South Africa’s approach to biodiversity planning is often cited as a useful way to incorporate science-based spatial data into national planning and policy, and SANBI is frequently contacted for information on how this approach was developed and applied. In September 2015, UNEP-WCMC and SANBI held an expert writing workshop at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town to distil and write up the essential components for conducting a spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation.
Following the publication of the first edition of Mapping Biodiversity Priorities in 2016, the approach has been applied in numerous African countries through joint projects between SANBI and the UNEP-WCMC. The approach has proved beneficial in Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, and Ethiopia. Consequently, these countries now had highly informative map products that showed the status of their biodiversity. A factsheet summarises how the approach was applied in four of these countries as part of the Mapping Biodiversity Priorities project. More recently, the SBAPP Regional Project is applying the approach in Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi.
The countries involved in the Mapping Biodiversity Priorities project requested more information about how these map products could be mainstreamed into various policies and procedures, and a publication on Mainstreaming Biodiversity Priorities was produced in 2022.
In 2024, the second edition of Mapping Biodiversity Priorities was published, ensuring the guide stays relevant to the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Mapping Biodiversity Priorities is a joint publication between the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The guide summarises the essential components of South Africa’s well-established approach for systematic biodiversity planning.
The guide sets out a practical, science-based approach to spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation, which can be applied at the national level in any country. It is particularly useful in countries that are both biodiversity-rich and resource-constrained but can also be used in other contexts. The approach draws on the principles of systematic biodiversity planning (also known as systematic conservation planning), and can be applied in the terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine realms. A few basic datasets can be combined to produce useful headline indicators of the state of biodiversity, and map products that help to focus and prioritise conservation action across the landscape and seascape. This information can be used to inform a wide range of policy applications, such as National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), protected area expansion, and informing land-use planning and decision-making in a range of sectors.
Spatial data and mapping offer valuable benefits for biodiversity policy, planning, and decision making at a national level. The products that result from the processes are versatile, supporting everything from biodiversity mainstreaming to global reporting.
The second edition of Mapping Biodiversity Priorities reflects the ongoing development of the spatial biodiversity assessment and prioritisation approach, offering updated methodologies and refined techniques that ensure the continued relevance and application of this important resource. It includes how the approach can help countries to implement the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and monitor progress towards their achievement. It also includes new guidance on the Global Ecosystem Typology, IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas. It also draws on the experience gained from applying the approach in various African countries, further enriching the practical guidance provided.
Mainstreaming biodiversity is about working with a range of sectors to include biodiversity considerations in their decisions. There are many mainstreaming entry points for spatial biodiversity products. They can be integrated into spatial planning, environmental authorisation, protected area expansion plans, restoration projects, global reporting and more.
This follow-up guidance, Mainstreaming Biodiversity Priorities, gives practical advice on how to go about mainstreaming the spatial biodiversity products. It explains how to present the results clearly, formulate effective key messages to suit the target audience and interpret the map categories in different contexts. In this way, mainstreaming the results of a Spatial Biodiversity Assessment and Prioritisation can eventually lead to improvements in biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being.
