Photo by the author from COP 16 in Cali, Colombia, 2024
Nepal is a state party to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). Nepal ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 1993 and it came under enforcement on 21 February 1994. Article 26 of the CBD requires every signatory country of CBD to prepare a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to be technically sound, objective, transparent, collaborative, constructive, and enhance collectivism. NBSAP is the main instrument for integrating CBD Vision.
As of October 31, 2024, only 43 out of 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have submitted their revised and updated NBSAPs in alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Nepal is one of those who have not submitted NBSAP documents. Nepal has previously prepared NBSAP 2014-2020 and it is currently working on revising NBSAP for 2024 to 2030. Hence Nepal needs to revise NBSAP as an umbrella strategy for biodiversity management while ensuring effective and meaningful participation of all actors, including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).
This article explores why Nepal’s National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) Revision is taking too long and what is pulling it behind. Nepal is currently assessing the current state of biodiversity, including underlying drivers of biodiversity threats by understanding stakeholders’ problems, needs and priorities. Global Voices spoke to leader Krishna Chandra Paudel, Team Leader for the revision of NBSAP in the consultation meeting, who mentioned:
The planning phase started in July 2023, and involved a Situation analysis which was completed in November 2024. Currently, Nepal is drafting NBSAP which started in July 2024 and aims to complete in Feb 2025. This process aims to complete its validation workshop of NBSAP by April 2025.
Photo by the Author from the slides presented in NBSAP consultation meeting held in Kathmandu, Nepal
Among multiple consultations held at central level, Global voice had an opportunity to interact at the event on January 5, 2025 organised by NIWF, with the Technical Expert of the NBSAP revision team, Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha, Sunaina Sharma on why is it taking a long time to draft NBSAP in Nepal. Dr. Uttam mentioned the COVID was the first issue that delayed the process of consultation, documentation, and interaction with all the rights holders and stakeholders. Furthermore, Dr. Uttam mentioned that:
This NBSAP process has required detailed stakeholder consultations and their participatory engagement, this has extended the time for consultation making it more late in drafting the NBSAP revision.
In a similar conversation with Dr. Bijendra Basnyat, representative from BIOFIN Nepal mentioned that:
Around 24 Stakeholder Engagement Experts and 18 NBSAP revision Team has been recruited and currently Nepal is carrying out 49 consultations on NBSAP all over Nepal representing all physiographic and provinces of Nepal. We have around more than 111 round table consultations, 42 workshops in total, and then 7 province-level validations. Each sites will have consultation on 3 themes (Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities issues, Biodiversity Conservation and Biodiversity mainstreaming) and 1 workshop in each provinces. .
This will further delay leading to unplanned consultations and interactions with wider stakeholders, right holders of a government entity, and non-government entity.
As per a personal interview with Kamal Sapang Rai, NBSAP Technical Steering Committee, he mentioned:
To make the process more inclusive and follow the principles of ‘whole of society and whole of government approach’ we are planning to make it more inclusive and participatory. Nepal’s National target has almost doubled to 36 whereas KMGBF target is only 23. Voices were missing out from rights holders and stakeholders hence consultation is ongoing in all 3 tiers of governing system; Local, provincial and federal systems. Additionally, a Technical Steering Committee of NBSAP is yet to carry out dialogue with the Ministry, government line agencies and UN bodies so, it is taking bit more time.
Financial limitations hinder the allocation of adequate resources for comprehensive NBSAP development and consultations leading to poor coordination among different stakeholders, including government agencies, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and civil society organizations.
Bureaucratic inefficiencies, political instability, and changes in leadership affects long-term planning and decision-making which also ultimately impact institutional and organizational management. This leads to delay in effectively engaging Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), which is essential in the NBSAP revision process.
Photo by the author of an interaction meeting held in Lalitpur District, Nepal
At this stage of the revision process, a strategic approach to stakeholder engagement is imperative to overcome the constraints and enhance the effectiveness of NBSAP implementation in developing countries. Engaging stakeholders is crucial for achieving conservation goals. Achieving stakeholder buy-in at the broadest level is necessary for the success of these initiatives. The involvement and commitment of various stakeholders are critical to achieving the goals of NBSAP. Multi-stakeholder engagement horizontally and vertically in all forms is essential such as the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the Department of National Park (DNPWC), the Biodiversity Unit, National Planning Commission (NPC), NGOs, INGOs, CBOs, Indigenous Peoples Organizations and so on.
This critical action necessitates the identification of key stakeholders, including local communities, to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity initiatives.
In the year 2024, I had an opportunity to attend a side event organised at SABSTA 26 and SBI 4 in Nairobi, Kenya, the delegation team from Bhutan shared a success story of timely submitting NBSAP. The Bhutan delegates in the side event mentioned that the formation of a technical working group is essential for the development of the NBSAP. Delegates emphasized the crucial need to involve the right people with the appropriate knowledge and expertise. This group should have specific terms of reference to guide the NBSAP development process effectively. According to delegates from Bhutan in the side event even if some stakeholders do not directly contribute to the NBSAP, raising their awareness is necessary. Nature-based solutions, and the concepts of a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach, are often not well understood. Therefore, these concepts need to be communicated in an accessible manner to all stakeholders. Transferring ownership and responsibility is significant because environmental issues are often perceived as solely the Ministry of Forests and Environment’s (MoFE) responsibility.
Photo by the author of an ongoing plenary session in Nairobi, Kenya, 2024.
As Nepal moves on with the revision of NBSAP, capacity building of stakeholders, right holders at all levels is necessary as there is need for cross-learning of NBSAP development and reaching out to other groups for support and knowledge sharing.
Furthermore, there is need for integrated NBSAP data monitoring is a common issue faced by many countries in the realm of biodiversity conservation. This helps to track progress and making informed decisions. The absence of reliable indicators further exacerbates this problem, as there are no benchmarks to measure against. Lack of data related to biodiversity has significantly impacts the implementation of conservation strategies, hindering the ability to assess the effectiveness of initiatives and adapt them as needed. Addressing these gaps in data monitoring and indicator development is crucial for improving biodiversity conservation efforts globally.
This post was originally published on this site
