October 2010: The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has published a report, titled “Biodiversity Planning: An assessment of national biodiversity strategies and action plans.”

Authored by Christian Prip, Tony Gross, Sam Johnston and Marjo Vierros, the report is the first comprehensive assessment of all national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) and their effectiveness as tools for national implementation. Among other things, and drawing on national experiences, the report seeks to establish whether NBSAPs have been successful in integrating biodiversity concerns into sectoral and cross-sectoral policies, including sustainable development strategies, poverty reduction strategy papers and national processes to meet the Millennium Development Goals, and identify obstacles preventing parties from making progress. Recommendations focus on the steps needed to ensure that NBSAPs fulfill their role as the primary mechanism for implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its new Strategic Plan. [The report]