Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Africa's biodiversity loss and environmental degradation pose growing ecological, social, and economic challenges. While contemporary scientific, technological, and policy-oriented approaches provide important foundations for conservation, their effectiveness can be strengthened through engagement with culturally grounded ethical and ontological perspectives. This paper examines how Ubuntu, Ibuanyidanda, and Igwebuike, as African relational metaphysical frameworks, complement contemporary environmental ethics in biodiversity conservation. Using qualitative conceptual analysis, critical hermeneutics, and comparative philosophy, the study argues that these philosophies enrich conservation discourse by emphasizing relationality, ecological complementarity, communal responsibility, indigenous knowledge, and collaborative stewardship. Empirical cases from Africa further illustrate the relevance of sacred landscapes, customary institutions, and community participation to biodiversity conservation. The paper concludes that integrating African relational metaphysics with contemporary conservation science and policy can provide a more holistic, culturally legitimate, and participatory framework for sustainable environmental governance in Africa.

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