Biodiversity governance
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)
The principal national instrument for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity — the biodiversity counterpart of the climate NDC.
Definition
A national biodiversity strategy and action plan is the strategic policy document each Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity must prepare under Article 6, setting out how it will conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and integrate these objectives across sectors. Updated NBSAPs with national targets are the agreed vehicle for implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (adopted at COP15, 2022) at national level.
References
Overview
What it means
NBSAPs play for biodiversity what NDCs play for climate: translating global goals (the framework's 4 goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030) into national targets and actions. Unlike NDCs, their submission is a treaty obligation but without a comparable compliance mechanism; 194 of 196 Parties have prepared one at some point.
How it is used
Governments align NBSAPs with the framework's targets (e. g. , 30x30); CBD reviews submission status; funders and NGOs use them to track accountability.
Why it matters
With the biodiversity framework's ambition now set globally, NBSAPs are where success or failure will actually be decided — sector by sector, country by country.
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