BOBP-IGO and WWF organized a regional dialogue on promoting cooperation through the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) on August 29, 2024, in Chennai. Participants from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and the World Bank took part in the dialogue along with the organizers to facilitate cooperation among South Asian countries, address shared biodiversity challenges, ensure alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), and promote the exchange of technical knowledge, best practices, and scientific research.

NBSAP is a crucial tool for countries to outline how they will protect, conserve, and sustainably use biodiversity while ensuring fair and equitable sharing of its benefits. As the KM-GBF will primarily be implemented at the national level, NBSAPs need to reflect the highest possible level of ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

During the meeting, the participants reviewed the scope of their NBSAPs, discussing the challenges and opportunities within their national contexts. They highlighted the critical need for regional cooperation to address shared biodiversity issues, emphasizing that collective efforts are essential for effective biodiversity conservation. The discussions also focused on aligning national efforts with regional priorities to ensure a cohesive approach to achieving the goals of the KM-GBF. The participants recognized that by working together, South Asian countries could better tackle cross-border environmental challenges, share valuable resources and knowledge, and create more robust, more resilient ecosystems.

Earlier, Dr. P. Krishnan, Director of BOBP-IGO, set the context for regional cooperation through NBSAP, and Ms. Vishaish Uppal, Director of Governance, Law, and Policy at WWF India, emphasized the urgency of finalizing NBSAPs before the upcoming COP and detailed specific KM-GBF targets where regional cooperation can be integrated. WWF has been instrumental in guiding the revision and updating of NBSAPs, advocating for ambitious targets, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, and the inclusion of human rights-based principles.