  Africa is experiencing extensive biodiversity loss due to rapid changes in
the environment, where natural resources constitute the main instrument for
socioeconomic development and a mainstay source of livelihoods for an
increasing population. Lack of data and information deficiency on biodiversity,
but also budget constraints and insufficient financial and technical capacity,
impede sound policy design and effective implementation of conservation and
management measures. The problem is further exacerbated by the lack of
harmonized indicators and databases to assess conservation needs and monitor
biodiversity losses. We review challenges with biodiversity data (availability,
quality, usability, and database access) as a key limiting factor that impact
funding and governance. We also evaluate the drivers of both ecosystems change
and biodiversity loss as a central piece of knowledge to develop and implement
effective policies. While the continent focuses more on the latter, we argue
that the two are complementary in shaping restoration and management solutions.
We thus underscore the importance of establishing monitoring programs focusing
on biodiversity-ecosystem linkages in order to inform evidence-based decisions
in ecosystem conservation and restoration in Africa.
