1. Living in harmony
with nature
Dr. Simone Schiele
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

2. The Role of Biodiversity in drought management
The Convention on Biological Diversity and drought management

3. Relevant guidance by the CBD COP - Decision X/35
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
Conference of the Parties
Decisions
Relevant guidance by the CBD COP - Decision X/35
The COP urges Parties and other Governments, where appropriate, to:
(a) Develop and implement, or revise existing, drought-management plans and early warning systems at all levels, including regional and subregional and basin-level management plans, taking into account the impact of drought and desertification on biodiversity and the role of biodiversity and actions to combat desertification in increasing the resilience of dry and sub-humid lands, seeking:
(i)The inclusion of risk evaluation, impact assessments and impact management; and
(ii)To direct biodiversity management for the prevention of desertification, including through the involvement of all stakeholders, particularly women and pastoralists and other indigenous and local communities and, as appropriate, in accordance with traditional community-based strategies, particularly through customary use systems;

4. Relevant guidance by the CBD COP - Decision X/35
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
Conference of the Parties
Decisions
Relevant guidance by the CBD COP - Decision X/35
The COP urges Parties and other Governments, where appropriate, to:
(e) Consult with neighbouring countries and other countries in their respective subregions and regions to develop and execute collaborative drought management strategies and action plans to reduce the impact of drought and desertification on biodiversity at regional, subregional and/or basin levels;

5. Relevant guidance by the CBD COP - Decision X/28
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
Conference of the Parties
Decisions
Relevant guidance by the CBD COP - Decision X/28
The COP:
42. Notes the role of biodiversity and ecosystems in providing services that reduce vulnerability to the impact of some natural disasters, in particular water-related impacts such as flooding and drought, and that current global changes are anticipated to increase disaster vulnerability and risk;
43. Encourages Parties and other Governments to recognize the role of healthy ecosystems, and in particular wetlands, in protecting human communities from some natural disasters and to integrate these considerations into relevant policies;
44. Encourages Parties and other Governments to conserve, sustainably use and, where necessary, restore ecosystems so that freshwater flows and water resources sustain biodiversity and thus contribute to human well-being;

6.
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Developing national drought management plans – background on the role of biodiversity in drought management
Linkages:
Environmental degradation can lead to droughts
Environmental degradation can aggravate the impacts of droughts
Droughts can cause environmental damage
Environmental degradation can impact livelihoods of people and reduce their resilience to droughts
However: Healthy ecosystems
prevent, mitigate or regulate droughts
reduce peoples exposure to droughts
reduce people’s vulnerability to droughts impacts through supporting livelihoods and basic needs – before, during and after hazards
Impacts of droughts on biodiversity:
Higher mortality rates for both flora and fauna
Higher levels of stress for both flora and fauna due to sustained high temperatures and lack of water
Scarcity of food resources
Negative impact on habitats
Increased exposure to disease
Increased vulnerability to predation
Greater mortality due to increased contact with producers and productive landscapes
Impacts of droughts on livelihoods as mediated by changes in biodiversity:
Drought: Reduced vegetation increases soil erosion and the siltation of water bodies both within and beyond drought affected areas  reduced availability of water
Degradation of soil, including loss of soil structure, loss of soil carbon, soil biodiversity and the ability to retain moisture  reduction in yields
Reduced availability of non-timber forest and range products such as wild fruit and vegetables
Sound management of biodiversity can help societies:
Reduce the incidence of droughts
Offer avenues to help communities to cope with the impacts of droughts when they occur

7.
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Examples: Contribution of biodiversity to the prevention and mitigation of droughts
Diverse agricultural systems are more likely to be able to cope with the effects of drought
Farmers have bred drought resistant crops and livestock over decades
Soils which are rich in organic matter can better retain soil moisture and are therefore able to better cope with periods of water stress.
Generally more diverse ecosystems tend to be more resilient to change. Ecosystems provide a range of services which directly and indirectly affect human wellbeing. During times of drought these services become particularly important as people, particularly in developing countries, tend to depend on them for their survival.
Diverse agricultural systems are more likely to be able to cope with the effects of drought: Higher probability that individual plants will possess characteristics that will allow them to cope with the effects of drought
Farmers have bred drought resistant crops and livestock over decades and these should be encouraged as they increase resilience
Soils which are rich in organic matter can better retain soil moisture and are therefore able to better cope with periods of water stress.
Generally more diverse ecosystems tend to be more resilient to change. Ecosystems provide a range of services which directly and indirectly affect human wellbeing. During times of drought these services become particularly important as people, particularly in developing countries, tend to depend on them for their survival.

8. Examples: Drought mitigation functions of ecosystems
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
Examples: Drought mitigation functions of ecosystems
Mountain forests and hillside vegetation:
Wetlands and floodplains
Drylands
Mountain forests and hillside vegetation:
Forests on watersheds are important for water recharge and purification, drought mitigation and safeguarding drinking water supply
Wetlands and floodplains:
Marshes, lakes and floodplains release wet season flows slowly during drought periods
Drylands:
Shelterbelts, greenbelts and other types of living fences act as barriers against wind erosion and sand storms.
Maintaining vegetation cover in dryland areas, and agricultural practices such as use of shadow crops, nutrient enriching plants, and vegetation litter increases resilience to drought
Prescribed burning and creation of physical firebreaks in dry landscapes reduces fuel loads and the risk of unwanted large-scale fires

9. Elements for national drought management policies
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Elements for national drought management policies
Conservation and management of natural resources
Reducing the vulnerability of drylands
Integrated land and water management
Conserving and using traditional knowledge, innovations and practices
Using agricultural biodiversity
Restoring degraded ecosystems
Conservation and management of natural resources
the conservation of locally-adapted species of plants and animals can increase the resilience of the ecosystem in the face of drought. E.g., droughts have been demonstrated to have a more significant impact on imported livestock species when compared to local varieties or wild relatives.
Maintaining the vegetative cover to protect soils from wind and water erosion is a key to preventing the loss of ecosystem services during drought episodes.
Reducing the vulnerability of drylands
Measures that protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of soil degradation reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems to droughts, e.g.: rotational use of rangelands, matching stock­ing rates to the carrying capacity of ecosystems, developing management plans for wetlands in drylands and favouring diverse species composition.
Practices such as overgrazing, overexploitation, and unsustainable irrigation exacerbate dryland vulnerability.
Integrated land and water management
Improving groundwater recharge through soil-water conservation, upstream revegetation, and floodwater spreading can provide reserves of water for use during drought periods.
Sustainable management of wetlands in drylands (including oases) can also help to avoid conflicts over water use. E.g., in Kenya drought has led to conflict between farmers and pastoralists resulting in pastoralists moving into protected areas during times of extreme drought as such sites are among the only areas where water is available but agriculture is excluded.
Traditional knowledge, innovations and practices
Indigenous and local communities have an important role to play in preventing desertification / land degradation through effective dryland resource management and in particular water management which is often based on local decision-making structures and conflict resolution mechanisms.
Indigenous and local communities also use seed, crop and animal diversity as a portfolio against weather extremes including drought and climate change. As such, many local communities have a well-developed knowledge of plant and animal biodiversity which can support conservation and sustainable use efforts.
Women are also important holders of biodiversity knowledge relevant for drought management and are often responsible for managing water resources. As such, efforts to involve women in decision-making processes can form an important element of drought management planning.
Use of agricultural biodiversity
Another element of drought management is addressing food security. Some countries look to increase access to drought-tolerant crop varieties in drought-affected regions. The idea behind the development of drought-tolerant crop varieties is to exploit the drought-tolerance genes of the staples which have withstood harsh climatic condition for thousands of years. This includes both identifying varieties with lower water requirements and varieties with higher salt toleration. Hence the importance of conserving wild races of common crops to take advantage of such genetic resources.
The conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity through methods such as agro-forestry, conservation tillage, intercropping, etc, can also reduce vulnerability from drought. In particular, such practices in managed ecosystems can help maintain vegetative cover, conserve soil biodiversity and provide alternative sources of food and fodder during times of drought.

10. The Convention on Biological Diversity and drought management
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity and drought management
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
Vision
Living in harmony with nature. By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people
Mission
Take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020 ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planet’s variety of life, and contributing to human well-being, and poverty eradication

11.
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About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity Aichi Targets on Water and Ecological Restoration: readily available elements for drought management plans
Further relevant targets:
Sustainable land management and the Aichi Targets
Target 7 – by 2020, areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity.
Target 8 – by 2020, pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity.

12. Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
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About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.

13. Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
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About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes

14. Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to health, livelihoods and well-being, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.

15. Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Aichi Targets relevant to drought management
By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating desertification.

16.
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Biodiversity-related indicators of the Strategic Plan – useful elements for drought early warning and vulnerability assessments?
Agreed Strategic Plan Indicators
Headline indicators:
Trends in distribution, condition and sustainability of ecosystem services
Operational indicators:
Trends in components of biodiversity or ecosystem services that communities rely on [e.g.
Population trends of forest-dependent species in forests under restoration
Other indicators
Ecological indicators (e.g. sap flow) and indicator species (sensitive to changes in environment)

17. Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
About the Convention
Conference of the Parties
Strategic Plan
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
Implementation
UN Decade on Biodiversity
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
Parties to:
Develop national targets taking into account national circumstances
Review, update and revise National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, in line with the Strategic Plan
Monitor and review the implementation of their NBSAPS… and report to COP through the fifth (2014) and sixth national reports
Develop national and regional targets, using the Strategic Plan and its Aichi Targets, as a flexible framework, in accordance with national priorities and capacities and taking into account both the global targets and the status and trends of biological diversity in the country, and the resources provided through the strategy for resource mobilization, with a view to contributing to collective global efforts to reach the global targets, and report thereon to the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting;
Overarching biodiversity startargy not just for CBD but world community
Emphasizing that increased knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services and its application is an important tool for communicating and mainstreaming biodiversity, invites Parties and other Governments to make use of the findings of the study on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity and other relevant studies, to make the case for investment for biodiversity and ecosystem services and to strengthen policy commitment to biodiversity at the highest level;

18.
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National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) - opportunity for synergies with drought management plans? (I)
In the development of national targets and actions to support them, countries can be encouraged to integrate elements related to drought
Examples for relevant elements of NBSAPs
Guatemala:
Goal 5 By 2022, 15% of biodiversity and ecosystem services have been restored, improving their capacity to adapt to climate change and contributing to the decline in social and environmental vulnerability.
Target 10: By 2018, they have developed coping mechanisms and decreased social and environmental vulnerability caused by the effects of climate change in order to maintain the integrity of biodiversity and functioning of ecosystem services and livelihoods of population

19.
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National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) - opportunity for synergies with drought management plans? (II)
Within the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought, the State of Guatemala is committed to the provisions of Article 4.2.d, which states: " ... shall promote cooperation among affected country Parties in the fields of environmental protection and the conservation of land and water resources, as they relate to desertification and drought ... ", so that proper implementation of this policy will assist compliance to the commitments made by this international convention. (pg. 31)
Strategic Goal 9: Institutionalize the tools to ensure the sustainable use of biodiversity components and ecosystem services.
Strategic activity 9.2: Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan for ecological integrity and feasibility of biodiversity components and ecosystem services.
9.2.1: Assessment of current use patterns of biodiversity, redirecting those that are not sustainable.
9.2.2: Development of a monitoring and evaluation baseline of ecological integrity and feasibility of biodiversity components and ecosystem services (particularly taking into account actions under the following conventions: CITES, RAMSAR, Climate Change, Desertification and Drought) (pg. 91)

20.
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National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) - opportunity for synergies with drought management plans? (III)
Dominican Republic:
National Target 15: By 2016, ecosystems resilience and biodiversity contribution to carbon sequestration will be improved, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and the fight against desertification. Milestones:
By 2013, information on the possible contribution of major ecosystems to carbon storage and sequestration will be reviewed and compiled in order to enhance biodiversity contribution to ecosystem resilience and carbon storage.
 By 2016, the country (Dominican Republic) will have made ​​efforts to increase the resilience of natural ecosystems.

21.
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National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) - opportunity for synergies with drought management plans? (IV)
Venezuela:
LINE 3: STRATEGIC AREAS FOR CONSERVATION
Preserve and manage areas of the country, whose natural elements make them strategic for the nation, because of the social benefits derived from their conservation and their contribution to enduring supreme social happiness.
Strategic Level
3.1.7: Develop and strengthen environmental contingencies programs (forest fires, disasters, etc.) (pg. 43)
Specific actions: : Define areas at high risk for environmental contingencies (forest fires, disasters, etc.) that threaten biodiversity conservation.

22. The role of biodiversity in drought management – multiple benefits
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
The role of biodiversity in drought management – multiple benefits
Preventing, mitigating or regulating droughts, reducing peoples’ exposure to droughts and reducing people’s vulnerability to drought impacts
Reducing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services
Reducing land degradation and fostering ecosystem restoration - thereby contributing to land degradation neutrality
Climate change mitigation and adaptation

23.
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
Conference of the Parties
Decisions
Available guidance relevant in the context of droughts – Ecosystem Restoration
Decision XI/16: The COP urges Parties, and invites other Governments, organizations and donors in a position to do so,
taking note of extreme weather events,
to support the implementation of ecosystem restoration for the mitigation and management of the impact of extreme weather events and for ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change;
Report on ‘Available Guidance and Guidelines on Ecosystem Restoration’ (UNEP/CBD/COP/11/INF/17)
Available Tools and Technologies on Ecosystem Restoration (UNEP/CBD/COP/INF/18)
COP 11: Hyderabad Call for a Concerted Effort on Ecosystem Restoration
Article 8 (f) of the Convention explicitly calls on the Parties to,
as far as possible and as appropriate, rehabilitate and restore degraded ecosystems and promote the recovery of threatened species, inter alia, through the development and implementation of plans or other management strategies.

24. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention Cartagena Protocol Nagoya Protocol Programmes Information Secretariat
About the Secretariat
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