Target 17 – Biodiversity strategies and action plans

By 2015, each Party has developed, adopted as a policy instrument, and has commenced implementing an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and action plan.

Key message

The process of developing, updating and/or revising an NBSAP provides Parties with a major opportunity to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity with all relevant stakeholders. IPLCs are essential partners for achieving tangible outcomes at the local and national level and as such should be fully involved in the development, updating and/or revision of NBSAPs. However, the engagement of IPLCs in the NBSAP process is not yet receiving sufficient attention by Parties and needs to be urgently addressed.

Summary of progress towards the target

Why the target is important to IPLCs

GBO-4 stated that whilst the rate of submission of updated NBSAPs after the adoption of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20 was on target, the adequacy of the NBSAPs and the degree to which they were being implemented were variable.1 However more recent information reveals that only 68 Parties to the Convention met the 2015 deadline for submission, and only 41 others had submitted their updated NBSAPs by September 2016, making a total of 109 (55 per cent). Clearly, this target has not been met.2 There have also been shortfalls in relation to the effectiveness of NBSAPs and in relation to participation. In relation to effectiveness, the majority of NBSAPS submitted (about 75 per cent) have targets that are less ambitious than the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.3 In relation to participation, only 20 Parties reported involvement of IPLCs in the submitted NBSAPS (18 per cent) 4, indicating that only a minority of Parties has so far developed adequate participatory approaches. The same is true for the national reporting processes: full and effective participation of IPLCs in national reporting has taken place in only a few cases. NBSAPs are the key instrument for the implementation of the Convention at the national level. Multi-stakeholder engagement, including full and effective participation of IPLCs, is vital for achieving all the Aichi Targets, as is recognised by GBO-4. The local expertise and actions of IPLCs have much to contribute to the translation of global targets into national and local targets and indicators, which is essential for NBSAPs to be effective. Therefore the lack of IPLC participation in NBSAP development, updating and revision processes is worrying, and warrants a further call for participatory processes to be implemented at the national level. “If IPLCs are not provided opportunities to fully participate in NBSAPs and national reports, Parties are likely to miss out on one of the greatest opportunities they have to implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20.”5

Contributions and experiences of IPLCs towards the target

Some IPLCs have started self-reporting on their participation in NBSAPs through a questionnaire distributed by Forest Peoples Programme to members of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) (see Table). To date out of seven reports, two of them, from Antigua and Barbuda and from Namibia, reported that the NBSAP had been updated and revised with the effective participation of IPLCs and with a good prospect of their future participation in implementation. Responses from Ecuador and Uruguay reported that NBSAP revision and updating is in progress, with good participation of IPLCs. Responses from Aotearoa/New Zealand reported that some participation took place, although indigenous organisations active in CBD processes were not included. However, those from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka reported that whilst the process is in progress, there is very limited or no participation of IPLCs. Other information gathered from local organisations also provided mixed and variable responses. In the Philippines, the NBSAP was reviewed with the participation of IPLCs; in Suriname the input of IPLCs was reflected in the NBSAP but IPLCs are not provided with sufficient opportunities or resources for implementation, while in Thailand the NBSAP was updated with no involvement of IPLCs. Table: Summary of participation of IPLCs in update / revision process for NBSAPs and national reporting, as reported by IIFB members and local organisations

*Country*	**IPLC Participation in NBSAPs***	**IPLC Participation in national reporting***
Antigua and Barbuda	Yes. Effective¹	Yes¹
Bangladesh	Limited / none¹	Limited / none¹
Ecuador	Yes. Good¹	Yes. Not effective¹
Namibia	Yes. Effective¹	Yes.¹
Aotearoa/New Zealand	Limited¹/ some²	Limited / none¹
Philippines	Yes²	Limited / none²
Sri Lanka	Limited / none¹	Limited / none¹
Suriname	Yes²	Limited / none²
Thailand	Limited / none²	Limited / none²
Uruguay	Yes. Good¹	Yes. Good¹

*Sources: ¹ Responses to IIFB questionnaire by members; ² Other Information from local organisations or government agencies A similar situation was observed for the national reports, where four of the seven countries for which a response to the questionnaire was collected indicated that some degree of participation took place and materials provided by IPLCs were taken into account. However only in two cases was it felt that IPLCs’ perspectives had been reflected in the national reports.

Opportunities and recommended actions to enhance progress towards the target

Where they have not already done so, governments and relevant organisations should:

Institute national and sub-national mechanisms to ensure the full and effective participation of IPLCs in the development, revision and/or updating of NBSAPs.
Ensure the full and effective contribution of all relevant stakeholders, particularly IPLCs, in the preparation of national reports, including through the inclusion of data emerging from the local level.
Document and report the contributions of IPLCs in NBSAP processes, including in the compilation of national reports.
Enhance support to IPLCs for the development of culturally appropriate mechanisms and educational resources to enable their effective contributions to the NBSAP processes and local implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and Aichi Targets.
Promote and facilitate partnerships and collaboration among all relevant stakeholders to leverage ownership of NBSAP processes and wide scale action for their implementation.

Case Studies

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External links/References