Sudan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030.

Sudan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2025–2030 is a five-year strategic document developed to update the 2015 NBSAP in light of global developments, notably the adoption of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022. The targets of the 2015 NBSAP were reviewed and aligned with the KMGBF, leading to the formulation of updated national targets and newly proposed actions. These formed the foundation of the 2025 revision process and resulted in the present NBSAP for the period 2025–2030. The overall goal of the Strategy is to take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in Sudan by conserving and sustainably using biodiversity, ensuring fair and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources, and securing the necessary means of implementation for the benefit of the country, its people, and the planet. Four national goals are set as following (1) the integrity, connectivity, and resilience of all ecosystems are maintained, enhanced, or restored, while human-induced extinction risks to threatened species are reduced, native wild species populations are increased, and the genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species is conserved to safeguard their adaptive potential; (2) biodiversity is sustainably used and managed, and nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services, are valued, maintained and enhanced, with those currently in decline being restored; (3) monetary and non-monetary benefits arising from the use of Sudanese genetic resources, related digital sequence information, and associated traditional knowledge are shared fairly and equitably, with such knowledge appropriately protected, in line with international access and benefit-sharing instruments and national legislation, thereby supporting biodiversity conservation and sustainable use; (4) adequate means of implementation, including financial resources, capacity-building, technical and scientific cooperation, and access to and transfer of technology to fully implement the NBSAP are secured from different domestic and foreign sources, and aligning financial flows with the vision and mission of the NBSAP.
The Action Plan outlines (i) national targets aligned with the KMGBF; (ii) component-specific targets covering cultivated plants, range plants and animals, forests, wildlife, marine and freshwater ecosystems, insects and microorganisms, access and benefit-sharing, pollution, climate change, biotechnology and biosafety, and health-related biodiversity aspects, along with (iii) proposed actions to achieve all targets. The national targets are (i) reduce natural habitat loss in Sudan by at least 25% through integrated, participatory, biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning that respects the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities; (ii) restore at least 10% of degraded terrestrial, freshwater, wetland, coastal, and marine ecosystems, considering vulnerable groups; (iii) conserve at least 15% of terrestrial and aquatic areas through effectively managed and protected and conserved areas; (iv) prevent species extinctions, restore genetic diversity, improve conservation status of threatened species, and manage human–wildlife conflict; (v) ensure that the use and trade of wild species are sustainable, legal, safe, and ecosystem-based, while respecting customary use; (vi) reduce the impacts and introduction of invasive alien species, cutting their establishment rate by at least 20%; (vii) reduce pollution to non-harmful levels by halving nutrient loss and pesticide risks and moving toward eliminating plastic pollution; (viii) minimize climate change and ocean acidification impacts on biodiversity and strengthen ecosystem resilience through mitigation and restoration; (ix) ensure sustainable use of wild species and natural resources within safe ecological limits; (x) manage agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry sustainably to enhance biodiversity, resilience, productivity, and food security; (xi) restore and enhance ecosystem services through nature-based and ecosystem-based approaches; (xii) improve access to green and blue spaces in urban areas through biodiversity-inclusive planning; (xiii) implement effective measures to ensure fair and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge; (xiv) integrate biodiversity values into development planning, poverty reduction strategies, environmental assessments, and national accounting systems; (xv) require businesses and financial institutions to assess, disclose, and reduce biodiversity risks and impacts, promote sustainable production; (xvi) promote sustainable consumption and waste reduction by governments, businesses, and the public to keep resource use within safe ecological limits; (xvii) implement national biosafety and biotechnology management measures; (xviii) eliminate or reform harmful biodiversity incentives and promote positive incentives for conservation and sustainable use; (xix) increase financial resources to effectively implement the NBSAP; (xx) strengthen biodiversity knowledge, science, technology transfer, and research cooperation; (xxi) ensure accessible, high-quality biodiversity data and respect traditional knowledge with free, prior, and informed consent to support informed decision-making; (xxii) guarantee the full and effective participation, rights, and access to justice of indigenous peoples, local communities, women, youth, and persons with disabilities; (xxiii) ensure gender equality in NBSAP implementation by promoting women’s equal rights, access to resources, and leadership in biodiversity governance.