The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is participating in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 25th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) in Nairobi, Kenya, 15–19 October 2023, represented by advocacy and research officer Sabrina Masinjila. (She is pictured above, sitting next to Barbara Ntambirweki –  Ugandan lawyer and researcher working with ETC Group – who has recently joined the ACB’s board.)

This is an important convening following the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in December 2022.

Key items on the agenda include biodiversity and climate change. In this regard, the ACB is urging African governments to consider the interconnectedness of agricultural biodiversity, farmers’ rights, food systems and climate change. This is crucial, particularly in the context of the multiple intersecting socio-ecological crises we continue to face and in light of the need to transform our food systems.

At the same time, parties need to avoid market-based solutions that promote the financialisation of nature, such as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), which pose a threat to addressing the multiple crises.

Read our contributions on these topics in the CBD Alliance’s ECO:

Governments urged to consider the interconnectedness between agricultural biodiversity, farmers’ rights, food systems and climate change

Excerpt: The explicit mention of agroecology under Target 10 of the Global Diversity Framework, and the in-situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity implicit in Target 4, makes a compelling case for Parties to develop further work regarding agroecological farming practices. They should also consider their link to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, to address the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.

NBS, the myth of a solution for our multiple crises: Financialization of nature won’t solve the crisis – agroecology will

Excerpt: Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) has attracted the largest share of public and private funding directed to net zero schemes and carbon offsets. This monetizes and commodifies nature and emissions, and further separates humans from our actions and responsibilities. Further to this, the financial sector investment in land management schemes has led to the displacement of local and indigenous peoples and widespread human rights violations. The focus here is on mechanisms for financing, rather than impacts on people on the ground.

For more information on these topics, read our briefing paper, Cultivating diversity for a just agroecological transition of Africa’s food systems, here.