GEO-6 for Youth: Africa


Mohamed Hazem Abd El-Aziz


A migrating flock of swans migrating through Naivasha lake, Kenya


5.5 Conclusion


Africa is synonymous with beautiful natural landscapes and scenery. Biodiverse-rich landscapes spread across each of the continent’s 54 countries. Living near or within these landscapes are millions of Africans, most of whom are youth. They are the ones who can act as guardians of these landscapes and protagonists of their restoration. For this to happen, young people in Africa should fully appreciate that their continent’s ecosystems and biodiversity are faced with a threat that must be tackled decisively.


Considering that one in five youth globally lives in Africa, young people on the continent have the numbers to take game-changing steps that


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will ensure conservation of the continent’s biodiversity (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2015). Some of these steps can contribute to sustainable livelihoods for Africa’s youth through economic activities revolving around ecotourism and NTFPs (Signé 2018).


Indeed, African youth can rise up to be a restoration- and conservation- minded generation. As they do this, not only will they be saving priceless natural resources and halting environmental degradation with all its detrimental impacts, but also creating green jobs and industries that replenish, instead of deplete, ecosystems and biodiversity. It is therefore critical for youth to be adequately supported as they embark on this journey.


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