Ethiopia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2020.

Ethiopia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2020 (Plan) is the continuation of the 2005-2010 plan. The Plan provides the vision, mission and guiding principles of the Plan and outlines the national biodiversity targets of Ethiopia. The plan will be implemented for the 2015-2020 and it’s a multi-sectoral plan with national coverage. The vision of the Plan is that by 2050, Ethiopia’s biodiversity and ecosystems are conserved and sustainably utilized by all sectors providing food security and contributing to poverty eradication and improved quality of life of the Ethiopian people.
The Plan will seek that awareness of public and decision makers on the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services is raised, and the steps they can take to conserve and use them sustainably in improved; the existing biodiversity related laws, regulations and strategies, including those associated with incentives are reviewed and gaps are addressed; habitat conversion due to expansion of agricultural land is halved from the existing rate; unsustainable utilization of biodiversity and ecosystem services are reduced; the area invaded by invasive species is reduced and measure are in place to regulate and monitor invasive species; are coverage of ecologically repetitive and effectively manage protected areas is increased; ex situ and in situ conservation are increased and their standards improved; stakeholders’ integration, including the participation of local communities in biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization, is strengthened; national biodiversity information system is strengthened, information dissemination strategy is devised and Clearing House Mechanism is updated; knowledge and innovations related to biodiversity values, ecosystem functioning, status and trends, and the consequences of its loss are generated, reviewed, compiled and applied; community knowledge, innovations and practices of local communities related to biodiversity are documented; and mobilization of financial resources is increased substantially.
The Plan will seek that biodiversity values and ecosystem services are communicated and integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and plans.
The Plan will seek that the number of genetic materials accessed for research and development, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use are increased; women’s access to and control over biodiversity resources and ecosystem services are improved; and the benefits of biodiversity are increased
The Plan will seek that the contribution of biodiversity and ecosystem services, including climate change adaptation and mitigation, is improved through increasing forest coverage, increased designated total area of wetlands and doubling the area of restored degraded lands.
The Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute will take over the overall responsibility of coordinating the implementation of the Plan. It will facilitate the establishment of the National Biodiversity Technical Committee and the National Biodiversity Council.