18 October 2012: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a global strategy to protect biodiversity and manage ecosystems. The 2012-2020 framework represents a shift in focus to recognizing the opportunities provided by biodiversity and ecosystems as a catalyst for sustainable development, while also recognizing the value of biodiversity and ecosystems to society and promoting innovation.

The framework, titled “The Future We Want: Biodiversity and Ecosystems – Driving Sustainable Development,” was launched on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking place in Hyderabad, India. It focuses on three programmatic areas: integrating biodiversity and ecosystem management into development planning and production sector activities; unlocking the potential of protected areas to ensure better management and financing and contributions to sustainable development; and managing and rehabilitating ecosystems for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. The framework aims to support projects that create jobs, foster economic growth, protect endangered species and habitats and help build resilient communities.

Braulio Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, said UNDP’s new framework “will be vital in guiding UNDP’s support to countries to speed up implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets…[and] to help countries shift the course of development to maintain and enhance their natural capital.”

The framework calls for scaling up investments in 100 countries by 2020. Under the framework, UNDP will work with national governments to finance biodiversity management through domestic revenue, innovative financial mechanisms and donor funding, including from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The framework also aims to leverage UNDP’s experience with integrated programming that links biodiversity and ecosystems with crisis prevention, governance and poverty reduction. [UNDP Press Release] The Future We Want: Biodiversity and Ecosystems – Driving Sustainable Development][IISD RS coverage of the launch of the Global Framework on Biodiversity]