Target 2
Figure 2.1. Trends in the number of countries implementing the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting
The values for 2020 are provisional. The solid line indicates the 2020 target set by UNCEEA to have 100 countries implementing SEEA.3
2006 2014 2017 2020
0 20 60 40 80 100 120
Number of Countries
Number of countries implementing SEEA UNCEEA 2020 Target
Strategic Goal A: Target 2 – Biodiversity values integrated 41 TARGET ELEMENTS
1. Biodiversity integrated in strategies 2. Biodiversity integrated in planning 3. Biodiversity integrated in accounting 4. Biodiversity incorporated in reporting
2 3
1 4
Box 2.1. Examples of national experiences and progress
ɠ Colombia: The National Council for Economic and Social Policy (El Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social) formulated a payment for ecosystem services policy (El Plan Nacional de Mercados Verdes) which encourages alternative uses of biodiversity. The Ministry of Environment has also adopted a national green business plan for sectors dependent on ecosystem services, including ecotourism, organic agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.7
ɠ Liberia: More than half of the population of the country lives within 65 kilometres of the coast which is dotted with mangroves, forests and reeds which can reach up to 40 kilometres inland.
These mangroves support human well-being through the provision of food, protection from storms and floods, and supporting cultural values. A study undertaken in Liberia in collaboration with The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative aims to better understand the multiple values and contributions of these mangroves and the pressures on them. The results of the project will help to inform coastal and marine planning policies by identifying the pressures and threats to coastal mangroves, providing evidence of the benefits of community-based coastal and marine management, the introduction of alternative livelihood options, and the establishment of marine protected areas.8 ɠ Guinea: Biodiversity values are being increasingly integrated in sectoral and national
decision-making processes across the country. For example, they are reflected in the country’s 2035 vision for development. Similarly, biodiversity values have been integrated into the country’s national environment policy, its national agricultural investment and food security plan, its national plan for economic and social development as well as in 304 community development plans.9
ɠ Namibia: To improve sectoral coordination and planning on environmental issues, Namibia has put in place integrated regional land use plans. These plans facilitate the allocation of land to the uses that give the greatest sustainable benefit. They allow for cross-sectoral and integrative decision-making processes by taking into account different perspectives, needs and restrictions in land use, and help to link social and economic development with environmental protection in order to minimize land-related conflicts and to achieve the objectives of sustainable development.
The approach also integrates Strategic Environmental Assessment.10 Accounting programme, part of the SEEA
framework, with a view to finalizing a UN statis-tical standard for ecosystem accounting by 2021.4 At the same time, there is still work to be done to ensure that such accounts are used by govern-ments in a way that brings biodiversity values into the mainstream of decision-making at a global scale.5 Global implementation of national
accounting has been driven by several inter-national organizations, including the United Nationals Statistics Division, the European Commission, the World Bank (including the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) partnership6), Conservation International and others.
Status
RELEVANT SDG TARGET
Target 15.9 - By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
A review of selected countries’ Voluntary National Reviews for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals shows that approximately half of them have mainstreamed biodiversity throughout their reports. Besides SDGs 14 and 15, biodiversity is linked most often
in these reports to the SDGs relating to responsible consumption and production (SDG 7), partnerships (SDG 17) and food security (SDG 2).11
With regard to the incorporation of biodiversity into poverty reduction strategies, 47 Parties with National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
Box 2.2. Experiences with national accounting
ɠ European Union: Several studies related to a project to support the design and implementation of ecosystem accounting at the regional level have been undertaken since 2015. This includes experimental accounts for bird species, pollinators and marine environments. In addition, the Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services project, funded by a European Union partnership with the UN Statistics Division, the United Nations Environment Programme and Secretariat of the CBD, aims to pilot experimental versions of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting in Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.12
ɠ Guatemala: An analysis was carried out to determine the state of the ecosystems within the 2,553 km2 Eastern Dry Corridor and to establish an inventory of available natural capital, including timber, non-timber, agricultural, biodiversity, and soil assets. An economic valuation of ecosystem services, including the provision of wood and firewood, regulation and supply of water, and control of soil erosion, was also conducted for the corridor.13
ɠ Uganda: There are currently natural capital accounting projects for land, forest, wetlands, tourism, soils, and water. The Green Growth Development Strategy recognizes natural capital, linking biodiversity and ecosystem services to the country’s green economy strategy. The overall objective of the Green Growth Development Strategy is to contribute to a transition towards an inclusive, green, and competitive low-carbon economy and the creation of green jobs. In addition, payments for ecosystem services are employed for agro-forestry practice in agricultural landscapes and for wetlands management under the Trees for Global Benefits initiative of the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda, the Community Environment Conservation Funds and IUCN.14 ɠ United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: The Office of National Statistics
provides regularly updated natural capital accounts, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The 2019 update included among its main points that the partial asset value of natural capital was estimated to be nearing one trillion pounds in 2016; the removal of air pollution by vegetation equated to a saving of £1.3 billion in health costs in 2017, the cooling effect of urban trees and water bodies saved £248 million in 2017 by maintaining productivity and reducing air conditioning costs, and living within 500 meters of green or blue spaces was estimated to add an average of £2,800 to urban property prices in 2016.15
Strategic Goal A: Target 2 – Biodiversity values integrated 43
Luca Bravo / Unsplash
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
The colour bars show the percentage of Parties reporting a given level of progress towards their national targets. (Blue: exceeds target; Green: on track; Yellow: some progress; Red: no change;
Purple: moving away from target). The intensity of the colour indicates alignment of national targets with the Aichi Target (Darker colours indicate close alignment).
Assessment of progress towards national targets
(NBSAPs) developed, updated or revised after the adoption of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 include links to poverty eradication and/or integrate this objective into their principles, targets and/or actions. Similarly, 40 Parties
indicate in their NBSAPs that biodiversity has been integrated into their national development plan or equivalent instruments.16
An analysis of 144 NBSAPs suggests that devel-oping countries, especially in Africa, show a greater awareness of the importance of biodiversity to key productive sectors including agriculture, forestry and fisheries, than developed countries. This may partly be due to the involvement of a broader range of stakeholders in developing NSBAPs in developing countries compared with the process in developed countries.17
The majority (84%) of NBSAPs contain targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2. Of the Parties which have assessed progress towards their national targets, more than a third are on track to
reach (35%) or exceed them (2%). More than half (55%) have made progress towards their targets but not at a rate that will allow them to meet the target. Few Parties report that they are making no progress (6%) towards the target or are moving away from reaching it (2%). However, few national targets match (7%) or exceed (1%) the scope and level of ambition set out in the Aichi Target.
The national targets that have been established largely focus on the integration of biodiversity values into national development strategies and poverty reduction strategies. Many of the targets relate to the issue of policy coherence and/or the integration of biodiversity into decision-making generally. Relatively few address the integration of biodiversity values into national and local planning processes, national accounting or reporting processes. Of the Parties which have assessed progress, few (6%) have national targets similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 and are on track to meet them (see bar chart).