17 May 2017

UNDP regional representative says Botswana would require P90 million a year to implement the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and national sustainable development agenda of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN).

Speaking at the launch of the NBSAP report at the BIOFIN stakeholder workshop recently, Ms Jacinta Barrins said dialogue should be held on where the money would come from.

Ms Barrins said government, private sector, NGOs and civil society should play a role in mobilising resources for biodiversity and sustainable development by holding meaningful dialogue on key issues such as where the money should be sourced from.

She said the workshop was a continuous engagement process aimed to develop and pilot a methodology for quantifying the biodiversity finance gap at national level and improve cozy effectiveness through mainstreaming of biodiversity related issues in to national development and sectorial planning.

“The objective of the workshop is to share the project results and recommendations as well as to facilitate a dialogue with stakeholders on a mix of possible finance or resource solution that Botswana could adopt to mobilise for increased investment on biodiversity and sustainable development,” she said.

For his part, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Mr Jimmy Opelo said the consultancy to review and come up with the report was commissioned in 2015.

He indicated that government was convinced that the country’s wealth could be achieved through the sustainable and effective use of its natural resources, hence the report.

Mr Opelo said the country’s natural resources could have a positive impact on the country’s economy and the finance poured into the sustainability of natural resources needed to be interrogated further.

He said it was important for stakeholders to study the report, understand it and implement it.

“The report looked at a couple of topics among them Expenditure Review, Policy and Institutions and Cost Accounting Review,” he said.

He indicated that the Expenditure Review looked at how much of financing does Botswana avail to biodiversity, if it is enough or not and how it is used to help with sustainability.

Mr Opelo noted that the report would also look at how Botswana could mainstream financial resources into biodiversity.

“Some of the objectives include promoting understanding and awareness of the range of potential biodiversity related finance mechanisms that exist and discuss proposed financial solutions, promoting on-going dialogue and exchange on biodiversity conservation related issues, vet possible plot case studies, strategically lobby for adoption and implementation of some of the recommendations and refine the BIOFIN results and recommendations,” he said. ENDS