. This talk will present and explore grassroots efforts and challenges to reimagining equitable partnerships, alternative funding models that democratise access to the biodiversity economy, refocusing narratives through storytelling led by Africans and elevating indigenous knowledge and experience. The success of the IPBES TCA call depends on co-creation and collaboration on such initiatives led by local people, and designing and supporting programs that grant opportunities to reconnect African youth and future generations with nature. This talk highlights the importance of the IPBES TCA in practice and how it can be best implemented in Africa. Biodiversity conservation requires not only ecological interventions, but social, cultural, political and economic changes rooted in justice, representation and empowerment of marginalised communities.