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Embedding Ecosystems Services into Policy (EESP) Training Program

June 20, 2023-June 21, 2024
Embedding Ecosystems Services into Policy (EESP)

The Global Program for Sustainability (GPS) and the Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Landscape Assessment (BELA) initiative at the World Bank launched the Embedding Ecosystems Services into Policy (EESP) training program. This program aims to deliver tailored capacity-building to support policymakers and technical staff in governments to move beyond the initial landscape and ecosystems assessments to translate biophysical analyses into financial and economic feasibility and trade-off analyses that can inform policy development and planning processes.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Participants will develop an in-depth understanding of the value of biodiversity, ecosystems, and landscape assessments in effective and climate resilient policymaking
  • Participants will develop a comprehensive understanding of, and apply tools and methods for incorporating ecosystem assessments into national planning processes.
  • Participants will collaborate and exchange knowledge with various national and regional actors, and work towards establishing a national network of institutions essential in creating an enabling environment for the uptake of ecosystem services and natural capital accounting approaches

Farmers_Malawi
Building on the ecosystem services assessments performed to inform the Malawi Country Climate Development Report, the EESP team worked closely with the National Statistics Office and the Department of Environmental Affairs in Malawi to make the case for ecosystem services and natural capital approaches to key institutions. This resulted in a 3-day training event was conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi, in June 2023, convening 13 senior government officials and 46 technical experts and practitioners from various sectors in the environmental, policy and financial planning space in Malawi. The training was tailored to demonstrate the possible applications of these approaches to three priority, national policy processes: the Malawi 2063 Plan, the upcoming updates of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and the implementation of the 2022 Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) framework. The Africa Natural Capital Accounting Community of Practice sent a delegate to welcome senior government officials to the community of practice and provide support to the Malawi government as they set up their steering committee and prepare a roadmap for the development of natural capital accounts.

 

Key Achievements

  • Network: This event brought together decision makers from key sectors to promote the adoption of ecosystem services and natural capital approaches in national planning strategies in Malawi.
  • Future Steps: Malawian leaders worked together to define how the different sectors can integrate these approaches into their policies and projects, and they nominated the National Statistics Office (NSO) as the institution to lead Malawi’s natural capital accounting. The NSO and Office of Environmental Affairs worked closely with the Africa NCA Community of Practice to draft a natural capital accounting roadmap and participants from all sectors contributed their ideas and made commitments to support the next steps in Malawi’s natural capital accounting process.
  • Representation of Various Ministries: Representatives from the following ministries were present:
    • National Statistics Office
    • Ministry of Natural Resources
    • Ministry of Agriculture
    • Ministry of Lands
    • Ministry of Finance
    • Reserve Bank of Malawi
    • National Bank of Malawi

 

Presentations

Download the presentations

Sessions

Session 1: Introduction to Ecosystem Services Assessments and Natural Capital Accounting

 

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  • EESP Training Program

    The Global Program for Sustainability (GPS) and the Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Landscape Assessment (BELA) initiative at the World Bank launched the Embedding Ecosystems Services into Policy (EESP) training program.