Diana López

National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO)

Knowledge of biodiversity is key to providing States with relevant, real, and timely scientific information that allows them to carry out essential actions regarding conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Recognizing the importance of this subnational actors to achieve it, it is essential to collaborate, with state governments and society, in strengthening local capacities (human and institutional) for the sustainable management of biodiversity through the development and implementation of tools for
decision-making.

Such tools, at an appropriate scale and in the context of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ENBIOMEX), address critical challenges such as habitat loss, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and climate change, and establish guidelines not only for the conservation of local biodiversity, but also for an effective restoration, while promoting equity and justice in access and distribution of benefits derived from biodiversity.

Therefore, as knowledge partners, States are encouraged to assess the state of their biodiversity and identify priorities for attention. Both must be broad participatory processes, involving government decision-making bodies, academia, and society in general, to identify the main elements of the State’s
natural capital or associated with it (species, natural areas, traditional practices).

The resulting proposals for actions to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity, with a long-term vision, defining main thematic axes, lines of action, actions, compliance deadlines, as well as the main actors responsible for executing coordinated actions, will be an important contribution for the State, and to achieve the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature.

Keywords: Biodiversity, knowledge partners, participatory processes, strengthening local capacities