Guided by IPBES Assessment Methodology Ethiopia Has Validated its National Ecosystem Assessment

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Ethiopia’s national ecosystem assessment, in the works since 2017 and launched in early 2022, represents an important milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It was guided directly by the IPBES assessment methodology.

In May 2022, the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute – which was leading the country’s assessment – and the Sub-Global Assessment Network, co-hosted a webinar celebrating Ethiopia’s assessment validation, highlighting the achievements and impact of the country’s findings to support national decision-making. Since Ethiopia’s national ecosystem assessment started, the country has been working on identifying opportunities and entry points for mainstreaming the assessment findings into the relevant policies and processes. The country will now move onto the fourth and final stage of the assessment process: the use of the assessment findings.

In line with the development of its post-2020 biodiversity framework, Ethiopia will incorporate the findings of its national ecosystem assessment into the relevant policies and processes, and implementing sectors will be assigned for the plan period of the framework. UNDP will also support Ethiopia in the use of assessment findings, through the catalytic BES Solution Fund, managed by UNDP through the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network (BES-Net).