The Gambia's biological resources are vital to the population’s economic and social development. As a result, there is a growing recognition in the Gambia that, biological diversity is a global asset of tremendous value to present and future generations. At the same time, the threat to species and ecosystems has never been as great as it is today. Species extinction caused by human activities continues at an alarming rate. Recognizing the need to conserve its biological resources, the Government of the Gambia has made a commitment to conserve at  least 5% of terrestrial and inland water, and 10% of coastal and marine areas through systems of protected areas. Although in-situ conservation must be the first priority, the protected area network alone will not be sufficient to secure all of Gambia’s biodiversity for future generations.  

One of the four existential threats humankind faces today is the loss of biological diversity. The others are climate change, food insecurity and poverty. Biodiversity, most simply stated, is life on Earth, the wealth of ecosystems, species and ecological processes that make up our living planet. It is humankind‘s living natural resource base, our biological capital in the global bank. Managing biodiversity sustainably is critical to the survival of humanity and thus needs to be given the utmost serious consideration by all actors. As is true globally, an unexampled rate of extinction of marine and terrestrial animal and plant species is plaguing Liberia‘s biological resource base. It now approaches a crisis proportion that requires urgent and concrete actions for mitigation. This crisis is impelled, almost invariably, by the direct and indirect threats of agro-industrial plantations of rubber, recently oil palm that are replacing the natural forests, giant logging concessions and related contracts, mining, unsustainable and destructive extraction and collection of firewood, charcoal production, shifting cultivation, uncontrolled hunting and fishing practices, ineffective community-based forest management and strategy, invasive alien plant species, , the lack of a national land use policy and strategy, climate change, poverty, the extreme lack of knowledge about ecosystem values, the lack of recognition and employment of local knowledge systems in natural resource governance and management and the lack of a national energy policy and strategy. The United Nations Convention on Biodiversity is the instrument for ensuring the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable utilization of its resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits accruing from the use of these resources. Chapter II and Article 7of the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, the National Environment Policy, and sectoral programmes, plans and policies are in agreement with the purpose of the Convention and Liberia has revised her National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan in keen adherence to the Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity 2011-2020 which was adopted in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010.At such the Revised NBSAP largely mirrors and details the vision and strategy for the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and a ten-year action plan (2015-2025) for conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in Liberia. Preparation of the plan commenced in 2012 by the National Biodiversity Coordinating Section of the Division of Multilateral Environmental Agreements at the EPA, the lead Agency for environmental sustainability in Liberia. The document is a result of a Country Study that takes into account the political and socio-economic contexts that influence biodiversity management. It provides a summary of key issues, constraints and opportunities identified during the stocktaking and inventory phases of the Study. It further defines the strategic objectives, actions, outputs and indicators needed to achieve the overarching goals of communicating informed decisions about the implementation of the Convention nationally. The strategy identifies three key components to ensure effective implementation, one of which is Financial and Resource Mobilization Plan (FRMP). The FRMP provides a framework for sources of funds to implement programs and activities proposed in the Strategy, as well as the indicative budget required to implement the Revised NBSAP. The other implementation plans include Capacity and Technology Needs Assessment and Communication Strategy, which address, respectively, what capacity is required to implement the Strategy, and how effectively the Revised Strategy needs to be communicated to ensure participation of all stakeholders.

Nigeria houses a cornucopia of both plants and animal species which makes it very rich in biodiversity. The considerable levels of endemism and species richness in the country are due to a complex topography, favourable climate and wide range of habitats. These include but are not limited to coastal creeks of the Niger Delta, the rainforests of the Cross River basin and the mountains along the Cameroun border. The Atlantic Ocean forms the southern border part of Nigeria, and with its highly diverse marine and freshwater ecosystems. There exists an inland layout of an array of other forest ecosystems including the Sahel Savannah in the extreme North, Sudan Savannah, Guinea Savannah and Derived Savannah woodland. Species statistics showed that Nigeria has an endemic flora of 91 species belonging to 44 families with Rubiaceae accounting for the highest numbers. A list of faunal species was also outlined. According to the IUCN Red list 2013, Nigeria has a total of 309 threatened species in the following taxonomic categories: Mammals (26), Birds (19), Reptiles (8), Amphibians (13), Fishes (60), Molluscs (1), other Invertebrates (14) and Plants (168) (Sedghi, 2013). The categories of biodiversity related sites in Nigeria include: 7 National Parks of Old Oyo, Cross River, Gashaka-Gumti, Okomu, Chad Basin, Kainji Lake, and Kamuku; 27 Important Bird Areas including all National Parks and 60% the Ramsar sites; 11 Ramsar Sites; 2 World Heritage Sites of Sukur Kingdom and Osun Osogbo Grove; 994 Forest Reserves; 32 Game Reserves; 1 Biosphere Reserve; and many Sacred groves at varied level of protection. This document gave information on the status of biodiversity and its contribution to varied sectors of Nigerian economy including tourism, agriculture, water resources, health, commerce and industrial development. It showed how biodiversity impacts on the lives and livelihoods of the people as well. The value of biodiversity to Nigerians and the linkages it has on various sectors of the Nigerian economy was vividly shown. The threats to biodiversity, causes and consequences of biodiversity loss in Nigeria were also identified and analysed. It outlined the Policy, Legal, and Institutional Frameworks on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity as an integral part of the national policy on environment. There was an elaboration of Stakeholders on Biodiversity management. This revised NBSAP was developed within the framework of stakeholder’s participatory approach involving series of plenary of multi-stakeholders workshop and peer reviews with over 500 stakeholders ranging from international and national experts to officials of sub national entities and managers of natural resources at the grass root. The consultative process included a detailed review of Nigeria’s first NBSAP (2001-2010) which provided valuable lessons and guidance for the formulation of this second NBSAP (2016 – 2020). Some of the key lessons learned from the first NBSAP include the lack of management structures for implementation of the NBSAP and the low level of awareness creation at Federal, State and Local governments during its preparation. Institutional linkages were not properly addressed in the implementation plan of action. Targets and Actions were not set to address identified major challenges although challenges were identified. Strategies for mainstreaming biodiversity into different sectors were weakly analysed in the first NBSAP. These shortcomings of the previous NBSAP form the bases of the lessons learned and the planning process of the current NBSAP has addressed them as critical in the implementation of the revised NBSAP. Nigeria’s Long Term Vision for biodiversity management is: ‘A Nigeria with healthy living environment where people live in harmony with nature and sustain the gains and benefits of biodiversity, integrating biodiversity into National programme aimed at reducing poverty and developing a secure future in line with the principle of ecological sustainability and social equity.’ The major focus of this vision is the consideration of genetic materials as a strategic but fragile resource to be conserved, sustainably utilized and perhaps more importantly to be deployed as natural capital for socio -economic development of Nigeria. Seven principles governing the national biodiversity Strategy were outlined. These are linked to Nigeria’s commitment to the CBD that is a genuine appreciation of biodiversity in national development and socio-economic welfare of the Nigerian people. They include specific principles that support global best practices in biodiversity management and in general, the environment and natural resources. Nigeria considers the five goals of the Global Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 very appropriate and applicable to its situation and adopted them to form the basis of the current NBSAP. It has also adopted 14 SMART National Targets with 21 Impact Indicators and 67 Actions with 123 Performance Indicators and 20 Programmes. Consequently, Nigeria’s current NBSAP is closely aligned to both the CBD Strategic Plan for biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi biodiversity Targets and Nigeria’s unique Priorities and features.

- Biodiversity is key to human survival and livelihood, especially in developing countries
such as Rwanda, where a large proportion of the population depend on natural resources for their livelihood. 
- The present National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) reflects a framework for conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity use and ecosystem services of the country. It also provides a framework for maintaining the necessary environmental conditions to reduce poverty, ensure sustainable development and food security in the country.  
- In Rwanda, root causes of biodiversity loss range from natural processes to anthropogenic actions. Results from recent research have shown that threats to biodiversity arise from loss of habitat due to encroachment for agricultural activities, over-harvesting of resources through poaching and deforestation, as well as increasing socio-economic activities such as mining, urban development, etc. 
- Underlying causes are predominantly related to issues of land tenure and poor management of natural resources. In addition, a long-standing focus on increasing crop production at the expense of natural resources conservation also constitutes a key factor leading to intensive biodiversity loss.  
- Nowadays, partnership between different stakeholders including government institutions,
development partners, private sector, civil society (NGOs) and local communities‟ organizations, is playing vital role in sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity.  
- The NBSAP preparatory process was highly participatory, involving broad stakeholders‟ consultations. Three national workshops were organized which provided the basis for the national priorities for conservation, targets and strategic actions that collectively constitute the NBSAP substance. 
- More emphasis has been oriented towards awareness building among stakeholders, in order to ensure that ownership of the NBSAP is widespread among them, and that responsibility for its implementation is widely shared. Furthermore, modalities for improving biodiversity policy and legal framework have been emphasized as well as capacity building for a better management of natural resources.  
- The overall objective of the NBSAP development has been worked out as to preserve the national biodiversity in order to ensure that its various components are utilized in a sustainable manner for reaching socio-economic development of the nation and ensuring better livelihood of Rwandans.  
The major objectives of the NBSAP are: 
 to improve environmental stability for natural ecosystems and their biodiversity;
 to restore degraded ecosystems and maintain equilibrium among biological 
communities; 
 to establish an appropriate framework for access to genetic resources and equitable 
sharing of benefits arising from biodiversity use and ecosystems services; and
 to improve policy, legal and institutional framework for a better management and 
conservation of national biodiversity. 

The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, aware of its role in the preservation of the Country biodiversity, which is a natural heritage of great importance for its people and for the world, has assumed the share of the responsibility incumbent upon it in this matter, despite the enormous constraints of economic and social order that the country has recently faced, due to the complex adjustment process to a new social and economic order, which was imposed by its independence. In a society still suffering from significant financial and economic difficulties, it is not always easy to decide on the option for immediate or deferred access to natural resources, all the more when it was not yet possible a full detailed assessment of the respective consequences. Only with the assiduous and careful efforts of the technical staff and people’s organizations, with the possible support from the political governance and the share of the international partners, it has been possible a greater restraint in the indiscriminate access to those resources and a better control of potentially detrimental actions for biological diversity. The progressive official and unofficial engagement is the guarantor of a committed on-going move towards a greater security of the biodiversity, through a sustainable use of the natural resources and the equitable share of the benefits derived therefrom. This engagement is enshrined in the country commitment and participation in the several international Agreements, Conventions and Protocols, related with the protection and valuation of biodiversity, and is strengthened by the general citizens perception of the relevance of its national natural heritage, so as in the global agreed effort, to safeguard biological diversity and environmental quality It is under this perspective that, once completed the First National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of São Tomé and Príncipe (NBSAP I), with a clear achievement of most of the envisaged goals, now it is presented the NBSAP II, aware of its costs for the country and for international partners, but in the certainty, however, of the urgency in achieving the proposed objectives, to safeguard the valuable universal heritage of which we have de custody.

Section I - Background to the NBSAP This National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP) for Sierra Leone has been formulated since 2003 (NBSAP 2004-2010) to stem the alarming rate of loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems in various ecological belts in the country. This reviewed version is effective for the period 2017-2026. The development of the NBSAP is a concept that was initiated and sanctioned by the Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2003 as a key requirement for parties of the convention to fulfil their commitment to conserve biodiversity, as required by Article 6 of the Convention. The reviewed strategy is consistent with two main categories, namely the thematic strategies and general measures, as guided by the Convention on Biological Diversity. The main themes are Wildlife, Forest Biodiversity, Agricultural Biodiversity, Freshwater, Marina and Coastal Biodiversity. The cross-sector strategies and cross-cutting issues include financial resources, policies, regulations and legislation, research and training, capacity building, public participation, planning, monitoring, conservation of protected areas, sustainable use, incentive measures, public education, impact assessment, access to technology, information exchange, sharing of benefits and indigenous knowledge. Sierra Leone became a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in 1994 in Bahamas. The development of the NBSAP is consistent with Agenda 21 of the United Nations, which is the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. In 2003, Sierra Leone developed its NBSAP 2004-2010, but its implementation has had a fair share of successes and challenges. The World Bank, GEF, UNDP, the RSPB and Wetlands International are some of the organisations that supported the NBSAP 2004-2010. There is yet a huge backlog of project objectives to be achieved, which have been considered in the reviewing process. Key lessons were learnt from the development of the NBSAP 2004-2010 fed into the review and development of the NBSAP 2017-2026. Additional priority thematic areas were identified and addressed, such as intellectual property rights and climate change, collaboration between stakeholders, the problem of overlapping mandates and conflict of interest among government agencies, inter alia. The 20 Aichi targets were the key focus in all thematic presentations and group discussions during the national and provincial workshops. The key outcome of the workshops’ presentations, plenary and discussion sessions were the identification of the issues and gaps (Appendix V) in national and local efforts to conserve biodiversity.