Participate in shaping global biodiversity expenditure

The public consultation on the Global Biodiversity Expenditure Taxonomy (GLOBE) 

Public consultations play a crucial role in shaping the policies that affect our world.

One such initiative is BIOFIN's Global Biodiversity Expenditure (GLOBE) Taxonomy, which aims to support countries during their process of conducting a Biodiversity Expenditure Review, an important step for the development of a Biodiversity Finance Plan. It is open for public feedback until 15 April 2024. We are looking for feedback on language, consistency, and aspects we may have overlooked to ensure a globally valid and comprehensive overview of all biodiversity expenditures. 

BIOFIN has a long history of working with countries to conduct their Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER), which is the second step in the BIOFIN methodology. The BER plays an important role after the Policy and Institutional Review (PIR) and before the Financial Needs Assessment (FNA) and the subsequent development of Biodiversity Finance Plans. Based on BIOFIN's extensive experience with 41 countries, we are currently developing the GLOBE taxonomy. 

The GLOBE taxonomy is designed to support public actors from all levels, whether national, regional, or municipal, in conducting Biodiversity Expenditure Reviews (BER), independently of whether countries are part of BIOFIN or not. The different expenditures identified within each biodiversity category can also serve as inspiration for additional measures that can be included in Biodiversity Action Plans. 

In short, the BIOFIN GLOBE taxonomy is a comprehensive listing of biodiversity expenditures that addresses existing global and national frameworks and provides standards for appropriate attribution. The main elements of the GLOBE taxonomy are: i) nine primary biodiversity expenditure categories; ii) second and third-level articulation of the expenditures; iii) examples of expenditure; and iv) biodiversity attribution rates. 

The taxonomy consists of nine primary biodiversity expenditure categories that provide a detailed breakdown of biodiversity expenditure, examples, and attribution rates. Previous versions of the taxonomy were discussed in detail in numerous virtual and in-person meetings. These meetings were attended by BIOFIN internal experts and external partners, including practitioners from the field, representatives of statistical organizations, people with expertise in sustainable taxonomies, and government representatives. 

The main aim of the public consultation is to gather feedback on expenditure programs, definitions, and examples within the nine biodiversity categories: 

       1.        Access - Benefits 
       2.        Awareness - Knowledge 
       3.        Biosafety 
       4.        Green economy 
       5.        Planning and financing 
       6.        Pollution management 
       7.        Protected areas - Conservation 
       8.        Restoration 
       9.        Sustainable use 

The GLOBE Taxonomy Guidance document, which is available for reference, provides additional background information and insight into each category. As some sections of the guidance are still under development, we also welcome feedback on the current version. 

Get involved in this global initiative: 

      1. Download the documents: Get the GLOBE taxonomy Excel document, the GLOBE guidelines and the feedback document. 
      2. Review your areas of expertise: Explore the categories in which you have expertise to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the content. 
      3. Provide your feedback: Use the structure of the feedback document to indicate the exact location of your feedback, suggest necessary changes or additions, and, if possible, justify these suggestions. 
      4. Send your feedback: Send your feedback to ronja.fischer@undp.org by 15 April 2024. 

After collecting the feedback, BIOFIN will use the input to refine and improve the taxonomy. Contributors to this public consultation will be recognized in the published version of GLOBE*.  

Your expertise and insights can play a critical role in shaping global biodiversity expenditure policies. Join us to make a positive impact on the conservation and restoration of our planet's biodiversity. 

*We look forward to recognizing your contribution to this work when we publish GLOBE. If you prefer not to be mentioned, please indicate this in your email.