This as the country looks to save the mammals’ last viable population in the western Indian Ocean.

The dugong is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees, and is the only living representative of a once-diverse family, the Dugongidae.

Its closest modern relative, Steller’s sea cow, which lived in the northern Pacific Ocean, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century

The Mozambican initiative, led by African Parks and Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) with technical support from James Cook University in Australia, highlights the growing trend of public-private collaborations in Africa’s conservation efforts to protect rare and vulnerable wildlife.

In May, the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) conducted a lagoon-wide drone survey around its UNESCO World Heritage site, the Aldabra Atoll. The survey captured images of dugongs, including juveniles – the last known population of dugongs in the Seychelles.

A marine survey of its coastal region by Kenya last year uncovered only two dugongs in the initial findings.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), large herds of over 100 dugongs were a common sight in Kenya’s waters as recently as the 1960s.

Similar surveys have been undertaken in Tanzania, Egypt and Madagascar, spearheaded mainly by international conservation organisations.

According to Armando Guenha, manager of Bazaruto Archipelago National Park and ANAC’s representative, the “collaboration between African Parks and ANAC has been instrumental in safeguarding Mozambique’s exceptional marine biodiversity within the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park.”

“We must continue working together with communities, conservation professionals, scientists and the private sector to ensure their continued existence for healthy marine ecosystems and for socio-economic benefits to local people,” he said in a recent media statement.

Dugongs, also known as sea cows, inhabit the tropical coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, where they graze on seagrass meadows. Their activities are vital to maintaining healthy marine ecosystems.

However, in 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed dugongs as critically endangered in East Africa, with only around 250 individuals remaining in the region.

While annual surveys from Bazaruto National Park show a stable dugong population, including many cow-calf pairs, gill nets remain a critical threat, trapping and killing the mammals.

Additionally, according to IUCN, seagrass coverage, essential to dugong survival, has shrunk by 20% across the Indo-Pacific over the past century.

The tracking project saw seven male and five female dugongs fitted with specialised tracking tags. The technology will provide detailed information on their range, migration patterns, and crucial feeding grounds.

Interest in dugong conservation is surging beyond Mozambique, with regional initiatives launching to protect the animals.

According to Evan Trotzuk, African Parks’ Research and Monitoring Coordinator at Bazaruto, “This tagging project marks the next significant step forward in dugong conservation and in developing technical conservation skills of local researchers.”

“Understanding dugong movements and habitat use is vital for the long-term protection of the species and their marine environment, which is vital in sustaining the livelihoods of local communities through healthy fisheries and continued tourism.”

While most ongoing efforts geared towards conservation are limited to tracking and population assessment, experts believe it is a step in the right direction.

Writing for The Conversation, Stephanie Plön, an associate professor at the Department of Pathology in Stellenbosch University and Shane Lavery, of the University of Auckland, explained that “by tracking and understanding dugongs’ history, scientists can make good, informed decisions about marine conservation in the future”.

“Conservation of a species requires robust scientific data. There is a lot of information about some of the remaining dugong populations and their decline in certain parts of the species’ range,” the duo said, reporting about a study they conducted on how dugong populations are genetically different from each other.

— bird story agency

The new projects announced by Egypt’s cabinet in February, together with ongoing developments not only in Egypt but around the continent, reaffirm Africa’s place as a potential key supplier of green hydrogen, particularly to Europe.

A 2023 report from the European Investment Bank predicts Africa could produce over 50 million tons of green hydrogen annually by 2035. Egypt’s pipeline projects were worth US$83 billion as of August 2023.

What is also emerging as a trend across many African countries investing in the new energy form, however, is the strategic positioning of green hydrogen projects in special economic zones.

According to Penninah Munyaka, a Nairobi-based commercial lawyer and green energy advocate, the reason for this is straightforward: given the heavy capital required to develop green hydrogen projects, host countries are leveraging on their SEZs to expedite the development of green hydrogen.

“Extraction of green hydrogen demands huge capital investments that are prohibitive for developing countries,” she said.

The cost of production of green hydrogen in developed markets ranges from US$4.10 to US$7 per kg, according to an international energy consultancy company, ET Energy World. These costs are, however, significantly higher in developing markets such as Africa.

According to the Green Hydrogen Organisation, achieving global green hydrogen goals by 2050 will require between US$450 and US$900 billion in investment, posing significant challenges for developing markets.

African countries are, however, strategically leveraging tax incentives and other strategic benefits in special economic zones to grow their green hydrogen capacity as the continent looks to be a supplier for developed markets, thanks to its huge green energy potential.

In Egypt’s case, the seven new projects are to be established at the Suez Canal Special Economic Zone. Yet, they are not the first in a vast economic zone that stretches over 450 million square metres of space nestled between the Red and Mediterranean seas.

President El-Sisi and Norway’s president Jonas Gahr Støre kicked off a 100 MW green hydrogen plant at the Suez Canal Economic Zone during COP 27 in November 2023. India’s ReNew started a 220,000 ton project in the SEZ in 2022.

Over 20 green hydrogen projects were identified in Egypt in a 2023 Rystad Energy report, many of these are in special economic zones. In January 2024, Egypt teamed up with ACWA Power of Saudi Arabia in a US$4 billion green ammonia project, a precursor to green hydrogen production. The Suez Economic Zone was a signatory.

A similar strategy is being pursued by neighbouring Morocco, also a fast-developing green hydrogen hub, with the country targeting 1 GW of green hydrogen power capacity by 2040.

In November last year, Gaia Energy, a green energy company, partnered with FIT Voltaira Morocco, a car and e-bike cable manufacturer, to launch an integrated project that includes a solar PV and green hydrogen plant at the Tanger Med Industrial Platform, a special economic zone.

Morocco World News reported that the mega project will feature a green ammonia plant producing 1.4 million metric tons annually. It will also process 320,000 metric tons of green hydrogen, using a 2 GW solar plant and a 4 GW wind project to provide power.

Green hydrogen projects in special economic zones that are strategically located around ports, such as those in Egypt and Morocco, could play a key role in the transportation and exportation of green hydrogen.

South Africa

In South Africa, the Freeport Saldanha SEZ is “poised to become one of the first movers to establish a green hydrogen hub in southern Africa,” according to a December article by ESI Africa.

“It has an operational port; there are railway lines; but, importantly, and quite compellingly, it has a steel mill. ArcelorMittal has been operating the steel mill for many years,” Kaashiefah Beukas, the CEO of Freeport Saldanha SEZ, is quoted in the article.

At Coega Special Economic Zone, Hive Hydrogen South Africa, a branch of UK’s Hive Energy, is working on a US$5.8 billion green hydrogen project.

The project already has an offtake partner, a Japanese partner, Itochu Corporation, which, according to a 2023 agreement, will offtake the green hydrogen to be generated from the proposed facility.

The proposed Namakwa Special Economic Zone in the Northern Cape will host a 10-GW electrolyser park and a green ammonia production plant. South Africa’s national ports authority, Transnet, is developing a US$800 million deep-water port, the Boegoebaai deep-water port, and a rail project that will be used to transport and export the green hydrogen to be generated at Namakwa.

The South African Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy includes the provision to “include GH incentive schemes for both production and local manufacturing that leverage appropriate SEZ development benefits” and the country’s Atlantis Greentech Special Zone is positioning itself to provide the industrial facilities required to develop green energy infrastructure including for green hydrogen, according to the zone’s CEO, Matthew Cullinan.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s “Green Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap,” unveiled at last year’s Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, provides clear directions for investors in the sector, offering incentives through Export Processing Zones and Special Economic Zones.

The Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, comprising Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa, aims to produce 30-60 million metric tons of green hydrogen. This could boost their GDP by US$66-126 billion by 2050, amounting to 6-12% of their current GDP, according to the alliance’s website.

“More commercial incentives should be provided while ensuring that the legal frameworks are in place, stable, predictable and capable of nurturing the new industry,” Munyaka said.

– bird story agency

Useful links: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/egypt-signs-7-green-hydrogen-mous-worth-potential-40-billion-2024-02-28/
https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/turning-africa-into-green-hydrogen-el-dorado-gets-real-at-cop-27
https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/egypt-deal-takes-africa-s-green-hydrogen-ambitions-to-the-next-level

In a recent press statement, the IAEA announced its collaboration with the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, in a four-year commitment “to promote research and development on mutation breeding in West and sub-Saharan Africa”. 

Najat Mokhtar, IAEA deputy director general and head of the Department of Nuclear Applications, termed mutation breeding a powerful tool to address the global challenge of food security.

“It enables us to develop food crops with increased yields, improved nutritional quality and enhanced resilience in the face of climate change. 

“Through our closer collaboration with BNARI, we aim to share expertise and build capacities for deploying this safe and highly effective technique across a wider geographical region,” she explains.

BNARI is set to become Africa’s first IAEA Collaborating Centre in the field of plant breeding and genetics, one of only six such centres globally, and was chosen for its strategic location and expertise in radiation-induced mutation.

Ghana has, in recent times, been at the forefront of embracing genetic modification technology to enhance crop and plant species. The nation is poised to introduce its first genetically modified cowpea, developed by the Savannah Agriculture Research Institute (SARI), into the Ghanaian market this year.

Projections indicate that this modified cowpea will substantially increase yields — by nearly 300%. Jerry Nboyine, a senior research fellow at SARI highlighted in an interview on GhanaWeb that the modified variety does not require the use of insecticides, in contrast to non-GMO cowpeas.

Ghana is one of a small but growing number of  African countries that have embraced genetic modification technology to bolster agricultural productivity and resilience. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications puts the number at three in 2016, rising to over 10 in 2022.

Last year, Kenya lifted a decade-long ban on genetically modified crops, now allowing their cultivation, research on them and the importation of certified GMO crops and animal feeds.

South Africa, Nigeria, Malawi, Sudan, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Egypt, and Sudan have moved to adopt the technology, with many conducting field trials.

Nigerian scholar Ademola Adenle delved into the topic in an analysis published by The Conversation in June, arguing that GM crops offer a potent solution to Africa’s pressing hunger crisis.

“Based on my research in this area, I believe that agricultural innovations such as GM crops or organisms have the potential to address food security in Africa,” he explained.

Africa’s food crisis cannot be understated, and it extends beyond hunger, encompassing nutrition gaps that have been exacerbated by erratic climate conditions resulting from local and global human-induced climate change and logistics challenges.

The UNFAO’s 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition report reveals a distressing increase in global hunger, with over 122 million more people facing hunger since 2019. A substantial portion of this growth is occurring in Africa, where nearly 20% of the population faces hunger.

Moreover, the prevalence of undernourishment in Africa rose from 19.4% in 2021 to 19.7% in 2022, primarily due to increases in Northern and Southern Africa. 

South Africa and Sudan are already seen as frontrunners in applying and using GM technology to accelerate crop production, mostly maize in South Africa and cotton in Sudan. South Africa has seen a major increase in maize production, even in lower rainfall years, regularly resulting in a surplus, which earns the country foreign exchange when exported.

“Research has shown 65% of the gain came from higher yield and production and 35% from lower costs,” Adenle explains, highlighting the economic value of planting GM crops.

South Africa has been growing commercial genetically modified maize since 1997. A 2021 study published in ScienceDirect, titled, Economic and ecosystem impacts of GM maize in South Africa revealed GM maize had yielded welfare benefits surpassing $694 million between 2001 and 2018.

“We began planting GMO maize seeds in the 2001-2002 season. Before their introduction, average maize yields in South Africa were about 2.4 tonnes per hectare. This has increased to an average of 6.3 tonnes per hectare in the 2022/23 production season,” Wandile Sihlobo, a South African agricultural economist, explained.

With extreme weather patterns disrupting agricultural patterns, recent genetic modifications have focused on indigenous crops such as cassava and sweet potato, which are more climate change-resistant.

Several other agencies across Africa have been actively advancing these technological solutions. The Pan-African Bean Research Alliance is a prime example. It has revealed in the past week that it has researched, developed and distributed over 650 new bean varieties in 32 countries.

Its efforts have led to a 30% increase in income for more than 5 million households across 10 countries and farmers who cultivate, consume and sell its beans are 6% more likely to achieve food security and 6% less likely to live in poverty.

As Adenle explained, to increase yields countries should increase investment in biotech research, train scientists, involve local experts in decision-making, foster government collaboration and use science-based communication to raise awareness of both the benefits and concerns around GM crops.

bird story agency

Africa is seen as a key pillar in these efforts. And yet, a conservation revolution may already be underway on the continent.

The Great Green Wall for Restoration and Peace is a grand initiative facilitated by the African Union to restore savannas, grasslands and farmlands across Africa – some 100 million hectares worth – and create 10 million jobs. 

This poster child for African conservation has been touted as transformative – but dig deeper and a more localised transformation is already underway, driven by local, private and community-funded conservation.

In 2023, 3000 delegates drawn from close to 100 countries will descend on Kigali for the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, one of the world’s most influential travel and tourism events. This is the first time the summit will be held in Africa.

Many of those who will be in attendance are African tourism and wildlife industry leaders as well as key government representatives. The event is recognition of the enormous effort that Rwanda has put into building its tourism sector, which was almost nonexistent just twenty years ago.

“Rwanda is building its reputation as a must-see destination,” said Julia Simpson, President of WTTC.

Famous for its robust tourism and wildlife approach, Rwanda is the only African country with an extensive gorilla conservation programme – the International Gorilla Conservation Programme – and has made this unique species the centrepiece of its tourism offering, in much the same way that China has done with its pandas.

While the country’s major successes in the tourism sector are government-led, the underlying privately-managed game parks and animal sanctuaries are a booming subsector. They have significantly complemented government efforts to upscale the industry.

This is not unique to Rwanda, as Africa’s extensive wildlife diversity remains largely untapped. 

Private conservancies have surged across Africa in recent years, run and managed by private entities – whether individuals or community-wide initiatives. 

The World Wild Fund estimates that Africa – a continent that is home to close to 30% of the world’s wildlife population – has lost nearly 70% of its wildlife population in about 50 years. According to the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, KWCA, 65% of Kenya’s wildlife now lives on community and private lands.

“In the Maasai Mara, for example, 15 conservancies protect over 450,000 acres of critical habitat for the great Serengeti-Mara wildebeest migration. This has seen the lion population double over the last decade and 3000 households earn more than $4 million annually from tourism,” KWCA outlines. 

The African Nature Based Tourism Platform, a platform connecting funders to communities and SMEs in wildlife and tourism, in a series of country reports released in January 2022, demonstrates the value of the sub sector in economic development.

In Kenya, private and community-owned conservancies contributed 8.1% of the country’s GDP, supporting more than 1.5 million jobs. The survey report lists 93 privately-owned wildlife conservancies, 68 of which are community owned.

Comparative figures are listed for South Africa, where individuals privately own 71 conservancies, with 21 community owned. These contributed to 6.7% of South Africa’s economy, channelling more than 22 billion US dollars besides supporting 1.5 million jobs.

Similar trends could be observed in the case of Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Tanzania in 2019, before the pandemic.

According to Carel Verhoef, a Tanzania-based conservation enthusiast and wildlife film technical director, private wildlife conservancies take different models across Africa.

Kenya’s model is of shared land, Tanzania has converted former hunting blocks to safari areas, and Botswana employs community-based conservation areas.

“The Kenyan conservancy model is such that an agreement is struck between land owners, the Maasai, and the private sector on land management and land use, sharing,” Verhoef explained.

However, these models are not perfect.

“The model is good for expanding a small protected area…but it is dependent on the tourism sector’s success. That means it is vulnerable to bad business management and global pandemics,” Verhoef added.

Exploitive capitalist attributes could also threaten the approach since the land under conservation is offered to the highest bidder.

Verhoef believes that for conservation and sustainable tourism to be realised in Africa, the conservation obligation should not be wholly left in the hands of the private sector, where financial success is prioritised over the actual need to conserve.

Still, human development and herding in conserved areas, among other human activities, continue to limit wildlife conservation, especially on private lands.

Richard Obanda, senior manager at Buteyo Miti Park, a privately (Kenyan)-owned conservancy in western Kenya, says community involvement is crucial.

“The park today has no funder supporting its operations, we depend on entry fees which can barely support 50% of our operational needs. The alternative is to ensure there is as much value addition as possible so that the space can serve both the community and us,” he explained.

For him, the debate on the place of private conservancies in sustaining the sector cannot be understated.

“Communities are offered an opportunity to have direct control of the natural resources besides minimising human-wildlife conflicts since such issues are solved more amicably,” he said.

This week’s historic agreement envisages US$200 billion provided to support biodiversity by 2030, with another $500 billion possible. Low-income countries are to receive far more than is currently provided for efforts to protect nature. That funding is likely to go some way to fuelling Africa’s fast-growing, localised – and locally-owned – conservation economy. – bird story agency