CoP16 UNCBD - OSS Side Event on valuing Ecosystem Accounting in the NBSAP implementation, Cali, Colombia, October 23, 2024

This event highlighted how new ecosystem assessment indicators and technological tools can strengthen the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

The opening remarks were delivered by the representative of Her Excellency Mrs. Djami Diallo, Guinean Minister of Environment, who congratulated the OSS and all partners involved in the Copernicea project for their major contribution to achieving its objectives.

The Sahara and Sahel Observatory and its partners, including the Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE - Senegal), the General Directorate of Studies and Sector Statistics (GDSSS - Burkina Faso), the National Center for Ecological and Environmental Monitoring (NCEEM - Niger), the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Sustainable Development of Morocco, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Guinea, the Ministry of Environment of Tunisia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership and other participants, shared their experiences and best practices regarding Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting (ENCA) and biodiversity monitoring.

They stressed the importance of capitalizing on the achievements of the Copernicea project and the NBSAP implementation and natural capital accounting processes. The OSS role as a leader in the development and promotion of the ENCA approach, as well as its contribution to the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership initiative, were highlighted and welcomed. The OSS reaffirmed its commitment to contributing to the success of this initiative, with the support of national institutions and its technical and financial partners.

This event helped reinforce the OSS role as a regional center of excellence for technical and scientific support to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), thus consolidating its involvement as a reference institution in supporting NBSAP implementation.