As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity, a critical project is underway in Southern Africa to map the region's rich biodiversity hotspots.

The Spatial Biodiversity Assessment, Prioritisation and Planning (SBAPP) project, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), brings together four countries - Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa - to produce maps that will inform national planning processes and promote sustainable development.

According to Benon Yasin, Deputy Director of Environmental Affairs in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, "The intention of this project is to produce maps on the various biodiversity hotspots that we have in the country, so that they inform our planning processes in Malawi and the other three countries."

Speaking to the media in Salima on the sidelines of a midterm showcase meeting of the project, locally being implemented in partnership with Malawi University of Science and Technology, Yasin emphasized the importance of biodiversity mapping in addressing environmental challenges, including deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and land degradation.

Hen noted that the project will help the country to better understand its biodiversity and ecosystems, which are crucial for agriculture, food security, and human well-being.

"We have several places like the dambos that are keeping water for agriculture and many other places," he said. "The project will produce maps that overlay other activities that are happening in the country, so that we can say, if you are going to have a development project running into a place that is key for biodiversity, then we need to put proper measures to make sure that we control the loss of those species as a country."

The SBAPP project aims to mainstream biodiversity into policy and development interventions, ensuring that development initiatives and conservation actions produce nature-positive outcomes.

Dr. Farai Tererai, Director for Biodiversity Assessments at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), noted that the project has made significant progress, with countries producing maps of ecosystem types, key biodiversity areas, and red lists of ecosystems and species.

"We have really brought everyone here to try and make sure that we learn together, grow together, and share our capacities together in order to ensure that our mainstreaming efforts of biodiversity into development initiatives actually yield the positive outcomes that we all anticipate," Dr. Tererai said. 

"This event is an opportunity to celebrate the milestones that we have achieved until now and to share lessons on mainstreaming biodiversity into policy and development interventions."

Dr. Tererai mentioned some of the notable achievements of the project, including the production of maps of ecosystem types, key biodiversity areas, and red lists of ecosystems and species.

"Malawi is actually having a launch of their ecosystem types maps today [Thursday]," he said. "Mozambique has had their key biodiversity areas gazetted, and South Africa has increased the number of its key biodiversity areas."

The project's ultimate goal is to ensure that biodiversity is integrated into national planning processes, enabling countries to make informed decisions that balance development needs with conservation imperatives.

As Yasin noted, "If we have maps, we will be able to see and inform our policy... it's easier to convey a message by a map than reading a 100-page document."

The project's mid-point showcase event was also an opportunity for the four participating countries to share experiences and lessons with other countries in the region, facilitated by SANBI's role as a Technical and Scientific Cooperation Centre under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This cooperation, said Dr Tererai, will enable the SADC region to report on multilateral environmental agreements, including the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

By mainstreaming biodiversity into policy and development interventions, countries can ensure that their natural resources are managed sustainably, supporting economic growth, food security, and human well-being.

As Dr. Tererai emphasized, "We believe that as SADC, we can learn together and grow together... The experience, lessons, and expertise we have gathered over the years will benefit our common cause for healthy biodiversity for the benefit of the people in our region."

Key biodiversity hotspots in Malawi include Lake Malawi, Nyika National Park, and Mount Mulanje and various forest reserves and protected areas like Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve.