The Convention on Biological Diversity, resulting from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), constitutes the centerpiece of the efforts of the international community to protect and sustainable use of one of the greatest riches on earth, the diversity of life expressed by genes, species and ecosystems. It aims to ensure the adoption of effective measures to counter the destruction of species, their habitats and ecosystems. It contains specific provisions on this subject and is part of an overall strategy for the conservation of biological diversity.
It is estimated that there are nearly 100 million living species on earth. This diversity is valuable for ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, ethical, etc. reasons.
Despite their importance, these resources are deteriorating under the combined action of climatic hazards (endemic droughts, wind erosion) and human activities (clearing, bush fires, overgrazing, poaching, abusive exploitation of fishery resources, pollution , uncontrolled introduction of alien species).
Faced with the magnitude of the degradation process, Mali has adhered to several international conventions promoting the conservation of biological diversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity, the subject of this strategy, is the one that promotes a comprehensive approach to the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources.
Mali is a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It ratified it on March 29, 1995. Since then, it has worked with its development partners to implement it. It is within this framework that it has embarked on a process of formulating a national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, together with an action plan.
The Strategy is a policy orientation framework whose development included an assessment of the general situation of Biological Diversity through the collection and analysis of available information.
This document is the result of the consensus born of the participatory and iterative approach involving the stakeholders concerned. The approach followed included the establishment of steering bodies at the national and regional levels (Annex 1), an awareness campaign to facilitate the mobilization of regional authorities around the process; a series of studies to assess the status of biological diversity, as well as the organization of a series of consultations carried out through regional meetings and national workshops.
Assessing information on biological diversity
Through a series of studies, national experts gathered and analyzed relevant data on the status and pressures on species, habitats and landscapes as well as the efforts made for their conservation. These studies focused on:
- natural ecosystems and the sustainability of the use of biological resources;
- equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic and biological resources;
- the potential of genetic resources in agro-biodiversity and biosecurity management; and
- the adequacy of the political, institutional, legislative and regulatory framework for the conservation and use of biological diversity.
Participatory planning process
The effort to promote the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity can only succeed with the active participation of populations in the whole process. Also, the elaboration of the strategy started with awareness campaigns for actors, training sessions and included a broad consultation of users of biological resources.
Information and awareness
Information and awareness-raising activities, which took place at national, regional and local levels, essentially consisted of explaining to administrative authorities, heads of technical services, NGOs, socio-professional associations, and project managers the stakes of the conservation of biological diversity. The regional teams benefited from the skills of resource persons to deepen certain specific aspects of the conservation of biological diversity.
Training
To prepare the members of the steering committees and regional teams, a training seminar on biological diversity was organized from 24 to 30 September 1998 at the Regional Center for Solar Energy (CRES) in Badalabougou, in collaboration with the Institute of Energy and Environment of La Francophonie.
The members of the regional teams were initiated, during a training session held at CRES on March 6, 1999, in the techniques of strategic planning and group leadership, with a view to carrying out the consultations necessary for the effective participation of the populations in the strategy development process.
National workshop
The results of the studies carried out by national experts were presented at a national workshop held from 1 to 5 March 1999 which brought together representatives of government bodies, the private sector, NGOs, local communities, as well as partners in the development. At the end of this workshop, the key questions, options and priority actions to be undertaken in order to ensure the conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of biological diversity were determined.
Regional consultations
The consultations organized at the level of the circles, allowed the actors to support the information base of the strategy. During these consultations, the populations presented the richness in biological diversity of their lands. They expressed their perception of it and their interest in its conservation. They also discussed and identified the priority options (measures, investments and actions) to be undertaken. The results of these consultations were presented in workshops held in the regional capitals.
Forum
During a national forum held from April 17 to 20, 2000, the results of all these consultations were presented. On this occasion, a consensus was reached on the objectives, measures and priority actions for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity resources. Finally, through an action plan, the necessary measures, the specific programs as well as the priority interventions for the implementation of the strategy have been defined.