BirdLife International Celebrates 15 Years of Safeguarding Africa’s Critical Biodiversity Sites
Nairobi, 28th July - BirdLife International today marked 15 years of its African Site Casework on Emerging Threats Taskforce (ASCET), a continent-wide initiative of BirdLife Partner organizations which aims at saving sites facing threats from damaging developments, including mining, agricultural expansion, mega dams and other emerging threats.
Across Africa, key sites including World Heritage Sites, Key Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites, and Ramsar sites - some of which are protected areas - face serious threats from damaging development. Between 2015 and 2025, the continent lost about 29.6 million hectares of forest, while over 30% of its grasslands face severe degradation. Further, according to the 2025 Global Wetlands Outlook Report, the world has lost about 22% of wetlands since the 1970s, with some of the steepest declines happening in Africa.
Since its establishment in 2010, ASCET has stopped or slowed down damaging threat at more than 35 sites in Africa, covering 79,889 km2, approximately the size of Sierra Leone. Some of these include:
- 2026: BirdLife Partner, NatureUganda's advocacy against alarming degradation of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve resulted in a presidential directive and transfer of management of the site from the National Forest Authority to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to restore and protect this vital ecosystem following years of degradation.
- 2025: African Penguin habitat was saved through establishment of 10-year no fishing zones around six vital penguin breeding colonies following successful litigation by BirdLife South Africa and Partners against government agencies.
- 2025: The Government of Tanzania shelved a resurgent soda ash mining proposal at Lake Natron in northern Tanzania, following advocacy by Nature Tanzania, with support from ASCET.
- 2025: Nature Kenya, BirdLife partner succeeded in securing the revocation of a title deed allocated to a private developer for 7,249 hectares of Yala Swamp, Kenya's largest swamp.
- 2024: 3004 ha Michiru Forest Reserve in Malawi was saved from human damage following a campaign led by Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi (WESM), BirdLife Partner in Malawi, with support from ASCET.
- 2023: After nearly 10 years of campaign to stop copper mining at Lower Zambezi National Park, the Government of Zambia cancelled the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licence granted to Mwembeshi Resources Ltd.
- 2023: Oil and gas exploration proposal in the 219,600-ha Mana Pools National Park by Shalom Mining Corporation Ltd was shelved after protest from BirdLife Zimbabwe and BirdWatch Zambia, with support from ASCET.
Ken Mwathe, Policy, Climate and Communications Coordinator, Africa at BirdLife International said:
Socio-economic development is an imperative for our people. However, development that threatens Africa’s iconic and natural places is inherently destructive and must be challenged. Over the past 15 years, BirdLife Africa Partners working through ASCET, have harnessed the Power of Many to champion sustainable development: growth that balances human progress with the urgent need to protect Africa’s last wild places, which serve as crucial biodiversity refuges, water sources, and carbon sinks.
From Emergency Response to Early Warning
ASCET coordinates action through providing a platform for raising partner advocacy, information exchange, and flexible financial support for emergency site action. Over the past 15 years, the forum has evolved from a reactive site casework unit to an early warning unit that tackles threats. ASCET now provides flexible financial support for early-stage threats-based surveillance and rapid emergency site interventions. This has enhanced capability, enabling timely responses to emerging conservation threats, thus helping safeguard critical ecosystems and biodiversity before threat strikes.
Additionally, ASCET has been instrumental in tracking the roll-out of KBAs and KBA-National Coordination Groups (NCGs) in Africa. NCGs enhance coordination of KBAs conservation efforts at national level by bringing together government and non-state actors. Currently, there are 15 NCGs established across the continent including in Uganda, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Sierra Leone. Beyond this, ASCET has been instrumental in shaping policy by engaging with various Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in addition to regional, national and subnational policy frameworks.
Communities at the Centre
Central to ASCET’s success has been engagement of local communities living alongside these protected and ecologically sensitive sites. Hundreds of stakeholders including community members and local authorities’ officials, in various countries, have been trained in advocacy efforts. Further, ASCET has raised awareness about its work through various platforms, with more than 10 million people reached through Social Media platforms, TV, Radio shows, and on the ground advocacy initiatives.
Dr Kariuki Ndang’ang’a, Regional Director for Africa, BirdLife International said:
Protecting sites is not a one-time event. It takes deliberate planning and collaboration amongst partners, local communities, and government agencies. ASCET in its 15 years has demonstrated that consistency, focused leadership and simplified workflows play a key role in achieving success.
As number and nature of threats to Africa’s sites increase in the coming decade, ASCET’s role in protecting key African sites will be more important than ever.