Context
Biological diversity (biodiversity) encompasses the abundance of life, from habitats and animal and plant species to genetic diversity. It is vital for the functioning and stability of ecosystems and, as such, for providing ecosystem services. These services supply us with clean water, maintain nutrient cycles, regulate the climate, and deliver food as well as active ingredients for medicines.
Biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate. The primary factors contributing to this loss are changes to habitats. The causes include the expansion of farmland; unsustainable production systems; the over-exploitation of natural resources, such as by overfishing, illegal logging and poaching; environmental pollution and climate change. The poorest of the poor suffer most owing to their limited ability to adapt to these changes. Biodiversity, its conservation and sustainable use have therefore become fundamental concerns within German development cooperation.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) constitutes the core framework for action in this context. It aims to conserve biological diversity while ensuring the sustainable use of its components. In 2010, the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity was adopted along with the twenty ambitious Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation.
Objective
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), German development cooperation projects and international organisations implement the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan and develop the Convention on Biological Diversity further.
Approach
The project provides BMZ with advisory services on all issues related to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It draws on expertise acquired through development cooperation projects in order to formulate relevant and effective recommendations. The needs of the partner countries and feedback from the projects are also used to submit proposals to BMZ for further developing the development cooperation portfolio in the field of biodiversity.
The sector project collates experiences gained in development cooperation projects and by international organisations and processes them for specific target groups. It makes this expertise available to development cooperation actors, specialists working in partner countries and international organisations by means of appropriate advisory services and capacity development methods. The focal issues addressed by the project are the management and governance of protected areas, marine protection, and the integration of biodiversity into other sectors and funding areas of development cooperation.
Results achieved so far
BMZ uses the expert advice provided by the sector project in its contributions to relevant national and international processes. It also draws on the expertise to continue developing its portfolio on biodiversity and marine conservation, and to raise the portfolio’s profile. For example, the Ministry drew up the Ten-point Plan of Action for Marine Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries, together with measures for its implementation and effective public representation.
In addition, other development cooperation projects are using the approaches and capacity development options devised by the sector project to improve their own advisory services on implementing the Strategic Plan at (sub) national level in partner countries. The sector project offers orientation for strengthening the integration of biodiversity in other funding areas of development cooperation, such as water and agriculture. In so doing, it promotes the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in other sectors and policy areas. International organisations, with which the sector project cooperates to produce publications and guidelines and to organise training programmes and events, help to disseminate and mainstream the strategies across the globe.