Africa

Biomes are distinct biological communities (collection of plants and animals) that have formed in response to a shared physical climate. The 11 major terrestrial biomes found in Africa (out of 14 worldwide) are partially covered by Protected Areas. This map shows the percentage of areas protected in each of the terrestrial biomes. For example: in 2020, 12,3% of montane grasslands and shrublands in Africa were covered by Protected Areas.

Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it supports are not only the foundation for our life on Earth, but also critical to the livelihoods and well-being of people everywhere. Africa’s extraordinary richness in biodiversity and ecosystem services, and wealth of indigenous and local knowledge, comprises a strategic asset for sustainable development in the region. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity is reducing nature’s contributions to people in Africa, affecting daily lives and hampering the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. This map shows the countries' richness in animal and plant species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and documented in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity that helps inform necessary conservation decisions.

Africa is very rich in biodiversity and is the last place on Earth with a significant assemblage of large mammals. This natural richness, accumulated over millions of years, coupled with the wealth of indigenous and local knowledge on the continent, is central to the pursuit of sustainable development in the region. Yet the decline and loss of biodiversity is reducing nature’s contributions to people in Africa, affecting daily lives and hampering the sustainable social and economic targets set by African countries. This map shows the number of threatened mammal species by country, assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and documented in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity that helps inform necessary conservation decisions.

Carbon (C) storage in biomass (biological material) is a key link in the global carbon cycle, and consequently for climate change mitigation. Biomass binds carbon from the atmosphere (CO2) as it grows. Forests in particular are an important Carbon sink that help reduce the greenhouse effect. This map represents above- and below-ground terrestrial carbon storage (tonnes (t) of C per hectare (ha)) per country for circa 2010. Above-ground biomass (stem, bark, branches, twigs...) and below-ground biomass (stump, roots...) were extracted from available biomass carbon datasets, summed together and multiplied by 0.5 to convert to carbon.

Many African countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, highly depend on hydropower, which is one of the energy sources most affected by droughts. At the same time, hydropower has a huge impact on water consumption (mainly through evaporation from reservoir surfaces) in comparison with other fuel types despite having higher densities of plants and installed capacities. Hydropower accounts for 15% of Africa’s energy production. This map shows the location and annual energy production (GWh/year) of hydropower plants with an installed capacity above 5MW in Africa for year 2016.

Organisms and non-living elements of the environment such as climate, soil, and water are connected through the movement of nutrients and energy in ecosystems. Ecosystems represent specific areas where organisms and environmental conditions create a network of interactions and are affected by forces such as disturbance (temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change) and succession (process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time). This layer maps the Ecosystems of Africa, based on Africa's climate regions, topography and lithology (bedrock), with a 100m spatial resolution.

The Africa Surficial Lithology layer maps the geology of Africa into 20 classes based on the bedrock type and the distribution of unconsolidated surface material. It shows the distribution of the key geological features that affect the distribution of plants and ecosystems in Africa.

The Africa Topographic Moisture Potential layer classifies the landscape of Africa as either upland or lowland (and other depressions) area. It was produced as part of the USGS’s Africa Ecosystems Mapping project to create maps depicting standardized, terrestrial ecosystem models. Substrate moisture regimes strongly influence the differentiation and distribution of terrestrial ecosystems, and therefore topographic moisture potential is one of the key input layers in this biophysical stratification.

Copernicus is the European flagship programme for monitoring the Earth. Data is collected by Earth observation satellites and sensors on the earth’s surface. The Copernicus Land Monitoring Service provides geographical information on land use and land cover at European and global scale. Derived from the Copernicus Hot Spot Land Cover Change Explorer, this layer presents detailed land cover information for specific areas of interest –or hot spots– in Africa. These areas were selected as a priority for mapping because of their importance in biodiversity preservation (Protected Areas, Key Landscapes for Conservation...). Park managers in many countries across Africa rely on this Copernicus product to monitor and understand their parks features and overall health. Mapping habitats, assessing pressure on land, identifying prime locations for species reintroduction or new areas to protect are just a few examples of how these data can be exploited.

Park managers in many countries across Africa need to monitor and understand their parks features and overall health. They can rely on the highly detailed land cover information offered by the Copernicus Hot Spot Land Cover Change Explorer for specific areas of interest –or hot spots. These areas were selected for their importance in biodiversity preservation (Protected Areas, Key Landscapes for Conservation...). For each land cover class (Natural vegetation, Wetlands, urbane areas, etc.), this layer shows which portions of the areas changed to another class over the period (2000-2019). For a more detailed analysis, compare the layer with the present landcover or refer to the online Explorer. The allows to monitor land cover and land cover change in high detail and make informed decisions based on spatial data.