The African Biodiversity Network (ABN) is a crucial, Indigenous-rooted organization dedicated to addressing the ecological and socio-economic challenges facing the African continent. Established in 1996, the ABN was formed in response to growing concerns about threats to Africa's rich biodiversity and the pressing need to develop robust African-led solutions and legal frameworks at local, national, regional, and international levels.
The ABN envisions a future where Africa's biological, cultural, and spiritual diversity is not only celebrated but also actively protected, ensuring sustainability and equity for all. Their philosophy is deeply rooted in the belief that the solutions to Africa's problems already lie within its diverse indigenous cultures and traditional knowledge systems.
Mission and Vision: Reclaiming and Sustaining African Heritage
The ABN's mission is to ignite and nurture a growing African network of individuals and organizations working passionately to resist injustices and destruction caused by the prevailing industrial development model. Their aim is to empower resilient local communities to govern their own lives and livelihoods, rooted in their own social, cultural, and biological diversity.
Kwanzaa 2024 celebration
Their vision is of vibrant and resilient African communities living in harmony with healthy ecosystems, sustained by their unique biological, cultural, and spiritual heritage. This vision emphasizes self-governance, the ability to resist harmful developments, and the power to influence laws and practices that respect the rights of both people and nature.
Core Values: Guiding Principles for Action
The ABN's work is guided by a strong set of core values:
- Diversity and Mutual Respect: Upholding diversity and mutual respect for ethnic, cultural, spiritual, and biological well-being for present and future generations.
- Transparency and Accountability: Ensuring transparency and accountability as underlying principles to enable equitable, inclusive, and effective participation.
- Solidarity and Integration: Fostering solidarity and integration with those working for justice for people, plants, animals, and the environment.
- Commitment, Courage, and Tenacity: Demonstrating unwavering commitment, courage, and tenacity to promote ABN's core values and to defend and implement its principles.
- Transformation: Believing in the transformation of individuals and communities as catalysts of change.
Strategic Pillars of Work: African Solutions from the Ground Up
The ABN implements its vision through several interconnected thematic areas and approaches:
1. Community Seed and Knowledge
This is a cornerstone of ABN's work, recognizing the critical importance of seed diversity for food sovereignty and climate change resilience. They work with women, men, and elders to revive local traditional knowledge for strengthening seed and food systems and regenerating biodiversity. This involves:
- Community-led seed banks and household seed storage systems.
- Reviving lost seeds and related knowledge and practices.
- Organizing seed festivals, ceremonies, and rituals.
- Facilitating community research groups, seed mapping, and seasonal calendars.
- Promoting exchange visits and community dialogues to share knowledge and foster co-creation.
- Publishing resources like "The Seed Catalogue" to document and share knowledge.
2. Community Ecological Governance (CEG)
The ABN uses a nature-centered process to revive traditional knowledge, practices, and governance systems. This aims to rebuild communities, livelihoods, and ecosystem resilience across Africa. They advocate for and support:
- Community-led natural resource management.
- Protection of sacred sites and territories, recognizing their biocultural significance.
- Integration of customary laws and traditional governance systems into modern conservation frameworks.
- Promotion of participatory forest management (PFM), involving communities in co-management of forests.
3. Youth Culture and Biodiversity
Recognizing the vital role of future generations, the ABN endeavors to connect young people with nature, culture, and themselves. This deepening of knowledge helps them build a profound awareness of their identity and responsibility towards the environment. They work on integrating "Youth, Culture and Biodiversity" principles into schools and youth programs.
4. Advocacy, Communication & Network Practice and Development
The ABN strives to strengthen networking, communication, and regional advocacy to influence policy and public opinion on ecological and socio-economic issues affecting Africa. This includes:
- Accompanying African voices to ensure their perspectives are heard on issues like food and seed sovereignty, genetic engineering, agrofuels, biodiversity protection, extractive industries, and the rights of small-holder farmers.
- Creating a united African voice on these critical issues.
- Engaging with international legal instruments like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and others to advocate for Indigenous and community rights.
- Catalyzing wider action by working with like-minded individuals and organizations across the continent.
Geographic Reach and Partnerships: A Pan-African Force
The ABN is a truly pan-African network, with a significant footprint across the continent. They currently have over 41 partners drawn from 19 African countries, including Benin, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon, Morocco, and Egypt. This broad network allows them to share experiences, co-develop methodologies, and amplify a collective African voice.
Key Achievements and Recognition: A Testament to Impact
The ABN's tireless efforts have yielded significant results and garnered international recognition:
- Pioneering Agroecology: They are renowned for their work in reviving traditional/indigenous agroecological farming systems, which are vital for sustainable food production and biodiversity conservation.
- "Outstanding Practice in Agroecology" Award: In 2019, the ABN was recognized by the World Future Council for "Outstanding Practice in Agroecology," specifically for their work in promoting seed and food sovereignty and regenerating livelihoods. This award highlighted their community-driven approach, their success in reviving hundreds of seed varieties, and their ability to empower thousands of farmers.
- Founding of AFSA: The ABN played a key role in conceiving and helping to launch the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) in 2011, a major coalition advocating for food sovereignty across the continent.
- Influencing Policy: They actively work to influence policy and legislation at various levels, ensuring that traditional knowledge, customary laws, and community rights are respected and integrated into governance frameworks.
- Empowering Smallholder Farmers: Their work has directly empowered smallholder farmers by helping them to regenerate seed diversity, regain control over their food production systems, reduce reliance on external inputs, and improve their livelihoods and health.
- Cultural and Spiritual Reconnection: Beyond the practical aspects, ABN's approach emphasizes the crucial reconnection of people with nature and their own cultures, which they see as essential for resilience and sustainable living.
Challenges and the Path Forward
The ABN operates in a complex environment where traditional values and practices for biodiversity protection are often undermined by governments prioritizing industrial development and external interests. They face ongoing challenges from:
- The rapid spread of global values focused on economic growth and consumption.
- The privatization and industrialization of land, knowledge, and biodiversity.
- The need to reconcile conservation efforts with the needs of a growing population.
Despite these challenges, the ABN continues to find innovative and pioneering pathways and solutions. Their focus on indigenous knowledge, culturally-centered approaches, and a strong, united African voice makes them a powerful force for positive change, advocating for a future where Africa's rich heritage and biodiversity can thrive in harmony with its people.
