The African Development Bank (AfDB) has reported on the event, 'Conserving Biodiversity at the African Development Bank' as well as other activities focused on wildlife crime it organized at the margins of the Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
30 October 2014: The African Development Bank (AfDB) has reported on the event, ‘Conserving Biodiversity at the African Development Bank’ as well as other activities focused on wildlife crime it organized at the margins of the Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The side event discussed interventions and approaches used to fight poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking as well as biodiversity mainstreaming in AfDB operations and policies. The Bank used the occasion to discuss its programs and projects aimed at protecting wildlife by strengthening the capacity of protected areas managers and improving the livelihoods of communities bordering protected areas.
Amadou Bamba Diop, Principal Environmental Specialist at AfDB, stressed that “scientists know we must protect species because they are working parts of our life-support system, but in Africa, biodiversity has also great economic, aesthetic, and spiritual [value,] and partnership between actors will be key for its protection.” The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC attended the event.
The AfDB also hosted a booth at the Interactive Fair on Biodiversity for Sustainable Development and a kiosk at the Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) Fair to distribute publications on biodiversity conservation and promote the messages from the Bank’s 50th anniversary and its Ten Year Strategy 2015-2022. The Bank also pursued a number of bilateral consultations to explore avenues for potential biodiversity components in Bank-funded projects. [AfDB News] [IISD RS coverage of CBD COP 12]