National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) are the principal instruments for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity at the national level. The Convention requires countries to prepare a  National  Biodiversity   Strategy and  Action  Plan (NBSAP)  (or equivalent instrument) and to ensure that this strategy is mainstreamed into the planning and activities of all those sectors whose activities can have an impact (positive and negative) on biodiversity.

Article 6 of the Convention, on General Measures for Conservation and Sustainable Use, states that each Contracting Party shall, in accordance with its particular conditions and capabilities:

• Develop national strategies, plans or programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity or adapt for this purpose existing strategies, plans or programmes which shall reflect, inter alia, the measures set out in this Convention relevant to the Contracting Party concerned.
• 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.

NBSAPs are the main instrument through which Parties establish and communicate their national contribution towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its goals and targets.

Guidance for revising or updating NBSAPs in the light of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is provided in Annex I of decision 15/6 (Mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review). The information provided below reproduces the text contained in Annex I.

The NBSAP process should involve and facilitate the engagement of all government sectors at all levels of government, and all stakeholders, indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth across society to ensure that targets, actions and expected outcomes are coordinated, that the concerns of different actors are addressed, and that their ownership and commitment towards implementation are attained. The NBSAPs should promote synergies and planning across other biodiversity-related conventions and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Additionally, the NBSAP process should garner high-level political support, ensure interministerial coordination and vertical integration, and facilitate implementation.

• National targets addressing or contributing towards each of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and ensuring close alignment where possible, taking into account the availability of resources and means of implementation. 
• Concrete actions, policies and programmes designed to meet the national targets and contribute to the global goals and targets, including spatial, temporal and financial aspects, as appropriate. 
• National monitoring, reviewing and assessment: While revising or updating NBSAPs, headline indicators as well as component, complementary and other national indicators where relevant should be used, including to track contributions towards the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, taking into account national circumstances.

In order to minimize the time and resources required to revise or update NBSAPs, the alignment of existing NBSAPs and their targets with the new framework could be assessed. This assessment should consider, according to national circumstances, elements such as implementation gaps, existing goals, targets and indicators, the effectiveness of past actions, monitoring systems (including any data and/or knowledge systems and gaps), sectoral and cross-sectoral policies, finance and other means of implementation, and an assessment of how stakeholders, indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth were involved in revision and implementation. This exercise will allow identification of those aspects or components of their NBSAPs that need to be revised or updated in the light of the new framework.

Although the NBSAP can take the form of a single biodiversity-planning document (and many countries have chosen this form), this does not necessarily have to be the case. The NBSAP can also consist of several different ‘stand alone’ elements that work in a complementary fashion to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity in the country – for example: policies, laws and administrative procedures; scientific research agendas; programmes and projects; communication, education and public awareness activities; forums for inter-ministerial and multi-stakeholder dialogue. These together provide the means to meet the three objectives of the Convention, thereby forming the basis for national implementation. These elements may be brought together and made available on a web site (which could form part of the national Clearing-House Mechanism). Second generation, or revised NBSAPs have tended to be more in line with this broader definition; they resemble more a planning process than a fixed document. Such a planning process is equally relevant to the other biodiversity-related conventions and agreements.

You can view NBSAPs submitted by CBD Parties on the CBD website and on the CBD Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM).

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework builds on the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and sets out an ambitious plan to implement broad-based actions to bring about a transformation in society’s relationship with biodiversity to ensure that, by 2050, the shared vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’ is fulfilled.

Learn about the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework here.

Members of the NBSAP Forum are individuals or organizations from around the world who are involved in updating their country’s NBSAP, and/or who are able to offer support and expertise to those preparing their NBSAP.

If you have a question around NBSAPs and you can’t find the answer on this website, please email the NBSAP Forum Helpdesk at Helpdesk@nbsapforum.net.

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are consistent with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity; the implementation of one contributes to the achievement of the other. The collective impact of the contribution of NBSAPs toward fulfilling SDGs is beginning to emerge. The impact of NBSAPs extends far beyond Goal 14 (Life below Water) and Goal 15 (Life on Land); each NBSAP action is capable of contributing to multiple development goals. NBSAPs adopted as policy instruments can provide a ready pathway to accelerate implementation of SDGs. Investing in biodiversity and ecosystems through NBSAP action also ensures that no one is left behind in the implementation of the SDGs.