Abstract
Far from being the proverbial basket case, Africa is a continent rich in natural and cultural diversity, and remarkable in the innovations her people have developed to use and conserve biological resources. The region contains a quarter of the world’s biodiversity, encompassing a wide range of habitats from vast savannah plains and tropical forests, through to coral reefs, the world’s largest desert region, and some of the most spectacular freshwater systems in the world.2 These habitats are repositories for an extraordinary range of animal and plant species. Up to 60 000 plant species occur on the continent, including 35 000 endemics that occur nowhere else on Earth.3 The region also contains three of the most biologically diverse countries in the world (South Africa, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo),4 three of the world’s biodiversity “hotspots” — or high biodiversity ecosystems under the greatest threat of destruction,5 and one of the world’s eight major centres of crop plant diversity (Ethiopia)6. Many thousands of useful plants and animals are found in the region, with plants such as sorghum, millet, palm oil, cotton and coffee, as well as several timber species, making key contributions to world agriculture. Additionally, many ornamental plants and medicinal products have their origins in Africa.
This paper has formed part of a broader research initiative, led by GRAIN and the Gaia Foundation, to investigate the linkages between trade and biodiversity. These organisations are gratefully acknowledged for allowing these research findings to be used in this publication. Particular thanks are due to the following people for their assistance with providing information, advice and comment: Renee Vellve, Katharine Ainger, Henk Hobbelink, and Anna-Rosa Martinez (GRAIN); Liz Hosken and Tanya Green (GAIA Foundation); Sarah Laird; Robert Lettington (African Centre for Technology Studies, Kenya); Phoebe Barnard (Namibian Directorate of Environmental Affairs); Herta Kolberg (National Plant Genetic Resources Centre of Namibia); Jean Marie Fondoun (Programme Conservation des Ressources Genetiques, Cameroon); Athman Mgumia (Mtandao wa Vikundi wa Wakulima Tanzania); Thomas Kentos Bakyatita (Joint Energy and Environment Projects Uganda); Paul Therence Senghor (Department of Environment, Senegal); Dr JC Autrey (Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute); Doreen Mnyulwa and Julius Mugwagwa (Biotechnology Trust of Zimbabwe); Dr Abebe (Ethiopia Biodiversity Institute); Barbara Dinham (Pesticide Action Network); R. Guyer (Novartis); Robert Maybury and Charles Weiss (International Organisation for Chemical Sciences in Development); Dr Hans Herren and Dr Wilber Lwande (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya); Cyril Lombard (CRIAA SA-DC); Carl van der Lingen.
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Wynberg, R. (2003). Biotechnology and the Commercialisation of Biodiversity in Africa. In: International Environmental Law and Policy in Africa. Environment & Policy, vol 36. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0135-8_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0135-8_5
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