Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Malawi expects to achieve effective law enforcement in the prevention of wildlife crime, resulting in a reduction in illegal wildlife trade and an increase in elephant populations [ ] 148 Projects for biodiversity The multifocal area project has a component that focuses on develop- ment of policy frameworks, including development of Access and Benefit Sharing Regulations and strengthen- ing of enforcement to curb the illegal wildlife trade. The project will also generate more carbon accreditation schemes developed for select protect- ed areas (PAs), while improving man- agement at those sites demonstrating sustainable use of natural resources, conservation of biodiversity, and improved connectivity between sites. The initiative deploys IUCN Red listings for threatened species within Malawi to meet conservation goals such as the delivery of Aichi Biodi- versity Targets 11 and 12. Malawi hosted its first Biodiversity Information Management Forum (BIMF) from 29 to 31 May, 2018 under the theme ‘Bringing together primary biodiversity and land cover data for Malawi’s sustainable devel- opment’. The BIMF convened stake- holders involved in the generation of both primary biodiversity data and spatial information to map pathways for mobilization and mainstreaming of the information. The country is also participating in the African Biodiversity Challenge (ABC), a competition-based project coordinated by the South African National Biodiversity Institute to mo- bilise policy-relevant data in Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda and Namibia. The ABC in Malawi is led by the Muse- ums of Malawi in collaboration with the National Herbarium and Botan- ical Gardens and the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi as well as the Malawi Global Biodi- versity Information Facility (GBIF) node at the National Commission for Science and Technology. The Biodi- versity Information for Development (BID) project is funded by the Eu- ropean Union and led by GBIF with the aim of increasing the amount of biodiversity information available in sub-Saharan countries. A current BID project is mobilizing, digitizing and publishing selected biodiversi- ty datasets comprising threatened plants, invasive alien species and pollinator species. M alawi commemorated the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22 in Lilongwe under the theme ‘Biodiversity and sustainable tourism’. The occasion provided the opportunity to reflect on various biodiversity initiatives being undertaken in the country. One of these is a multifocal area project aimed at strengthening landscape connectivity and management to improve livelihoods and conserve key biodiversity areas, utilizing Global Environment Facility funds. Through the project, Malawi expects to achieve effective law enforcement in the prevention of wildlife crime, resulting in a reduction in illegal wildlife trade and an increase in elephant populations. It also aims to strengthen integrated management in biodiversity landscapes critical for climate resilience and livelihoods. Pied kingfisher Skip Russell on flickr Malawi