Financial Mechanism and Resources

Financial Mechanism and Resources // T9: Provisioning Services
Thursday // 2.16.2023

T9 (Provisioning Services): How to Use GEF Funding

1. This page aims to provide information regarding the sustainable management and use of wild species, thereby providing social, economic and environmental benefits for people, especially those in vulnerable situations and those most dependent on biodiversity, for recipient Parties and relevant stakeholders, including how to access funding of the Global Environment Facility in this regard. It is a work in progress and will be updated as necessary.

2. The capacity of ecosystems to provide the essential services on which societies depend continues to decline, and consequently, most ecosystem services (nature’s contributions to people) are in decline. In general, poor and vulnerable communities, as well as women, are disproportionately affected by this decline. Mammal and bird species responsible for pollination are on average moving closer to extinction, as are species used for food and medicine. Reported actions included: Inclusion of a gender perspective in the development of biodiversity policies; Raising awareness of the importance of ecosystem services; Support for research projects, including on issues related to economic valuation; Convening of capacity-building workshops. Reported challenges were: Lack of funding for research, programmes and green infrastructure projects; Lack of knowledge or data on how the needs of women may be taken into account in ecosystem management.

Guidance from the Conference of the Parties

3. The Conference of the Parties invited the Global Environment Facility to support implementation of the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines at the national level to ensure that the use of biological diversity is sustainable (Decision X/24, annex, para. 4.7; XIII/21, annex II, para. 18), and sustainable tourism that contributes to the objectives of the Convention (Decision XII/30, para. 23; X/22, para. 13(e); XIII/21, annex II, para. 19)

4. Food

  • Integrate biodiversity, food and nutrition considerations into national biodiversity strategies and action plans and other national plans and activities, including national plans of action for nutrition and strategies; (VIII/23A, para. 5; X/34, para. 2)
  • Integrate biodiversity, food and nutrition considerations, including benefit-sharing objectives, into their national biodiversity strategies and action plans and other national plans and activities, including national plans of action for nutrition and strategies, and food security and poverty reduction strategies; (VIII/23A, para. 5, 11, and annex, para. 2.1, 2.2, 3.16; International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))
  • Integrate biodiversity for food and nutrition concerns into food security and poverty reduction strategies, and food security projects and programmes, including: household food security projects, school feeding programmes, home gardens; and emergency response and preparedness, and promote actions compatible with biodiversity conservation to strengthen food security and nutrition as mechanisms for poverty eradication in rural areas; (XII/5, para. 8; VIII/23A, annex, para. 2.2; International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))
  • Support all forms of food production of indigenous and local communities, in accordance with Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention; (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.7)
  • Develop and document knowledge on the links between biodiversity, food and nutrition, and the value of biodiversity for food and nutrition, non-conventional biodiversity-based products including processing, native plants or animals, local races, wild relatives of cultivated or domesticated species regarding important traits for agriculture, and establish standards of identification and quality of daily admissible ingestion; (VIII/23A, annex, element 1, 3.11, 3.13, 3.14)
  • Identify and promote crop diversification for biodiverse food crops to be used for food and nutrition; species currently underutilized or of potential value to human food and nutrition, including those important in times of crisis, and their conservation and sustainable use; genetically diverse and species-rich home gardens, agroforestry and other production systems that contribute to the in situ conservation of genetic resources and food security; wild resources, including those that support bushmeat and fisheries, including maintaining viable stocks of wild species for sustainable consumption by local and indigenous communities; important biodiversity at all levels associated with agricultural, forestry and aquaculture systems; medicinal species relevant for food and nutrition; (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.2-3.6, 3.8)
  • Give due attention to the conservation of wild relatives of cultivated crops and wild edible plants in protected areas and in community conserved areas, in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity and national legislation, thereby contributing to food security; (XI/24, para. 1(f); International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))
  • Identify and promote crop diversification for biodiverse food crops to be used for food and nutrition. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.8)
  • Support, among others, farmers in in-situ conservation of traditional and local varieties, races and breeds and efforts to conserve crop wild relatives as means to ensure food security and nutrition and support traditional lifestyles; (X/34, para. 8)
  • Identify and promote species currently underutilized or of potential value to human food and nutrition, including those important in times of crisis, and their conservation and sustainable use. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.2)
  • Promote genetically diverse and species-rich home gardens, agroforestry and other production systems that contribute to the in-situ conservation of genetic resources and food security. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.3)
  • Promote the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal species relevant for food and nutrition. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.6)
  • Support to the study and development of production and commercialization of non-conventional biodiversity-based products, including processing of non-conventional biodiversity-based food. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.13)
  • Maintain genetic diversity of resources for food and agriculture and their landraces/farmers’ varieties and wild relatives as a key pathway to achieving sustainable productivity and nutritional gains, in particular in centres of genetic diversity; (XIII/3, para. 35; International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))
  • Use biodiversity to broaden the genetic base of cultivated crops to, increase food production and improve the nutritional value of food while taking into account the environmental impact of agriculture. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.12)
  • Develop national and regional gene-pools and gene-banks for the conservation of genetic material of significance to the islands for food sources and health care enhancement and food security and/or that address threats to the high levels of island endemism, and support sustainable livelihoods, local food security and health care, especially of poor people; (VIII/1, annex, priority action 3.1.2 and 8.2.1)
  • Promote the positive and minimize the negative impacts on biodiversity that would affect socio-economic conditions and food and energy security resulting from the production and use of biofuels; (IX/2, para. 3(b); X/37, para. 3, 4)
  • Assess whether there is a need to develop, and how to ensure the application of, effective regulations at national level which take into account, inter alia, the specific nature of variety-specific and trait-specific genetic use restriction technologies, in order to ensure the safety of human health, the environment, food security and the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity; (V/5, para. 23, 26; VI/5, para. 19)
  • Promote behavioral changes that help to achieve sustainable production and consumption patterns, reduce resource waste at all stages of production and consumption in food systems, including reducing post-harvest losses, and promote sustainable consumption, production and supply chains; (XIII/3, para. 33, 34, 90)
  • Develop and document existing scientific information, indigenous and traditional knowledge on the links between biodiversity, food and nutrition, case-studies on the links between biodiversity, food and nutrition, and the value of biodiversity for food and nutrition, including indicators on biodiversity in use for food; (VIII/23A, annex, element 1)
  • Support all forms of food production of indigenous and local communities, in accordance with Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention. (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.7, 11)
  • Maintain sustainable livelihoods and food security in reef-dependent coastal communities, including indigenous and local communities, and provide for viable alternative livelihoods, where appropriate; (XII/23, para. 14)
  • Integrate benefit-sharing objectives into national and international frameworks dealing with biodiversity for food and nutrition, as appropriate, taking into account existing benefit sharing systems; (VIII/23A, annex, para. 3.16)
  • Promote secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and enhancing the environment; (XII/5, annex, para. 5(b))
  • Assess the benefits of pollinators and pollination, taking into account the economic value to agriculture and food production and the value to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as cultural and other values; (XIII/15, para. 7(v))
  • Raise public awareness in support of sustainable farming and food production systems that maintain agricultural biodiversity, and the links between biodiversity, food and nutrition, and of activities supporting these links; (IX/1, para. 16(b); V/5, para. 10; VIII/23A, annex, para. 4.2)

5. Human health

  • Consider integrating One Health policies, plans or projects, and other holistic approaches in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and, as appropriate, national health plans, and other instruments including those under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, to jointly support the implementation of the Convention, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant global commitments, recognizing the importance of ecosystem-based approaches for the delivery of multiple benefits to health and well-being; (14/4, para. 2-3, 5, 7; XI/15, para. 4(b))
  • Identify opportunities for mutually supporting implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national strategies, plans and programmes for human health; (XII/21, para. 7, 1)
  • Consider relevant health-biodiversity linkages in developing and updating relevant national policies and programmes, strategies, plans, and accounts including health strategies, such as national environmental health action plans, national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and sustainable development and poverty eradication strategies; (XIII/6, para. 4(b); XII/21, para. 2)
  • Integrate relevant biodiversity concerns into national public health policies, with particular emphasis on the needs of indigenous peoples and local communities; (XIII/6, para. 4(i))
  • Develop integrated metrics, indicators and tools to facilitate the analysis, evaluation, monitoring and integration of biodiversity into health strategies, plans and programmes and vice-versa; (XIII/6, para. 5(a))
  • Consider gender-differentiated impacts and responses in the integration of biodiversity and health linkages in their policies, plans and actions; (14/4, para. 4; XII/7, annex, para. 2)
  • Facilitate dialogue and promote cooperation between sectors and agencies responsible for biodiversity and those responsible for human health, across all levels of government, and mainstream biodiversity and health linkages into existing and future policies, plans and strategies to address health-biodiversity linkages in order to support preventative approaches to health and promote the multiple dimensions of health and well-being; (14/4, para. 6; X/32, para. 2(g); XI/15, para. 2(b); 14/7, para. 6; VIII/23A, annex, para. 4.1; XI/28, para. 4(i); XII/21, para. 3; XIII/6, para. 4(a), 4(h))
  • Provide, where appropriate, effective incentives to mainstream biodiversity in the health sector, consistent with international obligations, (14/4, para. 9(a))
  • Identify opportunities for and promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable production and consumption patterns and associated behavioral change, that would benefit biodiversity and human health through, inter alia, the promotion of public health campaigns, and promote and strengthen best practices on sustainable consumption and production implemented in the health sectors that favor conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (14/4, para. 9(b); XIII/6, para. 4(f))
  • Review, adjust and improve biodiversity-health linkages in the environmental assessment of relevant projects, and consider health-biodiversity linkages in environmental impact assessments, risk assessments and strategic environmental assessments, as well as in health impact assessments, social and economic valuation and the evaluation of trade-offs; (14/4, para. 9(c); XIII/6, para. 4(d))
  • Carry out scientific assessments concerning organisms, components and products resulting from synthetic biology techniques with regard to potential effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, taking into account risks to human health and addressing, as appropriate, and according to national and/or regional legislation, other issues such as food security and socioeconomic considerations with, where appropriate, the full participation of indigenous and local communities; (XII/24, para. 3(d))
  • Assess relative health benefits and risks from wild meat and alternatives in development planning (e.g., extractive industry operations), including both nutritional content and infectious disease risks, to inform supply options; (14/7, annex, para. 45(c)(v))
  • Make use of the indicative list of indicators that may be relevant to the links between biodiversity and health, including trends in benefits that humans derive from selected ecosystem services, trends in health and well-being of communities that depend directly on local ecosystem goods and services, and trends in the nutritional contribution of biodiversity and food composition; (XI/6, para. 28)
  • Address, monitor and evaluate any unintended and undesirable negative impacts of biodiversity interventions on health and of health interventions on biodiversity, and strengthen national monitoring capacities and data collection, including integrated monitoring and surveillance capacities and early warning systems, that enable health systems to anticipate, prepare for and respond to public health threats resulting from ecosystem change; (XIII/6, para. 4(c), 4(e))
  • Support activities to reduce risk of the emergence of zoonotic diseases by addressing habitat fragmentation and destruction and risks from the direct use of migratory species; (Convention on Migratory Species (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021); Convention on Wetlands (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))
  • Promote research into, and development and implementation of, integrated pest management strategies, in particular, methods and practices alternative to the use of agro-chemicals, that maintain biodiversity, enhance agro-ecosystem resilience, maintain soil and water quality and do not affect human health; (III/11, para. 15(k))
  • Involve indigenous and local communities and other relevant stakeholders, particularly on issues related to ecosystem health, human health, traditional knowledge, and livelihoods, when addressing research needs and activities on the impacts of climate change on biodiversity; (VIII/30, para. 3)
  • Consider the contribution of traditional knowledge and customary practices to human health; (XII/21, para. 8)
  • Promote and support further research on health-biodiversity linkages and related socioeconomic considerations: the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem degradation and infectious disease emergence, including the effects of ecological community structure and composition, habitat disturbance and human-wildlife contact, and the implications for land use and ecosystem management; the interlinkages between dietary diversity, health and diversity of crops, livestock and other components of biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, as well as marine and inland water ecosystems; the linkages between the composition and diversity of the human microbiome, and biodiversity in the environment, and implications for the planning, design, development and management of human settlements; the significance for health of marine biodiversity, including for food security, and the consequences of multiple stressors on marine ecosystems (including pathogens, chemicals, climate change and habitat degradation); the contribution of biodiversity and the natural environment, including protected areas, in promoting mental and physical health, particularly in urban areas; the significance of soil biodiversity for health; linkages between migratory species and their corridors and human health; and linkages between invasive alien species and human health; (XIII/6, para. 6, 8)
  • Develop interdisciplinary education, training, capacity-building and research programmes on health-biodiversity linkages, using integrative approaches, at various levels and different spatial and temporal scales, and communities of practice on biodiversity and health, and promote the understanding of health‑biodiversity linkages with a view to maximizing health benefits, addressing trade-offs, and where possible, addressing common drivers for health risks and biodiversity loss; (14/4, para. 8; XI/6, para. 27; XIII/6, para. 5(b); XIII/6, para. 2, 4(g))

6. Livelihoods

  • Ensure that, in their efforts to integrate biodiversity into poverty eradication and development strategies, initiatives and processes, they identify and promote policies, activities, projects and mechanisms on biodiversity and development that empower indigenous and local communities, the poor, marginalized and vulnerable, who depend directly on biodiversity and ecosystem services and functions for their livelihoods, recognizing the role of collective action in the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of its components; (XII/5, para. 10)
  • Set local biodiversity conservation plans as the basis for programmes aimed at poverty eradication for sustainable livelihoods in order to enhance the basis for the achievement of sustainable development goals. (XII/5, annex, B(b))
  • Identify and apply measures to improve the adaptive capacity of coral reef-based socio‑ecological systems within the local context, ensuring sustainable livelihoods of reef‑dependent coastal communities, including indigenous and local communities, and providing for viable alternative livelihoods, and prioritize poverty-reduction programmes for reef-dependent coastal communities, including indigenous and local communities, to promote livelihood strategies that are socially and ecologically resilient and to reduce poverty-induced overexploitation of reef ecosystems; (XII/23, para. 14(c), and annex, para. 9; V/3, para. 6(a) and annex, C)
  • Increase understanding of and communicate the role, importance and costs and benefits of protected areas in sustaining local livelihoods, providing ecosystems services, reducing risks from natural disasters, adapting to and mitigating climate change, health, water and other sectors, at all levels; (X/31B, para. 29(a))
  • Promote integration of the provisions of access and benefit sharing in regard to the third objective of the Convention in the governance of protected areas and support initiatives on the role of protected areas in poverty alleviation as well as for indigenous and local community livelihoods; (X/31B, para. 30(b))
  • Increase understanding of and communicate the role, importance and costs and benefits of protected areas in sustaining local livelihoods, providing ecosystems services, reducing risks from natural disasters, adapting to and mitigating climate change, health, water and other sectors, at all levels; (X/31B, para. 29(a))
  • Develop further conservation measures, including investments in the development and promotion of sustainable livelihoods, including alternative livelihoods; (V/23, annex I, activity 7(a))
  • Support sustainable livelihoods through diversifying sources of income to reduce the negative pressures on the biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands; (V/23, annex I, activity 9(a))
  • Promote sustainable land-use and water resource management practices in relation to human livelihood needs (agriculture, pastoralism, animal husbandry, forestry, aquaculture, inland water fisheries, etc.), including local income generation, to support sustainable livelihoods, taking into account the Convention principles for sustainable use and the ecosystem approach; (V/23, annex I, activity 9(c); VII/27, annex, action 1.3.1)
  • Support sustainable livelihoods through developing markets for products derived from the sustainable use of biological diversity in dry and sub-humid lands, adding value to harvested produce; (V/23, annex I, activity 9(d))
  • Support sustainable livelihoods through establishing mechanisms and frameworks for promoting fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of the genetic resources of dry and sub-humid lands, including bioprospecting; (V/23, annex I, activity 9(e))
  • Promote the implementation of activities aimed at the improvement of mountain livelihoods, poverty reduction and the maintenance of cultural identity, in order to achieve sustainable use of mountain biological diversity. (VII/27, annex, action 2.2.5)
  • Achieve long-term conservation, management and sustainable use of marine resources and coastal habitats, and to effectively manage marine protected areas, in accordance with international law in order to safeguard marine and coastal biodiversity and marine ecosystem services, and sustainable livelihoods, and to adapt to climate change, through appropriate application of the precautionary approach and ecosystem approaches, including the use of available tools such as integrated river basin and integrated coastal zone management, marine spatial planning, and impact assessments; (X/29, para. 15)
  • Promote rural community tourism as an activity that can contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, restoration of ecosystems and diversification of livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, promoting the creation of capacity and the transfer of technology; (XIII/3, para. 82(e))
  • Exchange information concerning best practices on the sustainable production and use of biofuels and its contribution for the improvement of livelihoods in developing countries; (IX/2, para. 6(b))
  • Develop response options to promote, and prevent the further loss of, pollination services that sustain human livelihoods; (IX/1, para. 21(e))
  • Ensure that programmes and measures taken for the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity support efforts to eradicate poverty and improve livelihoods; (IX/5, para. 2(h))
  • Further investigate the use of agricultural biodiversity to develop sustainable agricultural systems that contribute to improved livelihoods, enhance biodiversity and make use of its benefits, as well as conserving the most vulnerable and potentially useful species, and identify management practices, technologies and policies that promote the positive and mitigate the negative impacts of agriculture on biodiversity, and enhance productivity and the capacity to sustain livelihoods, by expanding knowledge, understanding and awareness of the multiple goods and services provided by the different levels and functions of agricultural biodiversity; (IX/1, para. 12(c); V/5, annex, programme element 2; VI/5, annex II, para. 2.2)
  • Assess the current and potential contribution of biodiversity to island peoples in terms of sustaining livelihoods, economic activity and cultural value, and develop policies, programmes and actions to ensure the capacity of island ecosystems to deliver goods and services and biological resources that support sustainable livelihoods, local food security and health care, especially of poor people; (VIII/1, annex, priority action 4.1.1.5, 8.2.1)
  • Develop certification schemes to certify wild meat products as sustainably harvested, as well as meeting good sanitary standards, highlighting benefits such as sustainability, local community livelihoods, conservation impact and health, and further integrate sustainable wild meat management considerations into forest certification schemes and criteria and indicator processes for sustainable forest management to mitigate the impacts of human activities on wildlife by including provisions for alternative, sustainable food sources and livelihoods, where needed, and for capacity-building and management systems that support legal and sustainable hunting, and effectively regulating the hunting of protected species; (14/7, annex, para. 38(d), 28(c)(iv))
  • Apply an integrated approach that addresses poaching and illegal wildlife trade hand-in-hand with the equally important issues of food security, livelihoods and the sustainable use of wildlife, and support integrated local, national, and transboundary action to build partnerships among relevant organizations, institutions and other relevant stakeholders to: build enforcement and monitoring capacities; develop and implement alternatives for nutrition and livelihoods; and increase awareness, research exchanges and education regarding hunting of and trade in wild meat; (14/7, annex, para. 45(a)(ii), 45(a)(iii))
  • Carry out an evaluation of wild meat suppliers, including the use of wild meat for protein and income, the characteristics of hunters and hunting households, the use of alternative sources of protein and income, and the impacts of hunting on local livelihoods, and assess, minimize and mitigate the impacts of illegal hunting on the subsistence hunting and livelihoods of indigenous and local communities, and on other subsistence users of wildlife resources; (XII/18, para. 10; 14/7, annex, para. 45(c)(ii))
  • Assess the role of wildlife consumption in livelihoods and consider it in national resource assessments and major policy planning documents, such as national development and poverty reduction strategies; (14/7, annex, para. 45(b)(iii))
  • Undertake further research on the impacts of sustainable use and non-sustainable use on livelihoods, and ecosystems goods and services, and identify regions, ecosystems and components of biodiversity that are or will become vulnerable to climate change at a geographic scale and assess the current and future risks and impacts on biodiversity and biodiversity-based livelihoods; (VII/12, para. 6(a); 14/5, para. 4(a), 4(e), 4(f); X/33, para. 8(b); IX/5, para. 1(j))
  • Encourage indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders to use resources sustainably, consistent with Articles 8(j) and 10(c); and, where required, to diversify their economic and livelihood base; (VIII/22, para. 4(b))
  • Encourage indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders to use resources sustainably, consistent with Articles 8(j) and 10(c); and, where required, to diversify their economic and livelihood base, and support indigenous and local communities in developing sustainable resource-based livelihoods and economic activities, including appropriate research and capacity-building; (VIII/1, annex, priority action 4.1.1.3; VIII/30, para. 3; X/33, para. 8(i); XII/5, annex, para. 5(d))
  • Consider the potential socio-economic impacts of genetically modified trees as well as their potential impact on the livelihoods of indigenous and local communities; (IX/5, para. 1(t))

7. Sectoral Consideration

  • Promote dialogue among ministries and agencies responsible for the sectors of health (including domestic animal and wildlife health), environment, pollution (such as marine plastic debris), pesticides, antimicrobial resistance, agriculture, nutrition and food security, food safety, planning (including urban planning), climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction, to foster integrated approaches, with a view to enhancing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; (14/4, para. 6)
  • Promote the formulation of policies, work plans and concrete actions among ministries, agencies and other bodies responsible for biodiversity and the sectors of energy and mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and processing, to facilitate the mainstreaming of biological diversity in these sectors, and include such policies, work plans and concrete actions in their national biodiversity strategies and action plans; utilize ecosystem-based approaches; (14/3, para. 13(r), 13(l); VIII/17, para. 10; XIII/3, para. 2, 14-15)
  • Implement sectoral and cross‐sectoral strategies and integrated landscape and seascape management that foster sustainable practices, identify potential measures to contribute to the health and resilience of ecosystems and consider spatial and regional approaches as well as appropriate measures to promote the conservation and restoration of areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services and functions, habitats of threatened species, and recovery of endangered species; (XIII/3, para. 17(a)-(b), 18(e))
  • Review and update legal frameworks, policies and practices to promote the mainstreaming of biological diversity in the energy and mining, infrastructure and manufacturing and processing sectors, including through safeguard, monitoring and oversight measures; (14/3, para. 13(e))
  • Promote the positive and minimize or avoid the negative impacts of biofuel production and use on biodiversity, and on indigenous and local communities, in national plans, such as national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national development plans; (IX/2, para. 3(a)-(b), 5, 8; X/37, para. 3, 5-9, 16; XI/27, para. 2(a)-(b), 5; XIII/3, para. 5, 7, 81, 82)
  • Reduce the adverse impacts on wild migratory animals from energy installations and linear infrastructure, including roads, railways, fences, and pipelines, and integrate migratory wildlife considerations into any spatial planning including in strategic and environmental impact assessments; (Convention on Migratory Species (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))

8. Tourism

  • Promote rural community tourism as an activity that can contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, restoration of ecosystems and diversification of livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, promoting the creation of capacity and the transfer of technology; (XIII/3, para. 82(e))
  • Implement a flexible mix of instruments to promote sustainable ecotourism development, such as integrated planning, multi-stakeholder dialogue that includes indigenous peoples, zoning in land-use planning, environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, standards, industry performance-recognition programmes, recognized accreditation bodies, ecolabelling, codes of good practice, environmental management and audit systems, economic instruments, indicators and limits regarding the carrying capacity of the natural areas; (XIII/3, para. 82(a)-(b), 82(g); V/25, para. 7(b), 4)
  • Support sustainable tourism activities that contributes to the objectives of the Convention and that are beneficial to the conservation of wild animals, identify areas where there is both significant levels of biodiversity and significant pressure or potential pressure from tourism, and develop and support projects in these “tourism and conservation hotspots”, including at regional level, with the objective of demonstrating how to reduce negative impacts and increase positive impacts from tourism; (XII/11, para. 1(b); XII/30, para. 23; X/22, para. 13(e); XIII/21, annex II, para. 19; Convention on Migratory Species (CBD/SBI/3/6/Add.3, 16 February 2021))

Financial support of the Global Environment Facility

Wildlife Conservation for Development

Amazon, Congo, and Critical Forest Biomes

BDFA: Objective One

IWFA: Objective One

Potential implementation/project partners

Related references