Swaziland - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

According to Swaziland’s State of Environment Report (2012), there is a decline in and extinction of wild animal species and populations and indigenous plant species. Approximately 25% of each of the terrestrial ecosystems has been lost to some form of other land use. A total of 4,280 km2 of biodiversity-rich ecosystems has been converted to industrial timber plantations, sugarcane plantations and urban areas... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

The main pressures on Swaziland’s biodiversity include: conversion of natural habitats to other land uses; invasion of habitats by alien species (with the country’s protected areas not spared); rapid expansion of settlements and urbanization, including into biodiversity-rich areas; wild fires destroying ecosystems and altering habitats; climate change; overgrazing and the unsustainable use of natural resources... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

The first NBSAP was developed in 2001. It contained four core goals to: conserve a viable set of representative samples of the country’s full range of natural ecosystems through a protected areas network; sustainably use the biological resources of natural ecosystems outside the protected areas network; efficiently conserve the genetic base of Swaziland’s crops and livestock breeds; and minimize the risks associated with the use of LMOs... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

The fifth national report confirms that, to date, substantial achievements have occurred in regard to Target 1 (Awareness increased) and Target 11 (Protected areas increased and improved).

Seminars and workshops have been held for educators, policy-makers, media personnel, the private sector and communities, among other groups... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

Swaziland is making steady progress towards mainstreaming biodiversity in both the public and private sectors, although there are still challenges. The National Development Strategy (NDS) sets out the framework for sustainable development in a comprehensive manner across all sectors. It is an umbrella strategy for all other policies and strategies... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

The revised NBSAP 2 will have a monitoring and evaluation framework that will form part of a continuous process to evaluate the implementation of the actions outlined in the NBSAP.