Birdlife calls on AMCEN to regulate biofuel production in Africa

BirdLife International has called on AMCEN - the highest regional policy making body on the environment in Africa - to develop appropriate guidance on sustainable biofuel production and consumption on the continent as well as protocols for use by African countries. This, BirdLife argues, should help African governments ensure biofuel development (where absolutely necessary) delivers carbon savings without adversely affecting the environment or society through food insecurity or encroachment on natural habitats with exceptional biodiversity such as those identified as Important Bird Areas (IBAs).  BirdLife also urged AMCEN to move quickly to develop Adaptive Strategies to cope with the predicted shifts in the distribution of biodiversity within Protected Areas and other Key Biodiversity Areas.  

BirdLife made the call at the 12^th regular meeting of the Africa Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) that was held in Johannesburg South Africa from 7^th – 12^th June, 2008. The meeting recommended, as a key decision, that the African Union, at its thirteenth summit in June and July 2009, consider, with a view to final adoption, a common African position on the comprehensive international climate change regime beyond 2012, which is to be finalized in December 2009 at the next COP for UNFCCC.

“BirdLife’s call for regional regulation of biofuel production was appropriate and timely in the wake of increasing proposals for biofuel projects that have not adequately passed the test for sustainability or carbon emission reductions over their whole life cycle, such as the current Tana Delta case in Kenya” said Jane Gaithuma - BirdLife’s Regional Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa who with Carolyn Ah Shene of BirdLife South Africa represented BirdLife at the meeting.

“BirdLife’s call for regional regulation of biofuel production was appropriate and timely in the wake of increasing proposals for biofuel projects that have not adequately passed the test for sustainability or carbon emission reductions over their whole life cycle, such as the current Tana Delta case in Kenya” —Jane Gaithuma, BirdLife’s Regional Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa

BirdLife also urged AMCEN to recognize and take action on several issues other than climate change, including enhancing ratification of the African (Algiers) Convention, biodiversity conservation and the link to livelihoods improvement, and to formally recognize the BirdLife Africa Partnership as one of its Partners in the implementation of its work Programme (a proposal to support the programme of work of AMCEN and NEPAD’s Action plan was presented to the meeting).

African Environmental Ministers at the meeting expressed their concern at the increasing number of environmental challenges facing Africa; the continent’s vulnerability to global climate change, the increasing need for capacity-building and technology transfer and the inadequate financial and technical resources to meet these challenges. They noted that while Africa contributes the least to global warming, it is suffering most from the impacts.

The final declaration and decisions reached at the meeting included a decision “To call upon Governments to accelerate the ratification of the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources to permit the entry into force of the convention and secure a fully comprehensive and representative network of protected areas and other natural resources in Africa…” This is a vindication of BirdLife’s efforts to draw attention to this potentially very useful Pan African instrument for the conservation of nature on the continent. BirdLife International through it’s Africa Partnership is positioning itself to work more closely in future with AMCEN and will be following closely the final outcomes of this meeting.