Abstract

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over 6,400 animals and 3,100 plants in Africa are at risk of extinction. The decline of Africa's abundant ecological biodiversity poses a significant threat to millions of livelihoods. It exacerbates food insecurity and conflicts over land, leading to volatile agropastoral and geopolitical contentions over gazing land. The conversion of natural habitat to low-yielding cultivated land and climate change are dominant drivers amongst other primary human-induced factors contributing to biodiversity loss in Africa. In arid and semi-arid areas, the decline in biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems adversely affect soil quality and vegetation, influencing agricultural productivity. In this paper, it will be argued that the loss of biodiversity is a result of human pressure and climate change, along with other factors contributing to food and rising human insecurity in Africa. This paper attempts to provide strategic pathways for climate actions in mitigating biodiversity loss and improving human security. It suggests that for Africa to address the challenges of biodiversity loss and improve food and human security in the short and mid-term, effective multilateral ecological diplomacy should be adopted through the African Union (AU)and Regional Economic Communities (RECs). For the methodological approach, qualitative and quantitative descriptive and interdisciplinary research methodology, which allows the use of primary and secondary sources, was adopted in this study.