Biodiversity experts from various sectors, led by the Biodiversity Unit under the Environmental Affairs Department of Malawi’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, have gathered in Blantyre to refine the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) preliminary targets, with a key focus on resource mobilization.
This initiative is supported by the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), a global partnership launched by UNDP and the European Commission.
BIOFIN was established to assist countries in improving the financial management of biodiversity resources and ecosystems, addressing the urgent global need for increased financing, as highlighted during the 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) in Nagoya, Japan.
In opening remarks, Yasinta Ganiza Chafutsa, Chief Environmental Officer, representing the Director of Environmental Affairs, emphasized that Malawi is aligning its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which is set to phase out in 2025, with the global biodiversity strategy.
“Between November 2023 and August 2024, we have been reviewing and consulting with various groups, submitting our outcomes to the online portal set by the Convention on Biological Diversity,” Ganiza stated.
Hilton Msamali, the National Technical Coordinator for BIOFIN at UNDP, explained that the primary goal of BIOFIN is to expand the resource envelope for biodiversity conservation at the national level.
“Most funding for biodiversity has traditionally come from the national budget. However, as government priorities shift, there is a need to explore alternative avenues to secure sustainable financing for biodiversity,” Msamali added.
One of BIOFIN’s milestones has been integrating biodiversity conservation into the national budget framework, creating six biodiversity codes within the Malawi national budget.
This development is seen as a critical step in ensuring sustained financing for the sector. Central government and local councils, through decentralized budgets, will now have structured funding for biodiversity.
The current exercise aims to refine four key preliminary targets, outlining the necessary policy actions to achieve them, and developing indicators to monitor progress. Experts will also identify barriers to implementation and propose strategies to overcome these challenges.
Additionally, a core focus is the development of Natural Capital Accounting, a system that assigns monetary value to ecosystems and natural resources. This approach allows for more effective management by factoring the economic worth of natural resources as part of national wealth metrics.
Finance, statistics, and environmental experts are working together to align Malawi’s national targets with the Global Biodiversity Framework, ensuring that the country’s policies are both practical and globally relevant.
