TOOLS AND GUIDELINES FOR INTEGRATING BIODIVERSITY CONCERNS IN NATIONAL PLANNING PROCESS - AFRICA

This study is an initiative of the Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) Project, EC-ACP Programme of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), African Union Commission (AUC). It aims to develop tools and guidelines for integrating biodiversity concerns in national planning and decision making processes toward meeting Target 2 of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets: “by 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems.”

2. The launch of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN) has ushered in the new sustainable development era. Africa has also embarked upon the implementation of Agenda 2063- the strategic plan for Africa’s development and technological transformation based on inclusive growth and sustainable development. But at all levels, sustainable development can become a reality only when biodiversity concerns are taken into the heart of economic and financial decision-making, particularly into the public budgeting processes and within the wider financial sector.

3. Africa is richly endowed with the abundance and diversity of genes, species and ecosystems; and a recognized global centre of genetic diversity1. This biodiversity wealth is, however, characterized by a heavy concentration of biodiversity in small geographic space; an overlap of biodiversity and mineral occurrences; heavy dependence of a large majority of the population on biodiversity for livelihoods; existence of few and seriously threatened protected areas and largely unprotected coastal and marine ecosystems.

4. Today, Africa’s biodiversity is in severe decline.2 While population growth, extensive (low technological input) agricultural practices and unsustainable mining are among the key drivers of the decline, it is weak policies and governance shortcomings that played the bigger role in the massive biodiversity and habitat loss. Economic and investment policies have focused on meeting the dramatic growth in the demand for food, water, timber, fibre, fuel and foreign exchange through natural resource extraction without considering growing costs of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, heightened vulnerability to climate risks and worsening of poverty for some groups of people.