New technology aims at biodiversity data gap

November 02, 2025

Dear subscriber, 

Reliable conservation data is a missing piece for supporting biodiversity targets and interventions. We’re keen to hear from anyone who has used the latest addition to the data tool kit.

Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor

A conservation technology built at Wits University is helping Africa close one of its most persistent data gaps – how to measure biodiversity conservation needs and impact. The African Data Drive (ADD) is an interactive mapping tool that integrates multiple spatial datasets to help conservation partners balance industrial growth with ecosystem protection.

  • The ADD is built on top of Google Earth and combines curated spatial data on biodiversity and projected industrial and agricultural expansion in Africa. 

  • It acts as both a decision-support and risk-screening tool that enables conservationists to identify biodiversity hotspots threatened by planned industrial or agricultural activity.

  • Our take: The tool is correcting biases found in many global sources…Read more (2 min)

Our conservation events calendar spotlights seven upcoming conferences with a focus on biodiversity governance and the business of nature. There are two big ones among the seven according to our analysis. The Africa Biodiversity Summit will be held in person in Gaborone, Botswana while the Business of Conservation Conference is online.

  • The Africa Biodiversity Summit starts on November 2 and aims to shape Africa’s biodiversity agenda, focusing on finance and coordinated continental positions for global environmental negotiations.

  • The Business of Conservation Conference on November 19 defines wildlife as an economic asset and advances sustainable models for conservation-driven growth. 

  • Find the full list of events…Read more (2 min)

Our quarterly analysis of new projects in African conservation features four initiatives that empower local communities. Two of the projects aim at equitable sharing of nature-based carbon credit funding with communities, one on direct payouts for forest conservation and the fourth on conservation tech for communities.

  • In September, Liberia launched a two-year pilot project to pay forest communities directly for protecting their rainforests of about 50,000 hectares. Rwanda followed with an environmental DNA project for local communities.

  • Ghana then signed a nature-based carbon credit deal with Singapore to channel the finance to agribusiness and local livelihoods while Zambia launched a similar project involving more than 240,000 people in restoring 185,000 hectares of Miombo woodland.

  • Our take: The success of these projects will prove that biodiversity conservation can build stronger rural economies…Read more (2 min)

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(Source: AFK Travel)

New study reveals overlooked cultural threat to wildcats across Africa

Jobs

👷 Be the Regional Director, East and Southern Africa at WWF

👷 Join IUCN as a Programme Assistant (Tanzania)

👷 Be a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer at WWF (SA)

Various 

🌳 New Europe-Africa network supports biodiversity conservation

🌳SA pledges to intensify efforts in vulture conservation

🌳 Zimbabwe pushes for people-centred wildlife conservation

Seen on LinkedIn 

Anthony Squazzin, a conservation expert, says, “Some of the world's biggest conservation nonprofits are considering a range of financial mechanisms to preserve biodiversity in South Africa including a bond to fund clearance of invasive vegetation near Cape Town.”_________________