How BIODEV2030 policy briefs are transforming biodiversity governance across Africa

In Kenya, agriculture drives over 33% of GDP and employs 40% of the population, but monoculture expansion, excessive pesticides, and encroachment into Key Biodiversity Areas threaten ecosystems. BIODEV2030’s policy briefs propose actionable reforms including operationalizing county spatial and ecosystem management plans, phasing out Highly Hazardous Pesticides, integrating bio inputs into fertilizer subsidies, and finalizing regulations on concessions, charcoal, and private forests. For pastoralism, supporting over 12 million people, the briefs urge securing communal land tenure under the Community Land Act, developing grazing management plans, and scaling up Payments for Ecosystem Services to reward sustainable rangeland stewardship.

Read the Kenya policy briefs on agriculture, forestry and livestock.

In the highlands and lowlands of Ethiopia, cereal farming, coffee production, livestock grazing and biomass energy have long eroded natural capital. Policies designed to boost output often incentivized forest fragmentation and soil depletion. BIODEV2030 Phase II conducted an in-depth Sectoral Public Policy Instrument analysis, revealing which subsidies, tax breaks and land-use regulations were inadvertently accelerating biodiversity loss. Through national and territorial dialogue forums, policymakers confronted hard evidence and shifted their stance. Multi-sectoral working groups were formed with a mandate to develop actionable reform roadmaps, using tools like the STAR metric to track biodiversity health. The insights were woven directly into Ethiopia’s revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. 

Read the Ethiopia policy briefs on cereals, biomass and livestock.

In Mozambique, BIODEV2030 is advancing biodiversity integration through a combined policy and investment approach focused on soybean, sugarcane, shrimp and crab value chains in the Zambezi landscape. Policy reform proposals include the repurposing of diesel subsidies, differentiated tax incentives for biodiversity-friendly practices, and the introduction of environmental performance-based recognition mechanisms to incentivise private sector engagement. 

Read the Mozambique policy briefs on agricultural and fisheries value chains.

In Uganda, where 60% of annual forest loss is linked to charcoal and fuelwood, the briefs prioritize an integrated clean cooking strategy, mandatory Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for commercial charcoal, and an inter-ministerial biomass committee to harmonize enforcement.

Read the Uganda policy brief on energy.

What unites these efforts is a common methodology of multi-stakeholder dialogues that bring together government, farmers, pastoralists, fishers, private sector, and Indigenous Peoples to co-identify policy gaps and co-create solutions. These locally owned reforms directly advance KMGBF Targets 10 (sustainable agriculture, forestry, fisheries), 14 (integrating biodiversity into all policies), and 18 (reforming harmful incentives).
BIODEV2030 demonstrates that when local voices shape national policies, the impact is truly global. The path to nature-positive economies runs through coherent, enforced, and inclusive sectoral governance, and Africa is leading the way.

About BIODEV2030

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.