African Devt Bank, WWF urge increased investment in Africa’s biodiversity at COP15

African Development Bank and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) have launched a regional report on the performance of African countries under the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

The report highlights the important role multilateral development banks can play in meeting biodiversity targets by providing advisory services, capacity building, market research, and linkages with other relevant partners.

The assessment, launched on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity Summit (COP15) in Montreal, Canada, is based on the 6th National Reports on biodiversity submitted by African countries 2018-2020.

President and co-founder of Institute for Enhanced Livelihoods and former Head of the Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters Division of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Prof. Kalemani Mulongoy, who presented findings of the report said: “For Africa, it is critical to adopt a framework with targets that will not only curb the loss of biodiversity but will also enhance opportunities to improve the lives of many Africans, especially those depending on biodiversity for their survival, bearing in mind Africa’s biodiversity priorities.”

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 outlines a framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to safeguard biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people.

Conclusions from the synthesis of the 6th national reports on biodiversity underpin Africa’s stance in negotiations over the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

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, to guide negotiations over the post-2020 global biodiversity targets.

Innocent Maloba of WWF said: “The immediate goal after the adoption of the GBF is to update National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to ensure they reflect the ambition of the GBF and start developing national biodiversity financing plans.”

He also called for a multi-sector approach to biodiversity conservation to achieve post-2020 GBF goals.

Acting Director of the African Development Bank’s African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre, Vanessa Ushie, noted: “There is a unique opportunity to finance implementation of the post-2020 GBF in Africa, if we invest in natural capital and build an asset base of nature-sensitive investments that protect, restore, and make sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources.”