Several Parties to the CBD in Southern Africa will share their practical experiences of mapping and assessing biodiversity priorities to support national delivery of Global Biodiversity Framework Goal A and various Targets. The approach can be applied at the national level in any country.

The guide Mapping biodiversity priorities: A practical approach to spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation to inform national policy, planning, decisions and action is a key resource for countries implementing the GBF, and its Second Edition will be launched at this event. The guide offers a sequential approach of mapping what biodiversity a country has and where it is; assessing the state of that biodiversity; and then undertaking prioritisation to determine where and how a country should first act to manage and conserve its biodiversity. The simple methods depicted in the book, utilising several IUCN standards and guidelines, are a useful approach to developing spatial biodiversity data layers related to ecosystems and species and incorporating them into national biodiversity policy, planning, decisions and actions. The guide shows how it is possible to use a few foundational datasets to produce useful indicators of the state of biodiversity and maps that identify biodiversity priority areas. The products can be useful in a wide range of applications, from mainstreaming biodiversity to global reporting. Through using the approach in this guide, countries can improve their ability to implement and report on indicators under Goal A of the GBF and targets relating to spatial planning (Target 1), restoration (Target 2), ecologically representative protected areas and OECMs (Target 3), threatened species (Target 4), sustainable use (Target 5), mainstreaming biodiversity into other sectors (Targets 14, 15), and accessibility of best available information for decisions (Target 21). The approach results in the exact information needed to measure several of the headline indicators (including A.1, A.2, A.3, 3.1) as well as contributing to component or complementary indicators. 

The ‘Mapping biodiversity priorities’ guide was first published jointly by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in 2016. Since the first edition, the guidance in this book has been successfully applied in several other countries, and work is continuing through a project titled ‘Building biodiversity knowledge for action in Southern Africa: Spatial Biodiversity Assessment, Prioritization and Planning in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi’ (the ‘SBAPP Regional Project’) funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM). The second edition includes information about the GBF, the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology, the IUCN Red List of Species, and Key Biodiversity Areas. The update also incorporates lessons learnt in the application of the approach in several countries.

This event is led by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) (an entity of the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)) and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) as co-authors of the ‘Mapping biodiversity priorities’ guide. The event is supported by the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB - French Biodiversity Agency) as well as the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) and the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM). The event includes participation from the SBAPP Regional Project partners:  the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism; the Wildlife Conservation Society in coordination with the Mozambique National Directorate of Environment from the Ministry of Land and Environment; and the Malawi University of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Malawian Environmental Affairs Department.

The event has the following objectives:

1. To share African experiences, applicable to any country, of how mapping and assessment biodiversity priorities can contribute to biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning, improve accessibility of biodiversity knowledge and help mainstream biodiversity into decision-making.

2. To launch the second edition of the guide Mapping biodiversity priorities: A practical approach to spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation to inform national policy, planning, decisions and action - a guide first published in 2016 and now updated for relevance to the Global Biodiversity Framework targets and indicators, and latest IUCN standards and tools. The guide is a key capacity building resource (GBF Target 20).

3. To showcase excellent examples of increasing funding from developed countries to developing countries (GBF Target 19) through collaborations between France and Southern Africa for biodiversity assessment and conservation capacity building, particularly the SBAPP Regional Project in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi and the South Africa–France partnership for biodiversity and marine conservation.

4. To inspire discussions about upscaling the processes described in the Mapping biodiversity priorities guide and being implemented by the SBAPP Regional Project to other countries and regions. The Mapping biodiversity priorities guide and approach has broad implications beyond Southern Africa, and is applicable in any country implementing and monitoring the GBF goals and targets. It is also therefore a valuable resource for any entity selected to host a regional or sub-regional technical and scientific cooperation support centre for the CBD. 

SANBI & DFFE, UNEP-WCMC, OFB and AFD/FFEM cordially invite key people to this event that showcases how Parties to the CBD in Southern Africa are utilising a practical approach to support national delivery of the GBF, and launches a key capacity building resource relevant to any country.