1. Biodiversity and Sustainable
Development
The work of the CBD
OECD Workshop on Sustainable Development
Paris, 18 February 2013
Markus Lehmann
Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity
Montreal, Canada

2. Background
 CBD as a ‘sustainable development convention’ (UNCSD 1992)
Recognizing that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding
priorities of developing countries,
Aware that conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity is of critical importance for
meeting the food, health and other needs of the growing world population, for which purpose
access to and sharing of both genetic resources and technologies are essential,
Noting that, ultimately, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity will strengthen
friendly relations among States and contribute to peace for humankind,
 Article 6 (b) on ‘mainstreaming’
Each Contracting Party shall, in accordance with its particular conditions and capabilities, (…)
(i)ntegrate, as far as possible and as appropriate, the conservation and sustainable use of
biological diversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies.
 Integration of 2010 biodiversity target into MDG7
 Strong language in Strategic Plan; COP decisions (X/6; XI/22; XII/5)
 analytical/conceptual work; communications material
 Policy guidance; see XII/5 annex (‘Chennai guidance’); other relevant guidance
 Finance/resource mobilization: financial targets (XII/3) ( OECD Rio marker)
 Work on SDGs

3. Outputs
 Linking Biodiversity
Conservation and Poverty
Alleviation: A State of
Knowledge Review (CBD
Technical Series 55)
 Sectorial booklets (tourism;
forests); fact sheets
 TST issue briefs on biodiversity
for OWG
 Guidance on Safeguards: XII/3
Annex III (also: VII/16 and
X/43)

4. Key concepts
 Ecosystem services: a bridging concept
Biological diversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services
essential for human well-being. It provides for food security, human health, the provision of clean
air and water; it contributes to local livelihoods, and economic development, and is essential for
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, including poverty reduction. (Strategic
Plan; Rationale)
 Mainstreaming
Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across
government and society (Strategic Plan; Strategic Goal A)
 Biodiversity values: commensurability?
By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development
and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national
accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems (Strategic Plan; Aichi Target 2)
(…) the intrinsic value, ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural,
recreational and aesthetic values of biological diversity and its components (decision X/3,
paragraph 9 (b) (ii))

5. Making the case
 For instance: biodiversity and poverty alleviation
There is empirical evidence that at least six conservation mechanisms have been a route out of
poverty for some people in some places: community timber enterprises, nature-based tourism, fish
spillover, protected area jobs, agroforestry and agrobiodiversity conservation. There is also
evidence that four conservation mechanisms may not have been a route out of poverty but at least
contributed to reducing poverty or provided a safety net in times of need: non-timber forest
products (NTFPs), payments for environmental services, mangroves restoration, and grasslands
management. (TS 55; 46)
 The ongoing need to improve information systems
We know a lot about what does not work. Yet we know too little about what does work. (ibid; 47)
This state of knowledge review found the major constraint in assessing the link between
biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction is the lack of hard evidence. Despite a wealth of
case studies, the vast majority of the existing body of work does not use the analytical and
empirical methods required to make reliable inferences about the actual impact of a conservation
intervention on measureable poverty indicators. (…) In general, the poverty-conservation literature
suffers from conjectural and anecdotal assertions. (ibid; 44)

6. Mainstreaming
 Integration into plans…
1. International/transnational
• SDG: see goal 15 (14) but also 2, 6,, … as associated targets
• Donor frameworks/strategies
• UNDAF
2. national
• E.g. linking NBSAPs to (emerging) NSDS –
• …and linking the respective finance plans
 Integration into programmes and policies
By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development
and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national
accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems (Strategic Plan; Aichi Target 2)
(…) the intrinsic value, ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural,
recreational and aesthetic values of biological diversity and its components (decision X/3,
paragraph 9 (b) (ii))
• Also: raising awareness on biodiversity values; changing incentives; and moving towards
sustainable production and consumption: Aichi Targets 1, 3, and 4.

7. Values/valuation
 (Economic) valuation methods/approaches
Methodological guidance (TS on methodologies as well as on forest,
water, drylands)
TEEB
Capacity building (post TEEB workshops)
 Providing values in a spatially explicit manner
e.g., InVEST
 Ecosystem accounting
SEEA volume 2
Quick Start Package (TS 77)
ANCA; WAVES; etc.