Presentation made at the ABCG PHE webinar on Population, Health and Environment Approaches: Benefits to Conservation, August 19, 2021.

ABCG recognizes that human population growth contributes to biodiversity loss in sub-Saharan Africa, and at the same time there are positive human health and well-being impacts resulting from biodiversity conservation. In November 2019, the ABCG Population, Health and Environment (PHE) working group convened an expert group to explore the definition of integration with respect to PHE, the various ways to measure integration and approaches to promote integrated PHE successes. Building on the findings from that meeting, this PHE reference sheet is designed to help conservation teams test assumptions and measure progress of integrated PHE projects over time. This tool can also help with potential project design and implementation of integrated cross-sectoral PHE projects.

This report provides lessons learned garnered during the twelve-month period of implementation of the advocacy strategies developed for South Africa and Uganda. Based on key informant interviews with in-country implementation teams and workshop facilitators, the authors identified the following seven overarching lessons from the implementation of the advocacy strategies in Uganda and South Africa:

• The advocacy process requires flexibility and openness to emerging opportunities
• Advocacy leads should understand the formal and informal decision-making structures
• Reaching the target audience requires careful preparation
• Evidence and data bolster the advocacy process effectiveness
• The need to implement can manifest itself at any moment
• Constantly revisit the strategies, adjust, and get better, and
• Work with multisector partners to reach your goals.

These lessons underscore the importance of carefully crafting clear, useful, and creative messaging as the fundamental first step to improving conservation and health policies. African conservation, health, and development practitioners are encouraged to unite and collectively design messaging and activities to urge donors, policymakers, and colleagues to safeguard African biodiversity and human health.