NBSAP
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
Briefing and call for support
Palestine, like other developing countries suffers from the five main global threats to biodiversity: climate change, overexploitation, habitat destruction, invasive species, and pollution. Yet, our environmental situation was made worse by socio-political situation including the Israeli occupation/colonization and the COVID-19 pandemic. The few bright spots in terms of things like environmental education, research, and conservation efforts are localized and spotty and are not “system-wise” to turn the corner and stem the environmental deterioration.
The Environment Quality Authority with all relevant stakeholders embarked on a project to update National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and we seek your support. The world and our State of Palestine recognize that:
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Ecosystems and their biodiversity underpin the global economy and human well-being and need to be valued and protected
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Damage to global ecosystem services and biodiversity is acute and accelerating
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Ecosystem damage carries costs for business and society
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Investing in ecological infrastructure can offer greater returns than man-made alternatives and thus makes economic sense.
“Nature can be conserved, restored and used sustainably while other global societal goals are simultaneously met through urgent and concerted efforts fostering transformative change.” IPBES (2019), Global assessment report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. 1144 pages
The NBSAP will set goals both to 2030 and to 2050 and the government and stakeholders will revisit progresss every five years. The new NBSAP will help achieve our collective vision of sustainable human and natural communities in Palestine while contributing to global efforts to conserve our shared planet. We believe it is possible to use the opportunity of building the National Biodiversity Strategy to truly make a radical transformation in the society to achieve sustainable human and natural communities in Palestine. It is also an opportunity to build local capacity. To do this, it is incumbent on us to get maximum participation and energy from ALL sectors of our society (governmental, local authorities, NGOs, CSOs, academia, religious communities, media, and public at large) as well as from others who can help. Women, youth, and marginalized communities must participate. This is a monumental effort for all of us to be completed in a short period of time (by August 2022). Already weekly workshops are held and you can join these to give us your thoughts and share your expertise and concerns. You can contribute in the areas you are interested in.
Please email us at info@palestinenature.org giving us a little bit about your backgrounds and interests and we will then meet to explore how you can help in this critical project.
