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8 - Game Over?

Drivers of Biological Extinction in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2019

By
Calestous Juma
Edited by
Partha Dasgupta ,
Peter Raven  and
Anna McIvor
Partha Dasgupta
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Peter Raven
Affiliation:
Missouri Botanical Garden
Anna McIvor
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

In the 1950s there were more than 500 endemic haplochromine cichlid fish species, with four endemic genera among them (Galis and Metz, 1998). This evolutionary marvel of the world has come under tremendous pressure from human activities, and many of the species are now extinct. Many of the diverse species were extirpated in just a decade.

This chapter argues that many of the drivers of species loss in Africa are unique to the continent and cannot be addressed by simply adopting lessons from other regions of the world. Demographic transitions and urbanisation in other parts of the world have helped to significantly increase income levels and reduce pressure on natural systems. Africa’s case is exceptional.

Type
Chapter
Information
Biological Extinction
New Perspectives
 , pp. 214 - 261
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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