Healthy ecosystems provide valuable services such as food, clean water, protection from disease, and flood and erosion control, while at the same time building resilience against climate change impacts. This has been recognized by the UNFCCC in decision 1/CP.16 inviting Parties to enhance action on adaptation by “building resilience of socio-ecological systems, including through economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources”.

The main objective of the Africa Environmental Education and Training Action Plan (AEETAP) is to enhance community environmental education and training within the continent, through various formal education, training, lifelong learning and capacity building programmes and projects, encouraging participation of both males and females equally. These programmes and projects are envisaged to fundamentally improve the environmental, societal and economic state of Africa for the benefit of Africa’s people, and are closely aligned to the five AMCEN flagship programmes.

This short document provides illustrative examples of how biodiversity can play an essential role in efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Details on the linkages between biodiversity and each of the SDGs are contained in the “Technical Note on Biodiversity and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Women constitute approximately half of the rural labour force and are economically active in each subsector of the rural economy. Their livelihoods are often based on access to and control over natural resources. The potential economic gains from reducing the gender gap translate into significant poverty reduction and improved nutritional outcomes.