Africa Chapter

History

Many ATBC members and their affiliates in Africa have voiced a need to network with students, scientists, and conservation practitioners working in tropical Africa and its surrounding islands. After the successful joint meeting between ATBC and the Africa section of SCB in Arusha, Tanzania, in 2011, the call for a more organized approach grew stronger over the years. Eventually, a select few individuals, supported strongly by the ATBC council, developed preliminary ideas towards the establishment of the ATBC Africa Chapter.

During the annual meeting of ATBC in Hawaii in 2015, the Africa Chapter started to develop in order to (i) encourage the involvement and representation of African scientists within the association and, (ii) promote tropical biology and conservation on the continent. To establish the chapter on formal grounds, an official meeting was held at the ATBC meeting in Montpellier, 2016, and the Chapter was launched after the endorsement of the ATBC Council.

Defining the geographical boundaries of the Africa Chapter

Africa is a continent that is as diverse in its people as it is in its landscapes, floral and faunal diversity and geography. For the purpose of clarifying the physical boundaries of this chapter, we have proposed that all countries under the tropical climatic regime in sub-Saharan Africa be considered as part of this chapter. This includes the island nations of Cape Verde, Principe and Sao Tome, Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Comoros.

It is important that we also provide a distinction about the validity of the African continent in atlases and maps of this unique continent.  This link shows the accurate size of the continent and serves as a prime example of the implications of Africa’s true size on its people, the cultures, the diversity of life, and its political juxtaposition: Cartography: The true size of Africa | The Economist

Goals and objectives

The goals of the Africa Chapter are to:

1. promote the conservation and study of tropical biodiversity across Africa and its islands, and
2. enhance the participation and engagement of African scientists and practitioners in ATBC activities.

The objectives of the Chapter are as follows:

1. To encourage and facilitate research in Africa on all aspects of tropical biology and conservation.
2. To provide technical expertise to African professionals and mentoring support to graduate and undergraduate students in the development of their careers.
3. To influence policies globally and regionally where threats to African ecosystems are present, and/or the wellbeing of those who manage and rely on these systems are threatened.
4. To link ATBC with conservation initiatives in Africa in order to facilitate the development and uptake of best practice guidelines for biodiversity research and management in Africa
5. To increasing improve the contributions of ATBC members to regional conservation and biodiversity research thereby giving ATBC scientists and conservation practitioners a voice in global assessments of biodiversity and ecosystems in the Africa region

For any question related to this Chapter, please email africa.atbc@gmail.com

Executive Board

Regional Representatives