Copernicea

Status

In progress

Duration of the project

5 years (2020-2025)

Themes
  • Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting
  • Biodiversity 
Total budget

2 000 000 €

Beneficiaries
  • Burkina-Faso: Ministry of the Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change
  • Guinea-Conakry: Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development
  • Morocco: Ministry of Energy, Mines and the Environment
  • Niger: National Center for Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development
  • Senegal: Centre de Suivi Ecologique, Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development
  • Tunisia: Ministry of the Environment
Countries concerned
Burkina Faso, Guinée, Maroc, Niger, Sénégal, Tunisie

Regional Cooperation for New Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting Indicators in Africa | Copernicea

Bringing together six french-speaking countries — Burkina Faso, Guinea, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and Tunisia, Copernicea or the "Regional Cooperation for New Indicators of Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting in Africa" project, forms part of a broader effort to build the regional capacities in ecosystem accounting, with the shared ambition of progressively institutionalizing Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting (ENCA) at national and regional levels.

At the heart of the project lies the development of a national and regional coordinated information-sharing network to support the production, exchange, and use of data relevant to ecosystem accounting processes.

For this goal to be achieved, the project framework promotes the pooling and harmonization of data held or produced by national institutions, the improvement of access to data for a broad spectrum of users, and the alignment of data to international accounting standards. It also includes the establishment of operational, autonomous ENCA systems in each of the six participating countries.

Not only does Copernicea serve as a mechanism for producing robust, localized outcomes but also as a model for adaptation and replication in other countries across the region.

Financial partners
  • Agence Française de Développement - AFD
Technical partners
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN
Key Achievements

1. Strengthening institutional and technical frameworks

Establishment of a technical and strategic governance framework with the creation of a Scientific Steering Committee (COPIL) and a regional advisory-support hub, as well as the establishment of national units responsible for operational coordination, activity monitoring, and the sustainable appropriation of CECN tools by partner countries.

2. Deployment of a continental ecosystem accounting infrastructure

Development of ecosystem accounts at the continental level (land, infrastructure, water, carbon, capability), supported by a database drawing on more than 50 open-source platforms hosted by the UN Biodiversity Lab platform.

Launch of an interactive regional platform for managing and disseminating CECN data/indicators, accessible online at multiple levels (regional, national, and local). The tool also allows for the analysis of areas sensitive to degradation (e.g., oases, protected areas, wetlands, GMV, threatened species) with dedicated monitoring reports.

3. Skills transfer and technical training

Capacity-building of more than 200 national experts in the development of national biophysical accounts (land cover, carbon, water, and ecosystem infrastructure). A participatory approach promotes mastery of mapping tools, spatial analysis, and the production of CECN indicators.

4. Consolidation of partnerships and multisectoral cooperation

Active mobilization of all stakeholders, including 15 specialized regional and international institutions (AFD, CBD, ONFI, IUCN, WWF, World Bank, CIRAD, IRD, UQAM, etc.).

Strengthening synergies with other regional projects, facilitating knowledge sharing and the harmonization of methodological approaches with the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).

5. Communication, awareness-raising, and regional outreach

Active participation of the project in major events (IUCN Congress, UNCCD and CBD COPs, international symposia).

Development of outreach materials, including a presentation video on CECN in Africa and over 10 awareness-raising spots highlighting the testimonies of national stakeholders.

Thanks to these achievements, OSS has been recognized as a biodiversity center of excellence, confirming its role as a regional hub and continental reference for supporting, training, and operationalizing CECN in Africa.

 

Documents