Ecosystem Services, Climate Change, And Human Well-Being In Africa: Integrating Health And Economic Perspectives For Resilient Socio-Ecological Systems

Abstract

Socio-ecological systems across Africa are becoming more stressed due to climate change, presenting considerable risk to human health and economic/financial prospects; ecosystems that deliver essential ecosystem services are deteriorating. Increasingly more people are acknowledging these complex problems, but the challenges of integrating ecological, health, and financial issues across different disciplines, sectors, and geographies are still mostly unrealised. This review synthesises current evidence on how climate change impacts ecosystem services in Africa, with cascading effects on human health. It examines the interrelationships among biodiversity loss, water regulation, food production, public health outcomes, and livelihoods. Urban areas, already grappling with the compounded effects of ecosystem degradation, play a critical role in influencing rural communities, often resulting in heightened disease burdens and reduced agricultural productivity. The review highlights the urgent need for improved collaboration and co-management across sectors. Emphasising nature-based solutions and adaptive governance, it argues that embedding public health and economic considerations into ecosystem management can strengthen resilience and responsiveness to climate-driven risks. Building resilient socio-ecological systems in Africa demands a systems-oriented approach that integrates the sustainable provision of ecosystem services with health and economic planning to enhance adaptive capacity, protect human well-being and maintain the viability of both natural and human systems into the future, in the context of the continuing pressures of climate change.