How BIODEV2030 built the evidence base for policy reform in Ethiopia

In the highlands and lowlands of Ethiopia, the key drivers of the economy, cereal farming, coffee production, livestock grazing, and biomass energy extraction, have long run on practices that quietly erode the natural capital. Policies designed to boost agricultural output or expand energy access, while well-intentioned, often incentivize the very activities that fragment forests, deplete soils, and push wildlife out of their habitats. For years, conservation efforts focused on protecting specific patches of land, but the real drivers of biodiversity loss remained embedded in the systems that govern how people use the land every day.

BIODEV2030 Phase II set out to change that equation, shifting the focus from treating the symptoms of ecological decline to reshaping the economic rules that cause it. The project conducted an in-depth Sectoral public Policy Instrument (SPPI) analysis to assess whether existing policies are biodiversity-blind, considerate, or friendly. The findings informed national and territorial dialogue forums and high-level policy discussions focused on reform priorities.

Armed with these findings, the project became a convener. It brought together government officials, industry representatives, and local experts in forums that moved beyond abstract discussion. At the national level and within the project pilot region, these conversations were focused on hard truths, including which subsidies, tax breaks, or land-use regulations were inadvertently accelerating biodiversity erosion and exploring where a simple policy tweak could create a cascade of benefits for both production and conservation.

The evidence proved persuasive. Policymakers, confronted with the concrete impact of the instruments they oversaw, began to shift their stance. The dialogue catalyzed awareness which led to action. Multi-sectoral working groups, composed of experts from different ministries and industries, were formed with a clear mandate to develop actionable roadmaps for reform. These groups were given practical tools to continue their work, including the STAR metric, a method to track biodiversity health and model how policy changes might affect it over time.

The ripple effects of this process are now visible in the machinery of government. The insights and data generated by BIODEV2030 were woven directly into Ethiopia's revision of its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, ensuring that the new framework is informed by on-the-ground economic realities. Technical support was also provided to craft a large-scale landscape proposal, designed to attract donor investment for production systems that work in tandem with nature, not against it.

More than any single policy change, the project’s enduring legacy is a transformation in how the country approaches its development. Ethiopia now has a stronger, more credible platform for debating the intersection of economy and ecology. Decision-makers are they are actively planning to revise the very instruments that have long driven ecosystem degradation. A foundation has been laid for a future where economic productivity and a thriving natural world are not competing interests, but mutual guarantees.

BIODEV2030 is implemented by IUCN and WWF-France, coordinated by Expertise France and funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The BIODEV2030 project offers an innovative approach of biodiversity mainstreaming, based on science and multi-stakeholder dialogue. It specifically aims to steer a national vision for the sectoral integration of biodiversity, and to support changes in production practices.