Trade and biodiversity conservation in Africa: Complementary roles of environmental provisions in preferential trade agreements and property rights

Biodiversity loss has become a major environmental concern in regions experiencing rapid trade integration, yet the roles of trade agreements and property rights in shaping biodiversity outcomes remains insufficiently understood. Therefore, this paper examines the effect of trade on biodiversity conservation in Africa and investigates whether environmental provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and property rights to natural resources jointly moderate this relationship. Using a novel dataset of 381 PTAs covering 46 African countries over the period 1995-2017 and a System-GMM framework, the results show that trade reduces biodiversity conservation in Africa. However, environmental provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) help mitigate this effect and support biodiversity conservation. The impact of these provisions varies by design: restrictive provisions reduce biodiversity pressures, whereas liberal and aspirational provisions are associated with weaker outcomes. Stronger property rights to natural resources significantly reinforce the biodiversity benefits of environmental provisions and shape the effects of different provision types. Biodiversity gains are most pronounced in countries with stronger property rights to natural resources and lower commodity dependence. The paper, therefore, provides new evidence on how trade governance and domestic institutions can jointly support biodiversity conservation within a sustainable development framework.