This Third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP III) provides a strategic and practical multisectoral framework for biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of biological resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization. The Strategy has been aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and establishes a coordinated approach to integrating biodiversity considerations into key sectors, including agriculture, water, tourism, health, and national planning, while promoting nature-based solutions to address climate change, restore degraded ecosystems, support sustainable livelihoods, and advance inclusive and equitable development. The Strategy also incorporates biosafety, gender equality, and social inclusion as cross-cutting priorities to ensure that biodiversity-related actions are environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. Through its implementation, Lesotho aims to contribute to the global mission of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieving harmony with nature by 2050, while fulfilling its international obligations under the CBD and its Protocols and supporting the implementation of national legislation on biodiversity and related matters. The Strategy outlines the following 4 goals (1) Goal A - Protect and Restore - seeks to maintain, enhance, and restore the integrity, connectivity, and resilience of all ecosystems, while increasing the area of natural ecosystems. It aims to halt human-induced extinctions of known threatened species, reduce the extinction rate and risk of all species tenfold, increase the abundance of native wild species to healthy and resilient levels, and maintain genetic diversity within wild and domesticated species to preserve their adaptive potential; (2) Goal B - Prosper with Nature - focuses on the sustainable use and management of biodiversity and the recognition of nature’s contributions to people. It seeks to ensure that ecosystem functions and services are valued, maintained, and enhanced, and that those in decline are restored, thereby supporting sustainable development and the well-being of present and future generations; (3) Goal C - Share Benefits Fairly - promotes the fair and equitable sharing of monetary and non-monetary benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, digital sequence information on genetic resources, and associated traditional knowledge, as applicable. It emphasizes the protection of traditional knowledge and the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, in accordance with internationally agreed access and benefit-sharing instruments, thereby contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use; (4) Goal D - Invest and Collaborate - aims to secure adequate and equitable means of implementation for the KM-GBF, including financial resources, capacity-building, technical and scientific cooperation, and access to and transfer of technology. It emphasizes ensuring that these resources and opportunities are accessible to all countries. Of the 23 global targets under the KM-GBF, Lesotho adopted 19 relevant ones and contextualized them into national circumstances. These targets establish an integrated framework for safeguarding biodiversity while promoting sustainable development and strengthening resilience to climate change and other environmental pressures. They seek to ensure that biodiversity is conserved and restored through more sustainable patterns of production and resource use, improved management of natural and productive landscapes, and the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems, particularly wetlands and rangelands. By addressing the pressures that threaten ecosystem integrity, including pollution, invasive alien species, and unsustainable resource use, the targets aim to maintain healthy ecosystems, prevent species extinctions, and preserve genetic diversity. At the same time, they emphasize the integration of biodiversity considerations into national policies, legislation, and development planning, ensuring that conservation objectives inform decisions across sectors and levels of governance. Achieving these ambitions requires stronger institutional and legal frameworks, particularly for biosafety and the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, alongside adequate financing, scientific knowledge, technological innovation, and capacity-building. The targets also recognize that effective biodiversity conservation depends on public awareness, stakeholder participation, and the equitable sharing of benefits derived from genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. Gender equality and social inclusion are therefore integral to implementation, with particular attention to enabling women, girls, and marginalized groups to participate meaningfully in and benefit from biodiversity initiatives. Furthermore, conserving and restoring ecosystems is expected to enhance carbon storage, support climate change mitigation and adaptation, and contribute to sustainable livelihoods. Collectively, the targets provide a coordinated and inclusive pathway for integrating biodiversity into Lesotho’s development agenda, mobilizing the resources needed for implementation, and fulfilling its national and international biodiversity commitments by 2030.
Lesotho · 2025-01-01