Urban expansion as a driver of biodiversity loss: Integrating biodiversity in urban planning in African context

Africa has high biodiversity and is rapidly urbanizing. However, there is limited understanding of how urban expansion in Africa is likely to affect its habitats and biodiversity. Little urban ecological research has been done in Africa. This study needs to think ahead as Africa move into the “urban age” it is critical to inform the public on the importance of urban environment and to justify the need to preserve these areas. The conservation value of urban environments stems should not be overlooked. Cities represent considerable opportunities for forwarding global biodiversity and sustainability goals. However, recent scientific evidence shows that these assumptions do not always hold. Although it is generally true that increasing the size, quality, and connectivity of habitat patches will improve the probability that a species can persist, the inverse is not that small, degraded, or fragmented habitats found in urban environments are worthless. In this study an updated messages that guide and inspire researchers, practitioners, and decision makers to undertake conservation action of African urban environments is proposed: considering small spaces, recognize the value of integrating biodiversity in African cities, test creative solutions, and use ecological knowledge to minimize the impacts of future urban development in African biodiversity.