Leveraging the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership to strengthen national biodiversity monitoring systems for enhanced implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework
In December 2022, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and associated package of decisions. The package includes a global monitoring framework and mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review. The monitoring framework includes indicators to be used by Parties for planning, monitoring and reporting of implementation of national targets and the agreed global Goals and Targets. This places greater emphasis on transparency of implementation, which will require strengthened national capacities for monitoring across the scope of the GBF, and for enhanced biodiversity data and information management as a basis for planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of progress. This initiative seeks to develop inclusive, collaborative and coordinated approaches to developing and enhancing national biodiversity monitoring systems, for the effective implementation of the GBF.
- Countries
- Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Mexico, South Africa, Uganda
- IKI funding
- 15,000,000.00 €
- Duration
- 01/2023 till 12/2030
- Status
- open
- Implementing organisation
- UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
- Political Partner
-
- Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) - South Africa
- Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) - Ghana
- Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) - El Salvador
- Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbiente) - Colombia
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) - Mexico
- National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) - Uganda
- Implementing Partner
-
- Alexander von Humboldt Institute on Research for Biological Resources - Colombia
- ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
- Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat
- Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) (Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale)
- Conservation Alliance International
- National Commission for Research and Utilisation of Biodiversity (CONABIO) - Mexico
- National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) - Uganda
- Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) - Samoa
- South African National Biodiversity Institute
State of implementation/results
- Six countries and four regions have been identified for implementation. In addition to the implementing countries, four regional partners (the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), and The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)), will be supporting several countries in their respective regions. The four regional partners plus two implementing partners in Colombia and South Africa have also been appointed as Technical and Scientific Cooperation Centres (TSCCs) in the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Decision 16/3. www.cbd.int/…
- Work plans outlining specific activities to strengthen national and regional biodiversity monitoring have been submitted by Colombia, Ghana, Mexico, South Africa and Uganda (at the national scale) and regional level by ACB, CARICOM, COMIFAC and SPREP. Project activities have started in South Africa, Colombia, Ghana and Mexico.
- UNEP-WCMC created a tool to help countries assess their capacity for monitoring National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) aligned with the GBF. It also helps identify key stakeholders involved in monitoring and data development. For more details: resources.unep-wcmc.org/…
- Two online training sessions (with Spanish translation) were held for partners. Recordings and the tool are available for download, allowing any CBD Party to assess their national monitoring capacity and progress toward GBF-aligned targets. For more details: www.youtube.com/…
- The initiative, in partnership with the CBD Secretariat, created a survey to assess countries’ ability to produce key monitoring indicators. The results revealed that only a few countries in some regions have established monitoring systems, emphasising the need for regional cooperation and targeted training. The findings also suggest that standardised data collection methods would improve monitoring efficiency. This information is now guiding discussions to address implementation barriers and support recommendations for improving technical, technological, and institutional capacities in monitoring. Further information: www.cbd.int/…
- In Ghana, Conservation Alliance reviewed the roles of government and non-government organisations in biodiversity monitoring. The findings will support the development of a monitoring action plan and contributed to Ghana’s 7th National Report to the CBD.
- Project outreach
- October 2024: The initiative held a side event at CBD COP16, titled “Let's talk monitoring: National strategies to track and inform implementation of the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”. This event brought together countries and regions participating in the project to discuss best practices, gaps, opportunities and lessons learned identified until now. For more details: www.cbd.int/…
- October 2024: NBSAP Day organised in collaboration with the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, GEF Early Action Support project, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, GIZ, CGIAR, CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, Alliance of Biodiversity International, CIAT, and the CBD Secretariat. The NBSAP Day aimed to showcase progress on NBSAPs, share lessons learned and explore solutions for advancing NBSAP implementation. For more details: www.cbd.int/…
- A webinar, titled “Advancing National Biodiversity Monitoring Systems to Support the Implementation of the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”, was organised in collaboration with the GIZ Implementation project. It provided partners and other CBD Parties with an overview of the monitoring framework and insights into the current landscape of monitoring systems in Colombia, Indonesia and South Africa. The webinar was held in July 2025, and achieved the participation of 273 people from 75 countries. Access recordings here: www.youtube.com/…
- The side-event “Bridging gaps, building systems: Empowering country-led biodiversity monitoring and regional collaboration”, organized with the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership during SBSTTA27 (October 2025), highlighted key areas for improvement and the support available from regional partners. This helps other countries adopt similar approaches tailored to their needs.
- Contact us: monitoring_support@unep-wcmc.org
Latest Update:
05/2026
Project relations
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