African leaders endorse Wildlife for climate plan as COP30 spotlights nature’s role in global climate action

African leaders have thrown their support behind a new Wildlife for Climate Declaration set to be launched at COP31 next year, marking a major step toward recognising the continent’s wildlife and ecosystems as essential allies in the global climate response.

The announcement was made in Belém by Ambassador Tadeous T. Chifamba, speaking on behalf of Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, during an official side event hosted by the World Federation for Animals (WFA). He was joined by Ambassador Lamin B. Dibba, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who represented The Gambia’s Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Rohey John Manjang.

The move follows the inaugural African Union Biodiversity Summit held in Botswana in early November, where Heads of State adopted the African Leaders Gaborone Declaration on Biodiversity. In paragraph 44, leaders pledged “to endorse the Wildlife for Climate Action Agenda and Declaration and call upon the rest of the world to support Africa and Africa’s wildlife resources on this cause.”

Officials said the endorsement reflects a rapidly growing recognition that protecting wildlife and restoring natural habitats offers a cost-effective, nature-based solution to tackling the climate crisis—and directly contributes to achieving the Paris Agreement’s global goals.

“Healthy wildlife populations are engines of climate stability,” Ambassador Chifamba said. “With this new Declaration, African leaders have taken a huge step forward in recognising wildlife as allies in climate action. Protecting wildlife is not just a moral imperative, but a cornerstone of our collective climate strategy; when wildlife thrives, ecosystems flourish and resilience grows.”

Scientists say wildlife plays a measurable role in carbon sequestration and ecosystem resilience. Across African landscapes, elephants, antelopes and other large herbivores disperse seeds, regenerate forests and maintain grasslands that store carbon in soils. In mangroves, coastal wetlands and river systems, fish and marine species support blue-carbon ecosystems that buffer communities against storms and capture carbon at scale. Even small creatures, such as termites, shape landscapes by building mounds that enhance soil nutrients and water flow, enabling tree growth and resilient habitat mosaics.

Yet these natural “climate workers” are under intensifying threat. Uncontrolled development, poaching, habitat loss and illegal trade continue to erode wildlife populations, with researchers warning of cascading impacts on ecosystem functioning. A recent University of Oxford analysis found that Africa is experiencing a continent-wide collapse in the animal-driven processes that maintain nutrient cycling, seed dispersal and ecosystem health, undermining both biodiversity and rural livelihoods.

Speaking at the side event titled “From synergies to action: Animals as the missing link” Ambassador Chifamba joined experts including Tristan Tyrrell of the CBD Secretariat; Dr Ana Cristina Mendes de Oliveira of the Federal University of Pará; Tricia Croasdell, CEO of World Animal Protection; and Dr James Yeates, CEO of the World Federation for Animals.

Ambassador Dibba warned that countries like The Gambia are already feeling the consequences of climate impacts on wildlife. “Rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns and more frequent extreme weather events are changing habitats faster than many species can adapt,” he said. “When biodiversity declines, we lose far more than species, we lose our economic resilience and sense of identity.”

He added that wildlife-based tourism remains central to livelihoods and local enterprise development. “For countries like The Gambia, enhancing cooperation between the Rio Conventions is not an abstract aspiration; it is a practical necessity. Protecting animals and transforming food systems must be central pillars of that effort.”

Dr James Yeates of WFA called the announcement “a huge win for animals” at a moment when COP30 negotiators are deciding the future of global climate policy. “Wild animals across Africa , and the world, are quietly doing their bit, supporting ecosystems and contributing to carbon storage through their natural behaviours,” he said. “Without a shared commitment, the fate of these wild animals will be under threat.”

He urged countries worldwide to support Africa’s leadership ahead of the COP31 launch, noting: “Protecting these animals is not just the compassionate thing to do — it is critical for the future of our planet.”

The upcoming Wildlife for Climate Declaration builds on commitments made at the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi, and aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. The Agenda recognises that Africa’s natural endowments, including its wildlife, wild lands and biodiversity,  are central to securing climate resilience, sustainable development and a safer future for the continent’s people.