The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Wide 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 that multilateral development banks can play in meeting biodiversity targets by providing advisory services, capacity building, market research, and linkages with other relevant partners.

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.

The assessment, launched on the sidelines of the United Nations’ biodiversity summit (Conference of the Parties 2015) in Montreal, Canada, is based on the sixth national reports on biodiversity submitted by African countries from 2018 to 2020.

Presenting the findings of the report was Institute for Enhanced Livelihoods president and co-founder and former Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity scientific, technical and technological matters division head professor Kalemani Jo Mulongoy.

She said that, for Africa, it is critical to adopt a framework with targets that will not only curb the loss of biodiversity, but will enhance opportunities to improve the lives of many Africans, especially those depending on biodiversity for their survival, bearing in mind Africa‘s biodiversity priorities.

Conclusions from the synthesis of the sixth national reports on biodiversity underpin Africa’s stance in negotiations over the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). 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 AfDB’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 national biodiversity strategies and action plans to ensure they reflect the ambition of the GBF, as well as to start developing national biodiversity financing plans,” comments the WWF’s Innocent Maloba.

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

AfDB African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre acting director Vanessa Ushie says there is a unique opportunity to finance the implementation of the post-2020 GBF in Africa.

This requires investment into natural capital and the building of an asset base of nature-sensitive investments that protect, restore and make sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources, she adds.

During the country panel conversation, Côte d’Ivoire Convention on Biological Diversity focal point Jeanne Ntain highlighted the importance of raising awareness of the decision-makers on biodiversity issues and on the implications of implementing the next GBF.

AfDB climate change principal and green growth officer Arona Soumare insisted on the opportunities to scale up public and private finance for biodiversity and the need to achieve ambitious GBF, in line with the development priorities of the countries and using all existing financial instruments.

Cameroon environment permanent secretary and former policy adviser Prudence Galega, who moderated the session, called on the AfDB to strengthen the support of African countries to address the challenges of sustainable development and biodiversity loss in an integrated way.