Background and process for updating Togo's NBSAP

In 2003, Togo developed its national strategy for the conservation of biological diversity (CBD) accompanied by a National Action Plan. The aim was to contribute to a substantial reduction in the loss of biological diversity. However, the progress made in implementing the 2010 CBD goal and the efforts made and the
targets achieved are far from reducing the pace of biodiversity loss that the country faces. Therefore, the 2011-2020 SPANB is intended to be a framework for broad consultation with all stakeholders. This is why the new 2011-2020 strategy aims to be implemented not only by the State but also by local authorities and the various actors of civil society. This is also why, when defining national objectives, an effort was made to synergise and harmonize the various existing national strategies and action plans in the field of biodiversity; with the aim of improving their coordination and making them more effective.
With this in mind, this National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan document is developed based on the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan and its Aichi Targets as a flexible framework. Specifically, it is about:

 

• develop the strategy and the action plan to respond to the threats faced by biodiversity in Togo;
• develop an implementation plan and a communication plan

With these objectives, the new 2011-2020 SPANB aims to produce greater commitment from the various actors. It sets the common ambition to preserve and restore, strengthen and enhance biodiversity, to ensure its sustainable and equitable use, and to do so successfully the involvement of all actors in all sectors of activity. Its development is
intersectoral, participatory and inclusive.

B. Methodological approach
The process of revising Togo's 2003 SPANB was initiated in 2012 by MERF represented by the Department of Wildlife and Hunting (DFC). Indeed, Togo's 2003-2010 SPANB was above all a major instrument of national mobilization, supported by the national environmental policy, in favor of the protection and enhancement of biodiversity. The result of consultation, the process of updating the SPANB took place in several stages and brought together all the local actors concerned with the environment in general and the preservation of biodiversity in particular. Each of the stages involved the broad participation of stakeholders and is as follows:
- the establishment of a Technical Committee to steer the process of updating the SPANB: this technical committee includes representatives of the various bodies involved in the management of biodiversity;
- the development of the current situation and the assessment of the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss;
- the definition of national objectives and priorities for biological diversity;
- the development of the strategy and the Action Plan in relation to the objectives defined, followed by the development of the plans to implement the communication plan; the validation of the various documents produced at the various stages of the process through regional and national technical workshops. This last step made it possible to identify the opinions of the actors.

C. Biodiversity of Togo
Biodiversity refers to all forms of life on Earth and the natural characteristics that they present. In Togo, we can distinguish a diversity of ecosystems and species.

Ecosystem diversity
- Aquatic ecosystems: they include continental aquatic environments that are natural or artificial, lentic or lotic. These are rivers, reservoirs, reservoirs, ponds, lagoons and lakes.
- Marine ecosystems: they consist mainly of plant formations on sands and rocky areas. Underwater flora is very poorly known, with the exception of algae, of which some beach-rock populations have been inventoried. The fauna is very diverse with fish, sharks, rays and batroids, marine mammals, marine turtles and marine invertebrates, etc.
- Terrestrial ecosystems: they consist of forest ecosystems (semi-deciduous forests, dense dry forests, dense dry forests, dry forests, open forests, open forests, open forests, open forests, gallery and swamp forests), savannas (the Guinean savannas of mountains, the savannas of the Guinean zone of the central plain) and coastal areas, the Sudanian savannas), mangroves, forest plantations.

Across the country, some areas are identified as potential natural sites for the conservation of biodiversity in Togo. In particular, these include protected areas, wetlands, mountainous areas (the sub-humid mountainous zone of Togo, the mountains in the northern zone of the country and the inselbergs), sacred forests and community forests.

Species diversity
- Flora: The species of Togolese spontaneous flora inventoried until 2002 (including mushrooms) number 3428 species (MERF, 2009). Recently, the continuation of work has made it possible to identify 60 new species of Angiosperms (59 Dicotyledons and 1 Monocotyledon), 134 new species of macroscopic fungi. This state of the specific diversity of spontaneous Togolese flora is not exhaustive, due to the lack of in-depth study on lower taxonomic groups, which for the most part are of
great importance in the maintenance and development of ecosystems.

- Wildlife: knowledge about Togo's wildlife diversity is still fragmentary. To date, the list of wildlife species is estimated at 3855 in Togo. Invasive and exotic species belonging to the Tephritidae family (Diptera) have been reported in Togo and their numbers are constantly increasing; resulting in the reduction of the populations of native species. Today, all of these species live in fragmented and disturbed habitats, which is causing a significant change in their distribution as well as the rarity of many of them. It should also be noted that the current assessment of Togolese wildlife diversity is fundamentally affected by the absence of taxonomists for the various zoological groups. In the absence of qualified taxonomists (trained as specialists) and of documentation provided, numerous taxonomic confusions (synonymy) and those relating to taxa that do not have a distribution in Togo are possible. Value of biodiversity, ecosystem services and contribution to human well-being. Ecosystems and the biodiversity associated with them provide important services to human communities. These services include, among other things, lumber,
service wood (poles and poles), wood energy (firewood and charcoal), NTFPs of vegetable origin (medicinal plants, fruits, seeds and leaves, creepers, traditional mats, mats, traditional mats, toothpicks, toothpicks, brooms, racks, cages, vegetable baskets and fans, fodder plants, etc.) and NTFPs of origin animal (entomological fauna, herpetological fauna, avifauna, mammalian fauna, and fishery resources, etc. which are as a whole used in food for direct consumption and for marketing and of which several species of Mammals are also involved in medical-magical practices) .Main challenges of biodiversity: causes and consequences of the loss of biodiversity.

Through the diagnosis that presents the potentialities and weaknesses in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Togo, many challenges have been met. These are challenges related to:
- the degradation of ecosystems;
- the proliferation of invasive alien species;
- the abusive exploitation of plant resources;
- the non-compliance with commitments and obligations in terms of environmental protection; - challenges relating to the erosion of wildlife;
- challenges relating to the erosion of wildlife;
- to communication at all levels in order to disseminate information to raise awareness and concern among the general public about conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;
- to national expertise, which requires significant improvement in all areas of biodiversity-related science in order to have a more precise knowledge of biological resources and to ensure good planning of their use;
- to regional and international cooperation.
In order to meet all these challenges and promote the creation of favorable conditions for the preservation of biodiversity, numerous actions are proposed.

D. National Biodiversity
Strategy The fundamental challenge addressed by the new NASPB is that the way in which biological diversity will be managed and exploited must prioritize the survival of various genes, species and ecosystems and their continued provision of ecological services, human well-being in its broadest sense, human well-being in its broadest sense, and the survival of economic sectors and populations that depend directly on them. Thus, as part of the international and national approach, the long-term vision of the new SPANB for biodiversity is expressed in the following terms: “By 2050, the biological diversity of Togo's terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is valued, preserved, restored and used sustainably by

actors, and is resilient to all forms of threats including the negative effects of climate change in order to achieve a new balance between economic, social and environmental development, for the benefit of current and future
generations.” This vision is accompanied by 10 guiding principles (Governance - Collective and ethical responsibilities - Individual and ethical responsibilities - Individual and collective conscience - Sharing of benefits - Internalization of environmental costs - Conservation in and ex situ - Priority to local biodiversity - Sustainable use of biodiversity - Sustainable use of biodiversity - Sustainable use of biodiversity - Decision-making for biodiversity - Cooperation) to guide the conservation and sustainable use of Togolese biological diversity. To achieve the vision, 5 strategic guidelines are selected and more
specifically broken down into 20 objectives that were initially defined in a participatory manner as part of the process of developing the SPANB

.
The 2011-2020 SPANB will be carried out through a series of measures under 9 priority themes (Participation and awareness-raising — Conservation and use of plant genetic resources — Terrestrial biodiversity — Freshwater biodiversity — Coastal and marine biodiversity — Biosecurity and biodiversity — Governance — Biosecurity and biodiversity — Governance - Information, knowledge and biodiversity — Governance - Information, knowledge and capacity - Information, knowledge and capacity - National and international responsibilities) revealing local issues as well as a list of actions. These priority themes, which will be implemented through several actions, are also broken down into programmes, projects and measures that can be implemented at the national, regional or local level. E. Togo biodiversity action plan. The biodiversity strategy runs from 2011 to 2020 through an action plan which will be reviewed after 5 years, i.e. a first phase covering 2012-2016.

The biodiversity action plan will be implemented to achieve the 20 national goals through intersectoral or transversal and sectoral themes that are packages of measures. Each of the themes takes into account one or more national priorities and objectives and actions developed in the national strategy. Actions that are not taken into account in phase 1 can gradually be included in the 2016-2020 phase 2
national action plan. Given the communication deficit identified as one of the causes of the failure in the implementation of the 2003 NASPB, the 2011-2020 NASPB is accompanied by a
communication plan and a plan to mobilize resources for its implementation. This communication plan will concern the various target groups that were identified across all economic regions of Togo during the development of the SPANB. As part of the SPANB, this communication plan will work to set up and develop:

• a close and effective partnership with all national and local media, political leaders, community-based organizations and civil society;
• an awareness-raising and information/training program on the importance of the conservation of biological diversity;
• an information program on the principles of the SPANB for all segments of the population, while targeting young people and adolescents, the elderly and women;
• a support and training program through rural radios and any other communication tool.

The total cost of implementing the SPANB is $32,293,000 USD (Thirty-two thousand two hundred ninety-three thousand US dollars) or 15,662,105,000 CFA francs (Fifteen billion six hundred sixty-two million one hundred seventy-two million one hundred five thousand CFA francs). Technical and financial partners are identified to finance this process.

F. Conclusion
The revision of Togo's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SPANB), initiated in 2012, took place through broad consultation in several stages with the main actors: the preservation of biodiversity in accordance with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, in accordance with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, based on the Aichi Targets. The strategy runs from 2011 to 2020, and will make it possible to implement an action plan to achieve the 20 national goals through intersectoral or transversal and sectoral themes, which are packages of measures whose application makes it possible to achieve the 2050 vision. The content of the first phase of implementation of the action plan consists of a set of 40 fact sheets on programs/projects/measures. The 2011-2020 SPANB is also accompanied by a communication plan and a resource mobilization plan for its implementation.
The total cost of implementing the SPANB is $32,293,000 USD (Thirty-two thousand two hundred ninety-three thousand US dollars) or 15,662,105,000 CFA francs (Fifteen billion six hundred sixty-two million one hundred seventy-two million one hundred five thousand CFA francs).