Biodiversity planning : an assessment of national biodiversity and action plans

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has proclaimed national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) to be the primary mechanisms for the implementation of the Convention and its Strategic Plan. Article 6(a) of the CBD requires all Parties to develop an NBSAP. The strategy is meant to be a roadmap for how the country intends to fulfil the objectives of the Convention in light of its specific national circumstances. The related action plan will constitute the sequence of steps to be taken to meet the goals of the strategy. The development of the NBSAP in accordance with Article 6(a) is the cornerstone for fulfilling the requirement of Article 6(b) to mainstream biodiversity and the three objectives of the CBD. This should occur across all sectors of government, economic sectors and involve other actors who have an impact on biodiversity, through relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies. NBSAPs developed in isolation from other sectoral policies and programmes will be ineffective in protecting biodiversity and the integrity of critical ecosystem functions.