4 September 2014: A regional workshop hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, and convened in collaboration with the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has resulted in the elaboration of a framework for regional best practice guidelines for facilitating biodiversity conservation during the exploitation of mineral and hydrocarbon resources.

The meeting, organized in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 2-4 September, was attended by representatives from the 13 SADC member States, the private sector, and conservation-oriented non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Discussions focused on ways to reconcile the development objectives of mineral and hydrocarbon industries with the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in the SADC region.

The resulting framework, titled ‘Regional Best Practice Guidelines for the Exploitation of Mineral and Hydrocarbon Resources in the SADC Region,’ is meant to facilitate the strategic and operational mainstreaming of biodiversity considerations into the development of extractive industries. The Guidelines focus on helping governments, extractive industries and civil society identify biodiversity conservation opportunities and needs during the planning, exploitation and closure of extractive operations.

The Guidelines are also meant to contribute to the implementation of the 2013 SADC Regional Biodiversity Action Plan, which includes the development of guidelines for the exploitation of natural resources in reserves or protected areas as a key action. The Guidelines will be featured, inter alia, at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, from 12-19 November 2014. [BIOPAMA Press Release] [IUCN, SADC and BIOPAMA Joint Press Release] [SADC Biodiversity Strategy Webpage]