Metadata Factsheet

1. Indicator name

Number of countries integrating biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning, development processes, poverty eradication strategies and, as appropriate, national accounts, within and across all levels and across all sectors, and progressively aligning all relevant public and private activities and fiscal and financial flows with the goals and targets of the Framework

2. Date of metadata update

2024-09-01 12:00:00 UTC

3. Goals and Targets addressed

3a. Goal

N/A

3b. Target

Binary indicator for Target 14. Ensure the full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning and development processes, poverty eradication strategies, strategic environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments and, as appropriate, national accounting, within and across all levels of government and across all sectors, in particular those with significant impacts on biodiversity, progressively aligning all relevant public and private activities, and fiscal and financial flows with the goals and targets of this framework.

4. Rationale

1. Article 6 (b) of the Convention calls upon Parties, in accordance with their particular conditions and capabilities, to integrate, as far as possible and as appropriate, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies. Such “biodiversity mainstreaming” seeks to ensure that the multiple biodiversity values are duly taken into account in decision- and policy-making of private and public actors, across governments, economic sectors and society more broadly. As many (if not most) activities that rely on biodiversity or have an impact on biodiversity are outside of the remit of biodiversity policies, implementing this target is critical for implementing the objectives of the Convention. Nevertheless, the multiple values of biodiversity are not widely reflected in decision-making. Integrating and reflecting the contribution of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides in relevant strategies, policies, programmes, and reporting systems is an important element in ensuring that the diverse values of biodiversity and the opportunities derived from its conservation and sustainable use are recognized and reflected in decision-making.

2. The aim of this target is to ensure that the values of biodiversity are fully reflected or mainstreamed in all relevant decision-making frameworks so that it is given proper attention in decision-making, leading to alignment of all activities, and of all financial flows, with the goals and targets of the framework. As such, this indicator tracks progress towards the full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policy, regulation, planning and strategy in both the public and private sectors. Specifically, it asks processes currently account for the multiple values of biodiversity in their design and implementation.

5. Definitions, concepts and classifications

5a. Definition

3. Multiple values of biodiversity: Biodiversity values include diverse considerations from ecological, genetic, economic, cultural, social, scientific, educational, recreational, aesthetic and intrinsic perspectives. Valuation and values of biodiversity require the recognition of a wide range of worldviews and plural value dimensions of the meaning and importance of nature associated with the quality of human life seen as interdependent in terms of biophysical, sociocultural, economic, health or holistic perspectives.

4. Mainstreaming: Biodiversity mainstreaming is generally understood as ensuring that biodiversity, and the services it provides, are appropriately and adequately factored into policies, strategies, plans and practices that rely and have an impact on biodiversity, so that it is conserved and sustainably used. A final definition may be proposed during COP16 as part of the Long-term Strategic Approach to Mainstreaming Biodiversity (see CBD/COP/DEC/15/6).

5. Environmental impact assessment: Environmental impact assessment is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account interrelated socioeconomic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.

6. Environmental economic accounting: A set of national statistical accounts that organize and present statistics on the environment and its relationship with the economy, for example the UN SEEA.

7. Poverty eradication strategies: Governmental plans designed, and actions taken in line with the United Nations SDG Goal 1 of “ending poverty in all its forms everywhere”.

8. Non-monetary values: The value attributable to an item or a service without relation to any acceptable cash price and for which a fixed or determinable amount of currency is absent (e.g. many ecosystem services, interpersonal good-will, health, etc.).

9. Fiscal and financial flows: Financial flows consist of transactions and other flows and represent the movement of money in and out of accounts. Fiscal flows refer to transactions in and out of national treasury accounts.

5b. Method of computation

10. This indicator is a binary indicator and must be compiled from the answers to five questions:

(a) 14.1 Does your country integrate biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning, development processes and poverty eradication strategies at all levels of government?

(b) 14.2 Does your country use environmental economic accounting to quantify the monetary and non-monetary values of biodiversity?

(c) 14.3 Does your country integrate biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, plans and strategies across all sectors in order to ensure their mainstreaming?

(d) 14.4 Does your country have policies, regulations, plans or strategies in place to progressively align all relevant public and private activities with the goals and targets of the Framework?

(e) 14.5 Are policies, regulations, strategies or plans in place to progressively align fiscal and financial flows with the goals and targets of the Framework?

11. There are four possible answers to each of these questions

(a) No

(b) Under development

(d) Fully

12. A “No” answer implies that:

(a) biodiversity and its multiple values have not been integrated into any policies, regulations, planning, development processes and poverty eradication strategies at any levels of government (14.1)

(b) environmental economic accounting is not being done (14.2)

(c) biodiversity and its multiple values have not been integrated into any policies, regulations, plans and strategies across any sectors in order to ensure their mainstreaming (14.3)

(d) there are no policies, regulations, plans or strategies in place to progressively align all relevant private and public activities with the goals and targets of the Framework (14.4)

(e) there are no policies, regulations, plans or strategies in place to progressively align fiscal nor financial flows with the goals and targets of the Framework (14.5)

13. In all, no progress has been made to draft nor propose policies to further the integration of the multiple values of biodiversity and business-as-usual continues to be the approach at all levels of government and across all sectors.

14. An “Under development” answer implies a concerted effort at the national level to:

(a) begin the process of integrating biodiversity and its multiple values have policies, regulations, planning, development processes and poverty eradication strategies at all levels of government (14.1) for example through the drafting of and proposal of bills.

(b) the implementation of environmental economic accounting is in process, resources are being allocated (e.g. hiring of statisticians) to begin the first set of environmental economic accounts; non-monetary, monetary or both (14.2).

(c) begin the process of integrating biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, plans or strategies across all sectors in order to ensure their mainstreaming (14.3). Progress is being made towards designing and putting forward official national policy.

(d) put in place policies, regulations, plans or strategies to progressively align all relevant private and public activities with the goals and targets of the Framework, these are being drafted and proposed (14.4).

(e) put in place policies, regulations, plans or strategies to progressively align fiscal or financial flows with the goals and targets of the Framework, theses are being drafted and proposed (14.5).

15. In all cases, clear national efforts can be seen (e.g. draft bills, new regulation, ...) to progress towards the target but these are not yet in place and producing results.

16. A “Partially” answer implies that:

(a) there exist national policies to integrate biodiversity and its multiple values into regulations, planning, development processes and poverty eradication strategies at all levels of government but not all four (14.1). Alternatively, all four are present but not at all levels of government.

(b) environmental economic accounting is being done but only for monetary or nonmonetary accounts, not both, and may only be happening on an irregular ad hoc basis (14.2)

(c) biodiversity and its multiple values are integrated into policies, regulations, plans or strategies across some sectors in order to ensure their mainstreaming (14.3). That is, there remain sectors for which biodiversity mainstreaming is not supported by policy. Here, Parties may choose to optionally provide a list of sectors, in free text, for which policies are in place.

(d) policies, regulations, plans or strategies are in place to progressively align some relevant private and public activities with some of the goals and targets of the Framework (14.4).

(e) policies, regulations, plans or strategies are in place to progressively align fiscal or financial flows with some of the goals and targets of the Framework (14.5).

17. In each case outlined above, some elements implied by the question have not been achieved.

18. A “Fully” answer implies that all the conditions outlined in “Partially” have been met. Namely that:

(a) national policies are in place to integrate biodiversity and its multiple values into all of the following: regulations, planning, development processes and poverty eradication strategies (14.1).

(b) environmental economic accounting is being done regularly for both monetary and non-monetary accounts (14.2).

(c) biodiversity and its multiple values are integrated into policies, regulations, plans or strategies across all sectors in order to ensure their mainstreaming (14.3).

(d) policies, regulations, plans or strategies are in place to progressively align all relevant private and public activities with all of the goals and targets of the Framework (14.4).

(e) policies, regulations, plans or strategies are in place to progressively align fiscal and financial flows with all of the goals and targets of the Framework (14.5).

Feedback: UNEP-WCMC is keen to ensure that our data is accurate and up to date. We welcome any feedback on the quality, reliability, and accuracy of the information on this site. If you see any errors or missing information, please get in touch.