Decree No. 743 of the Cabinet of Ministers validating the National Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity for 2016-2020.

The modern state and trend of biodiversity changes in the Republic of Belarus are primarily defined by dynamics of changes in the area, state and use of the main natural ecosystems. The area occupied by forests continues to grow. Considering the high resistance of forest ecosystems and increase in the total area of forests, as well as adoption of ecologically oriented forestry, it could be predicted that stability of forest ecosystems and associated biodiversity will be preserved. However, the overall decline of populations of wild animal and plant species inhabiting mature broad-leaved forests is observed as a result of both natural processes (forest diseases, drying out) and felling of old-aged forests. Trends of flora and fauna changes in recent years are considerably determined by climate changes. This is confirmed by the data on extension towards northern direction of distribution ranges of steppe and forest-steppe wild plant and animal species.
The conservation of biological diversity and its sustainable use are among priority directions of the state policy in the field of ecology, and are implemented by means of different mechanisms, including the following: (a) maintenance of the Red Data Book of the Republic of Belarus, which includes rare and endangered species of wild animals and plants (at present it includes 202 species of wild animals and 303 plant species); (b) ensuring of functioning and development of Protected Areas network in the Republic of Belarus; (c) identification of natural areas, needed peculiar protection (resort zones, water protection zones and riverside areas along rivers and waterbodies, forests of the first category, second category forest's plots of high protection value, typical and rare natural landscapes and biotopes, raised bogs, mires which are the source of watercourses, habitats of wild animals and plants listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus, natural areas, important for breeding, fattening, wintering and (or) migration of wild animals, other territories, where particular regime of protection and use is established); the total area of such natural areas is about 13% of the country's area; (d) the state regulation of use of flora's and fauna's species (tools, methods, terms, yield of such species’ use); (e) the state environmental assessment and impact assessment of projects' implementation of economic and other harmful to biodiversity activities to the environment; (f) implementation of compensatory measures (compensation payments) when implementing projects of economic and other activities, harmful to biodiversity; (g) control over the introduction of new wild animal and plant species to natural habitats, implementation of measures on eradication of invasive alien species (the Centre on Invasive Animal Species is established under the Academy of Sciences of Belarus); (h) maintenance of the Register of the Flora and Fauna and other registers in the field of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (i) monitoring of flora and fauna, complex monitoring of ecological systems on protected areas; and (j) other mechanisms in line with the law of the Republic of Belarus.
Realization of the State policy in the field of the conservation of biological and landscape diversity is implemented by the Ministry of Nature Resources and Environmental Protection, by other republican state management authorities, local executive and administrative agencies and other organizations. The Ministry of Nature Resources and Environmental Protection coordinates the activities of the State agencies and other organizations in this area. The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus provides scientific support in the field of the conservation of biological and landscape diversity.
Goals of implementation of the Strategy are: (a) to prevent the population decline of wild animal and plant species, reduction of their habitat's area and loss of their biological, including genetic, diversity, degradation of ecological systems, natural landscapes and biotopes; (b) to restore the population size of rare and endangered wild animal and plant species, their genetic diversity and to maintain them at the rate, ensuring the sustainable existence of these populations; (c) to use the biological diversity in such a manner and pace, which in the long term prospects will not lead to its depletion and will let to preserve its capacity to satisfy the economic, aesthetic and other needs of present and future generations; and (d) to maintain the reproducing capacities of the biosphere, to ensure regional and global ecological balance under conditions of possible climate changes.