Africa

There is a growing body of research on phenology emanating from the African continent, reflecting the wide diversity in species, topography, climate zones, and biomes across the continent. Although a smaller body of research than many of the Northern Hemisphere continents, the advances in remote sensing, migratory species tracking, and digitization of historical archival records have facilitated phenological studies which were otherwise more difficult to undertake. The large majority of the studies to date explore the phenology of species across only a few years. While this contributes important information regarding the phenologies of a range of species and in diverse locations, it has meant that the African continent is often under-represented in global reviews that explore the impacts of longer-term climatic change on the timing of phenological events. Those studies which have explored multi-decadal records capture phenological shifts that are consistent with global averages, and yet reveal the species- and location-specific nature of phenological changes. The recent formation of the African Phenology Network has the potential to facilitate networking, data sharing, and encourage the further development of phenological research on the continent.