A regional report on the performance of African countries under the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 which outlines a framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to safeguard biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people has been launched by The African Development Bank and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
According to the report, meeting biodiversity targets through providing advisory services, capacity building, market research, and linkages with other relevant partners are the important roles that multilateral development banks can play.
Launched on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity summit (COP15) in Montreal, Canada, the assessment is based on the 6th National Reports on biodiversity submitted by African countries in 2018 -2020. Its findings were presented by Prof. Kalemani Jo Mulongoy, President and co-founder of the Institute for Enhanced Livelihoods and former Head of the Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters Division of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
According to her, it is critical for Africa as a continent to adopt a framework with targets that will curb the loss of biodiversity and also enhance opportunities to improve the lives of many Africans that depend on biodiversity for their survival whilst also bearing in mind Africa’s biodiversity priorities.
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Conclusions from the synthesis of the 6th national reports on biodiversity underpin Africa’s stance in negotiations over the post-2020 GBF and the reports shed light on the status of biodiversity in Africa regarding implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
This information will serve as a baseline, together with Africa’s biodiversity priorities and the Bank’s High Five objectives, which will guide negotiations over the post-2020 global biodiversity targets.
“The immediate goal after the adoption of the GBF is to update NBSAPs to ensure they reflect the ambition of the GBF ambition as well as to start developing national biodiversity financing plans,” said Innocent Maloba of WWF who also called for a multi-sector approach to biodiversity conservation to achieve the post-2020 GBF goals.
Story was adapted from AfDB.
