The CEBioS programme funded by the Belgian Development Cooperation and hosted by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences developed a capacity development concept linking scientific data to policy development.
In 2015 four projects were selected in Benin, Burundi and the D.R.Congo. The focus was on national indicator processes and on non-timber forest products, especially medicinal plants. Since communicating the highly policy-relevant outcomes of these projects and the associated management advice at both national and international levels is paramount to this process, policy briefs were created to summarize the results to inform policy makers.
The four policy briefs (in French) are available here:
- “Tendance inquiétante de la dégradation de la biodiversité : Appel aux décideurs pour inverser la situation” (Burundi). This project studied the trends in the surface of selected ecosystems and natural habitats, in the populations and extinction risks of selected species providing ecosystem services. The policy brief calls for actions to improve the situation.
- “Connaissances traditionnelles et ressources génétiques associées” (Benin). The project aimed at documenting the use and value chain of medicinal plants in urban areas of Benin.
- “Quels indicateurs pour le suivi efficace de la biodiversité au Bénin?” (Benin). The project selected, developed and operationalized indicators for the national follow-up of Benin’s Biodiversity Strategy (NBSAP).
- “Vers la valorisation des connaissances traditionnelles des communautés locales et autochtones en RDCongo” (D.R.Congo). The project aimed to valorize non-timber forest products used for food and traditional medicine in order to document traditional knowledge and advise the authorities on relevant policies for the sustainable use of biodiversity.
More information on the projects is available here.