CABES - Capacity Development for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Experts in West, Central & East Africa

The project will develop and strengthen expertise in West, Central, and East Africa to engage in IPBES. It will inform national decision-making processes amongst multiple stakeholder groups to support the implementation of political decisions for better management and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services/nature’s contributions to people. Target groups include researchers, practitioners from the public and private sectors, as well as non-governmental organisations, indigenous and local knowledge holders and women. The project will establish a network of science-policy platforms to contribute to the implementation of the IPBES work programmes at different levels: nationally in eight countries, sub-regionally (15 countries in West Africa, ten countries in Central Africa and 13 countries in East Africa) and regionally in 38 countries. The project will train early career scientists, researchers and facilitators to manage science-policy interfaces.

Project data

Countries: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Madagascar, Sierra Leone
IKI funding: 7,988,000.00 €
Duration: 02/2022 till 01/2030
Status: open
Implementing organisation: Universität Bonn
Political Partner: Ethiopia Biodiversity Institute (EBI)

Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAA) – Cape Verde

Ministry of Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change (MEEVCC) - Burkina Faso

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - Madagascar

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - Côte d’Ivoire

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - DR Congo

Ministry of Water, Forest, Ocean, Environment responsible for the climate plan, sustainable development ojectives, land use plan and IPBES Focal Point - Gabon

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) & CBD National Focal Point of Sierra Leone
Implementing Partner: Addis Ababa University, Horn of Africa Regional Environment Center and Network (HoAREC)

African Center of Excellence on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (CEA CCBAD)

CoKnow Consulting

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)

University of Lubumbashi (FSA-UNILU)

West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL)
Online: https://www.cabes.online/

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State of implementation/results

The CABES Capacity Development Programme for professionals started with the launch of the CABES e-learning portal. A first online course “Train the Trainers – developing, organizing and teaching online courses” in October 2023 was delivered to more than 40 participants from 22 different countries in Africa and beyond.
CABES organized jointly with the Climate & Development Knowledge Network its first face-to-face training in November 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on “Utilization of IPBES assessment outcomes in national policy making“. The training brought together 21 participants from 18 countries. Amongst the participants were IPBES and CBD national focal points, as well as scientists from East, Central and West Africa who discussed tactics and strategies for the uptake of IPBES outcomes.
In November 2023, CABES organised its first sub-regional East African workshop with the theme: ‘The Road to a Desired Future: the IPBES Nature Futures Framework and Science-Policy-Practice Interface for People-Planet Harmony’.
CABES organised a workshop on: “Achieving Transformative Change through National Multistakeholder Biodiversity Platforms in Africa” in August 2023, targeting IPBES National Focal Points from National platform countries.
CABES co-organised a workshop with the National Ecosystem Assessment Initiative at UNEP-WCMC on: “Peer-to-Peer Dialogue: The Role of National Biodiversity Platforms in Realizing an Ambitious Future for Nature and People” in August 2023. There were 45 participants in attendance.
Project achievements have led to the accession of the Republic of Guinea as the 141st member of IPBES in July, 2023.
CABES has accredited the Master's programme entitled “Managing Science-Policy and Interface in Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Climate Change" at the University Félix Houphouet-Boigny in Côte d'Ivoire.
CABES co-organised on May 22-23, 2023, the 1st International Research Conference on ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management: Opportunities and Challenges’ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in commemoration of the International Biodiversity Day with the theme “Agreement to Action to Build Back Biodiversity”.
CABES students and staff were represented on May 12th, 2023 at the sixth meeting of the IPBES capacity-building forum in Nairobi, Kenya. The students delivered a speech on ‘Considerations by youth and their roles in the science-policy interfaces’.
CABES presented on: ‘IPBES Assessment reports: Developing capacity and exploring opportunities for effective uptake for National ownership’ on May 9th, 2023 in a sub-national event on Capacity Development and Awareness Creation in Support of the Uptake of IPBES Assessment reports, organised by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with its National Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Platform (NABESP).
CABES with the support of the IPBES Secretariat and IPBES Technical Support Unit for Capacity Building, organised a Virtual information event with IPBES National Focal Points (NFPs) and other key stakeholders ahead of the IPBES-10 Plenary on May 3rd, 2023.

Latest Update:
04/2024