Prioritised activities

Sida´s work on biodiversity falls into three main areas:

1. Integration in all Sida's work

The consequences for biodiversity shall be analysed and given attention in programmes and projects in different sectors whenever relevant. This will be done as part of the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. Sida is supporting the EIA-help desk at the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences (SLU) to assist Sida and Swedish embassy staff in their work with questions on EIAs. SwedBio can assist the EIA-help desk with biodiversity-related aspects.

Opportunities for optimising biodiversity aspects should be sought, with particular focus on projects and programmes in the natural resources sector. See the article on integration experiences so far.

The country strategies (i.e. the bilateral 3-4 year strategies for development cooperation between Sida and a partner country) are an increasingly important tool for prioritising what type of issues, activities and projects/programme Sida supports in a partner country. To help ensuring that the country strategies adequately address environmental and natural resources aspects Sida supports the Environmental Economics Unit (EEU) at Gothenburg University, to assist Sida with expertise and comments during the process of developing country strategies. SwedBio will provide additional expertise to EEU and Sida´s Environmental Policy Unit on biodiversity-related issues in this context.

To ensure that biodiversity issues are adequately addressed in planning and assessment, adequate knowledge about and understanding of biodiversity issues are important. Sida therefore promote internal education and training. This is done as part of the general environmental course and also through special seminars and workshops.

2. Engaging in the international policy dialogue

Sida follows the work and engages in policy dialogue in international forums such as the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, Global Environment Facility and other international undertakings and agreements of relevance for biodiversity.

3. Support to biodiversity-focused projects and programmes

Sida supports projects and programmes with a direct focus on relevant biodiversity issues. This includes support to:

• Development of knowledge- and methods.
  
• Policy development and capacity-building in partner countries for international policy work - including support to Southern participation in international forums.
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• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with conservation, sustainable use, and/or access and benefit-sharing of biological diversity.