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The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded a two-day stakeholders’ workshop in Freetown aimed at developing an implementation plan for Sierra Leone’s third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP 3.0).
The workshop, held at the new Brookfields Hotel, was supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the NBSAP Accelerator, bringing together representatives from relevant ministries, departments and agencies, academia, development organisations, civil society organisations, local councils and the private sector.
The engagement provided stakeholders with an opportunity to review and provide feedback on how NBSAP 3.0 can be effectively implemented across different sectors.
The EPA noted that nationwide consultations had previously been conducted to gather views and information from local stakeholders to inform the development of NBSAP 3.0.
The national strategy is intended to guide efforts to protect Sierra Leone’s biological diversity and ecosystems, promote their sustainable use, reduce pollution, strengthen institutional capacity and mobilise financing for biodiversity-related activities.
According to the EPA, the implementation plan will serve as the primary instrument for fulfilling Sierra Leone’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It will also reinforce the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) outlined in NBSAP 3.0 while addressing challenges identified during the implementation of the previous NBSAP 2.0.
The workshop also reviewed expected sector plans and ongoing interventions by relevant ministries, departments and agencies in relation to Sierra Leone’s global biodiversity targets, with participants working to align these targets with the country’s national priorities.
Through group work sessions, participants identified and prioritised feasible targets and activities across sectors to support the achievement of the objectives outlined under NBSAP 3.0.
Proposed actions include conducting a national biodiversity assessment, restoring protected areas, training community members, intensifying public awareness campaigns, promoting inclusive spatial planning, and protecting water catchments, forests and carbon reservoirs.
Other proposed interventions include assessing and supporting ecosystem services, with the activities intended to contribute to the implementation framework, theory of change and governance arrangements under NBSAP 3.0.
The EPA said the proposed action plans will be collaboratively reviewed and finalised. The agency also indicated the possibility of convening a national delivery forum for NBSAP 3.0 to further discuss and coordinate its implementation.
