The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and FAO's European Union-funded ACP-MEAs 3 Project, recently organized a workshop to revise and update the SADC Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (SBSAP).

The workshop, which took place from November 13 to November 15, 2023, aimed at ensuring that the revised strategy carries the region’s aspirations and aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The workshop was attended by 47 participants from 15 SADC Member States, composed of experts on biodiversity and agrobiodiversity.

In her remarks, the representative of the SADC Secretariat, Ms. Sibongile Mavimbela, appreciated FAO’s financial and technical support to revise the SADC biodiversity strategy and align it with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

She further stressed that the review and update of the strategy was directed by the joint meeting of Ministers on Environment, Natural Resource and Tourism. Who in June 2023 called for further consultations to align the strategy to the regional aspirations of sustainable conservation and utilization of biodiversity.

“SADC is honoured to be part of these consultative processes, which ensures that all Member States contribute their priorities to revise the SBSAP. So, we remain committed to supporting our Member States in addressing climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem loss,” said Ms Mavimbela.

In his opening remarks FAO Representative in South Africa, Ahmadu Babagana, said that the workshop presented an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and identify priority areas for action. That would enable the region to contribute to the global efforts to halt biodiversity loss and promote sustainable development.

As he called for more collaboration between SADC member states.

“The FAO is committed to supporting the SADC region in implementing the revised SADC Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. This will require the development of partnerships and collaborations with other stakeholders, including governments, relevant UN Agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector. It is only through such partnerships that we can achieve the ambitious goals set out in the Global Biodiversity Framework and the revised SADC Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan,” added Babagana.

The outdated SADC Biodiversity Regional Strategy (2010-2020) and the Biodiversity Action Plan (2013) were based on the Biodiversity Strategic Plan (2011-2020) and its associated Aichi Targets. The revised and updated regional biodiversity strategy will replace these plans.

Accelerating the fight against biodiversity loss

The workshop identified four regional biodiversity pillars, 26 priority areas, and several key elements of action plans.

Agriculture biodiversity, conservation of genetic resources, ecosystem-based agricultural practices, reduction of pesticide and nutrient pollution, conservation and management of protected areas, wildlife economy, land and wetlands degradation, invasive alien species, sustainable and beneficial use of regional biodiversity, and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) were highly considered as priority areas of the revised regional biodiversity strategy.

Identifying areas of concern

The Southern African region has a rich natural heritage of global significance, with more than 40 per cent of the region's species being endemic. However, pollutants are leading to excess levels of acid in lakes and streams, damaging trees and forest soils. Alien Invasive Species (AISs) cost the region millions of dollars annually in lost agricultural productivity and resources spent on management. To address these challenges, stakeholders agreed to include tools in the strategy to improve sustainable agricultural practices and natural resources management.

SADC member states also agreed that the new biodiversity strategy must address challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss noting that climate change is a significant driver of biodiversity erosion, and biodiversity loss accelerates climate change processes.

Searching for financing to counter the biodiversity crisis

How to raise funds for the reduction of biodiversity loss in the SADC region remained a topical issue and sticking point as member states sought to accelerate the finalization of the strategy.

“For this strategy to be effective, it needs major investments,” said FAO Policy and Programme Specialist Kudzai Kusena in one of the panel discussions.

To finance the implementation of the strategy, Member States agreed on the need for the region to provide its funding. An idea was suggested to establish or enhance existing regional investment portfolios to comprehensively support the implementation of the revised regional biodiversity strategy, which was highly appreciated and reflected as a critical component of the resource mobilization pillar of the revised strategy.

Next steps

By January 2024, the revised draft strategy will be ready for circulation and validation by Member States and other relevant institutions. The final draft strategy will be translated into English, French, and Portuguese, and will be ready by June 2024 for approval by the Ministers of Environment and Tourism in the SADC region at their earliest session.

FAO made its commitment to provide technical support to the SADC region in finalising and implementing the revised SADC Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Partnerships and collaborations with other stakeholders, including relevant UN Agencies, governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector were identified as essential to achieving the ambitious goals outlined in the Global Biodiversity Framework and the revised SADC Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.