Dr Leslie Johnston and Dr Hadas Kushnir, U.S. Agency for International Development – Mainstreaming biodiversity in USAID strategies

1. Biodiversity Integration at USAID
MARCH 3, 2016
HADAS KUSHNIR
USAID’S OFFICE OF FORESTRY & BIODIVERSITY

2. Presentation Outline
•Biodiversity programming at
USAID
•USAID’s approach to
biodiversity integration
•Key challenges and
achievements

3. Biodiversity Programming at USAID
Support 50
countries
worldwide
$5
$165.50
$205 $212.50
$250
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
FY87 FY07 FY10 FY14 FY15
USAID Biodiversity Funding,
in Millions of Dollars

4. USAID Biodiversity Policy
Vision: To conserve
biodiversity for
sustainable, resilient
development.
Goals: 1) conserve
biodiversity in priority
places, and 2) integrate
biodiversity as an
essential component of
human development.

5. What do we mean by integration?
Integration is about…
• Being strategic
• Identifying synergies
between sector
• Minimizing tradeoffs
• Thinking about
ecosystem services
Integration is not…
• Doing everything
everywhere
• Always linked to funding
type
• The same as
environmental
compliance

6. Integration Approaches
Use and contribute
to the evidence base
Build
constituencies
Leverage key
USAID
processes
Use systems
concepts

7. Leadership
Group
Climate
Change
Economic
Growth
DRG
Health
Food
Security
Trade
Operationalizing Integration through
Integration Working Groups
• Case studies
• Joint Mission support
• Ecosystem-based adaptation
• Countering wildlife trafficking
• Biodiversity in trade agreements
• Wild fisheries
• Forests & nutrition
• Joint research
• Emerging pandemic threats
• Population, health, environment
• Reducing misuse of bed nets
• Political economy analysis
• Countering human trafficking
• Marine tenure
• Cost benefit analysis
• Growth diagnostic

8. Integrated
Design
Improved
Evidence
Engaged
Constituencies
Biodiversity Results and Integrated
Development Gains Enhanced
ImprovedBiodiversity
Integration
BRIDGE Project

9. 9
White House Directive on
Ecosystem Services
• Mainstream ecosystem
services into existing
environmental assessments
• Integrate ecosystem services
into other sector’s tools
• Conduct outreach to improve
understanding of importance of
ecosystem services across
USAID sectors

10. • Operational
• Technical
• Personal
Challenges

11. Achievements
•Wild fisheries and food
security
•Climate adaptation and
biodiversity
•Political economy analysis
partnership
•Ebola partnership
•Joint approaches for
countering human
trafficking in illegal
fisheries

12. Thank You!
Hadas Kushnir (hkushnir@usaid.gov)

13. • USAID Biodiversity Policy:
https://rmportal.net/library/content/usaid-biodiversity-
policy
• USAID Biodiversity and Development Handbook:
https://rmportal.net/groups/fab/gateway-
resources/biodiversity-and-development-handbook-1
• USAID Biodiversity and Development Research
Agenda: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KB5X.pdf
Additional Resources