Biodiversity & Sida

The importance of biodiversity to poverty alleviation, sustainable development and local livelihoods is the point of departure for all Sida´s work on biodiversity. Biodiversity - directly and through ecosystem services - provides the basis for human life and human well-being, and the linkages to e.g. the eight Millenium Development Goals are many.

Conservation of, access to and sustainable use of biodiversity are also well in line with Sida´s development objectives, as reflected e.g. in the policy documents for sustainable development, poverty, gender equality, and democracy/human rights.

Sida has therefore during several years supported a large number of different biodiversity-related projects/programmes. Sida also participates in the international policy discussions on e.g. plant genetic resources, trade & patenting, biosafety, community-based management of biological resources etc.

Through SwedBio, Sida can increase its efforts considerably, and work more strategically and pro-actively with all relevant biodiversity aspects.

According to the policy paper "Sida and the Convention on Biological Diversity" Sida gives priority to:

• Work to respect, maintain and develop knowledge on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in local communities and indigenous populations including support for strengthened local control, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits of biological resources.

• Conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, with focus on areas where people live and/or depend on. The focus should lie on mechanisms that make it possible to continue to maintain the sustainable use of biological diversity.

• Policy research and policy development in respect of access to and the fair and equitable sharing of genetic resources and knowledge of biological diversity. Support should also be given for capacity building in respect of biosafety and for the management of biotechnology.