With 23 targets aimed at protecting Earth’s life support systems, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is the world’s most important tool to protect nature.
Countries have a short window — between now and mid-2024 — to update their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to align with the framework’s global goals. This opportunity gives governments the chance to create ambitious policies to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, known by the acronym NBSAPs, are national policies that promote biodiversity conservation.
Countries currently have the opportunity to revise their NBSAPs to align with the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework. These updated NBSAPs will be submitted for consideration at the 16th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will convene in October of 2024. The NBSAP update provides an opportunity for civil society and non-governmental organizations, like Conservation International, to actively participate in the country planning and update process to provide technical expertise, data, convening and other kinds of support, as well as to identify and fill finance support needs and gaps.
Advancing priorities through the Global Biodiversity Framework
Conservation International works with governments to integrate science and conservation priorities into the NBSAP update process. We also advocate for robust financing to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework and countries’ NBSAPs. We work to shape biodiversity policies both at the national level, through engagement around domestic financial planning efforts, and by continuing to raise the ambition of global biodiversity financing commitments.
Biodiversity policy priorities
Advancing nature for climate
Biodiversity loss and climate change are two sides of the same coin — and share similar solutions. Conservation International advocates for protecting high-carbon ecosystems — such as old growth forests, mangroves and peatlands — to achieve relevant GBF targets in national public policy.
This brief outlines how countries can include high-carbon ecosystems in the updates to their NBSAPs:
Advancing Priorities Through the Global Biodiversity Framework: Irrecoverable Carbon Ecosystems | Español | Português
Promoting nature-positive economies
The NBSAP update process reflects an opportunity to advance sustainable production and nature-positive economies. Linking protection and production, and prioritizing conservation in areas that provide people with critical natural assets ensures that conservation efforts enhance human well-being and livelihoods.
This brief outlines how countries can apply the landscape approach when updating national targets on conservation and sustainable production as part of the NBSAP update process:
Achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework by Utilizing the Landscape Approach to Link Protection and Production | Español
Ensuring participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities
When updating their NBSAPs, countries must ensure the full, equitable and inclusive participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities. Conservation International advocates for NBSAP targets that strengthen the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities and recognize their land tenure.
Achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework through Guaranteeing the Roles, Rights, and Contributions of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities | Español | Français
Reducing harmful and scaling up positive incentives for nature
Reforming or eliminating subsidies harmful to biodiversity is a critical part closing the biodiversity funding gap, while ensuring a transformation towards a fair and equitable nature-positive economy where everyone, especially the most vulnerable, can actively participate, benefit, and thrive.
This brief outlines recommendations for how countries can achieve GBF target 18 on eliminating, reforming, and/or phasing out USD500billion/year in subsidies harmful to biodiversity.
Mobilizing finance for biodiversity
There is an annual $700 billion financing gap for biodiversity. Filling it will require diverse sources of financing, including contributions to the new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund launched by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), official development assistance, biodiversity credits and other overall public and private commitments.
Conservation International's Lui-Walton Fellow Carlos Correa has hosted series of webinars to advocate for the mobilization of greater financial resources to support key biodiversity goals.
Moderated by Conservation International Lui-Walton Senior Fellow Carlos Correa. Featured speakers include: Akanksha Khatri, Head, Nature and Biodiversity, World Economic Forum Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO & Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer and EVP, Mastercard Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador
Moderated by Conservation International Lui-Walton Senior Fellow Carlos Correa. Featured speakers include: Akanksha Khatri, Head, Nature and Biodiversity, World Economic Forum Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO & Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer and EVP, Mastercard Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador
This panel discussion to reflect on progress, roadblocks, and solutions to ensuring adequate financing for biodiversity in order to meet the goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework Moderator: Carlos Correa, Conservation International Lui-Walton Senior Fellow and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia Panelists: Aileen Lee, Chief of Programs, The Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO & Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility Rashid Sumaila, Professor, University of British Columbia & Director, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, UBC Institute for Oceans & Fisheries
Panel discussion to reflect on progress, roadblocks, and solutions to ensuring adequate financing for biodiversity in order to meet the goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework Moderator: Carlos Correa, Conservation International Lui-Walton Senior Fellow and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia Panelists: Aileen Lee, Chief of Programs, The Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO & Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility Rashid Sumaila, Professor, University of British Columbia & Director, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, UBC Institute for Oceans & Fisheries
Panel discussion to share best practices on implementing policies that transition our reliance away from harmful subsidies toward a system that supports nature positive incentive structures. Moderator: Carlos Correa, Conservation International Lui-Walton Senior Fellow and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia Panelists: Katia Karousakis, Biodiversity Programme Leader, Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, Environment Directorate, OECD Mariana Bellot, Senior Technical Advisor, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative, UNDP BIOFIN Patricia Zurita, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Global Programs, Conservation International
Panel discussion to share best practices on implementing policies that transition our reliance away from harmful subsidies toward a system that supports nature positive incentive structures. Moderator: Carlos Correa, Conservation International Lui-Walton Senior Fellow and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia Panelists: Katia Karousakis, Biodiversity Programme Leader, Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, Environment Directorate, OECD Mariana Bellot, Senior Technical Advisor, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative, UNDP BIOFIN Patricia Zurita, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Global Programs, Conservation International