Four Countries, Four National Ecosystem Assessments Launched in 2026
Botswana, the Dominican Republic, Malawi and Thailand Set the Course for Action on Nature
From Botswana’s desert hills to the shores of Lake Malawi, from Thailand’s mangrove coasts to the Dominican Republic’s cloud forests in the Caribbean, years of research and consultation have culminated in the launch of four new national ecosystem assessments (NEAs).
Botswana and Thailand launched their NEAs in March 2026, Malawi followed in May and the Dominican Republic in June. Each of them represents a nationally driven, up-to-date synthesis of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services, offering an evidence-based overview of the state of biodiversity, the key drivers of change and the implications for people who depend on nature.
The NEAs took several years to complete and were led by national institutions, with scientists and policymakers working alongside holders of Indigenous and local knowledge. Technical support was provided by the NEA Initiative of the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through BES-Net, and the work was financially supported by SwedBio and the International Climate Initiative of the Government of Germany. Within this partnership, UNESCO supported the inclusion of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) and the engagement of ILK holders through the BES-Net ILK Support Unit, which is hosted by its Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems programme. The four countries make up the third group supported through the NEA Initiative, and their findings are now set to inform national development plans, biodiversity strategies and reporting under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
An NEA brings together the best available knowledge on a country’s biodiversity and ecosystem services, shaped around the policy questions that are most relevant to that country. Guided by the Multiple Evidence Base approach, the NEAs fostered collaboration between scientific and Indigenous and local knowledge as sources of complementary and equally valid evidence, involving actors from across government, academia, civil society and the private sector. BES-Net and the NEA Initiative support these processes in countries around the world, contributing to the capacity-building work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Botswana
Botswana launched the Technical Report and Summary for Policymakers of its NEA on 24 March 2026. During the event, the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which implemented the assessment, formally handed the reports to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, whose role will now focus on putting the findings to use.
Botswana
Botswana launched the Technical Report and Summary for Policymakers of its NEA on 24 March 2026. During the event, the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which implemented the assessment, formally handed the reports to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, whose role will now focus on putting the findings to use.
The NEA covers six priority ecosystems: aquatic and wetland ecosystems, forests and woodlands, grasslands and shrublands, agroecosystems, desert ecosystems and hill ecosystems. Its findings point to a long-term decline in wetland extent and forest cover, along with growing pressure on rangelands and farmland from prolonged droughts, changing rainfall, overgrazing and invasive alien species. The NEA’s scenario modelling shows that business-as-usual pathways would lead to further degradation, while approaches centred on restoration, inclusive governance and nature-based solutions would make ecosystems and communities more resilient.
More than 1,700 traditional knowledge holders were engaged to ensure traditional knowledge is woven through the assessment, recognizing the role of traditional governance systems and cultural practices in conserving ecosystems. The NEA also makes an economic case for nature, pointing to sustainable tourism, payments for ecosystem services and natural capital accounting as ways to bring ecosystem values into national planning under Botswana’s Vision 2036.
The NEA covers six priority ecosystems: aquatic and wetland ecosystems, forests and woodlands, grasslands and shrublands, agroecosystems, desert ecosystems and hill ecosystems. Its findings point to a long-term decline in wetland extent and forest cover, along with growing pressure on rangelands and farmland from prolonged droughts, changing rainfall, overgrazing and invasive alien species. The NEA’s scenario modelling shows that business-as-usual pathways would lead to further degradation, while approaches centred on restoration, inclusive governance and nature-based solutions would make ecosystems and communities more resilient.
More than 1,700 traditional knowledge holders were engaged to ensure traditional knowledge is woven through the assessment, recognizing the role of traditional governance systems and cultural practices in conserving ecosystems. The NEA also makes an economic case for nature, pointing to sustainable tourism, payments for ecosystem services and natural capital accounting as ways to bring ecosystem values into national planning under Botswana’s Vision 2036.
Thailand
Thailand’s first NEA focused on marine and coastal ecosystems, which underpin food security, livelihoods, tourism and climate resilience along its shores. It covers mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, beaches, lagoons and estuaries, along with the wildlife that depends on them, from sea turtles to the rare dugongs. These ecosystems face compounding pressures from overfishing, tourism waste, port expansion, untreated wastewater and the clearing of mangroves for development, while climate change brings warmer seas, rising sea levels and coral bleaching. The assessment also examines the challenges of coastal management, including scattered data, few economic valuation studies and responsibilities split across several national agencies. Chapter 5 highlights the value and role of ILK in conserving marine and coastal ecosystems. It shows, for instance, how the knowledge held by the Chao Lay and small-scale fishing communities reflects a relational understanding of people and nature and contributes to the sustainable use of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Thailand
Thailand’s first NEA focused on marine and coastal ecosystems, which underpin food security, livelihoods, tourism and climate resilience along its shores. It covers mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, beaches, lagoons and estuaries, along with the wildlife that depends on them, from sea turtles to the rare dugongs. These ecosystems face compounding pressures from overfishing, tourism waste, port expansion, untreated wastewater and the clearing of mangroves for development, while climate change brings warmer seas, rising sea levels and coral bleaching. The assessment also examines the challenges of coastal management, including scattered data, few economic valuation studies and responsibilities split across several national agencies. Chapter 5 highlights the value and role of ILK in conserving marine and coastal ecosystems. It shows, for instance, how the knowledge held by the Chao Lay and small-scale fishing communities reflects a relational understanding of people and nature and contributes to the sustainable use of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services.
After over five years of scientific work and stakeholder engagement, the Project Steering Committee approved the Technical Assessment Report and Summary for Policymakers during a meeting chaired by Nareerat Phanmani, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning. Dr. Anuwat Nateewattana, a marine specialist and advisor to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, called it “the best report in several decades” and said that such a strong report “must not remain on the shelf”. Ms. Phanmani explained that the priority is now to communicate the findings and align them with Thailand’s upcoming 14th National Economic and Social Development Plan, so that they can guide a sustainable and inclusive blue economy.
After over five years of scientific work and stakeholder engagement, the Project Steering Committee approved the Technical Assessment Report and Summary for Policymakers during a meeting chaired by Nareerat Phanmani, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning. Dr. Anuwat Nateewattana, a marine specialist and advisor to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, called it “the best report in several decades” and said that such a strong report “must not remain on the shelf”. Ms. Phanmani explained that the priority is now to communicate the findings and align them with Thailand’s upcoming 14th National Economic and Social Development Plan, so that they can guide a sustainable and inclusive blue economy.
Malawi
Malawi launched its first NEA in May 2026, alongside the country’s Third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP III) and its Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Minister of Natural Resources, Patricia Wiskies, presented the three documents to more than 100 participants from science, policy and practice, including ILK holders and youth. The event highlighted the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the assessment’s evidence can inform and shape how NBSAP III is carried out from the outset.
Malawi
Malawi launched its first NEA in May 2026, alongside the country’s Third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP III) and its Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Minister of Natural Resources, Patricia Wiskies, presented the three documents to more than 100 participants from science, policy and practice, including ILK holders and youth. The event highlighted the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the assessment’s evidence can inform and shape how NBSAP III is carried out from the outset.
The Malawi NEA shows that an estimated 85 percent of Malawians depend directly on nature for their livelihoods. Meanwhile, forest cover has fallen from 47 percent of the country in 1975 to 24 percent by 2020, and catches of chambo, a national staple fish, have dropped by more than 70 percent over the past 50 years. Alongside these losses, the assessment records examples of good practice, such as the community fish sanctuaries run by Beach Village Committees, where the number of observed fish species rose by 24 percent across 56 sites. At a workshop after the launch, participants concluded that stronger coordination between sectors and new ways of mobilizing resources with the private sector should be among the first priorities for putting the NEA’s findings into practice.
The Malawi NEA shows that an estimated 85 percent of Malawians depend directly on nature for their livelihoods. Meanwhile, forest cover has fallen from 47 percent of the country in 1975 to 24 percent by 2020, and catches of chambo, a national staple fish, have dropped by more than 70 percent over the past 50 years. Alongside these losses, the assessment records examples of good practice, such as the community fish sanctuaries run by Beach Village Committees, where the number of observed fish species rose by 24 percent across 56 sites. At a workshop after the launch, participants concluded that stronger coordination between sectors and new ways of mobilizing resources with the private sector should be among the first priorities for putting the NEA’s findings into practice.
The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic launched its NEA in June 2026, bringing together government representatives, assessment leaders, national partners and experts to reflect on the process and on how its findings will inform decision-making. The assessment was implemented by the Dominican Environmental Consortium at the request of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. It applies the IPBES conceptual framework to the country’s mountain, valley and coastal-marine ecosystems, and considers scientific literature published since 2000 alongside the knowledge of local and traditional knowledge holders, paying particular attention to the role of women and of rural and coastal communities. As local and traditional knowledge related to biodiversity has been documented only to a limited extent, it was gathered with support from UNESCO and woven through all chapters of the assessment.
The findings highlight a steady decline in the country’s natural capital: between 2006 and 2018, more than 116,000 hectares of forest were converted to other uses. Mangrove cover shrank by almost 8 percent over the decade that followed, around 40 percent of coral reefs have been lost, and 70 percent of beaches show signs of erosion. The assessment attributes these losses to agricultural expansion, forest fires, unplanned urbanization and tourism, pollution, overfishing and invasive alien species, with climate change compounding the challenges. It also makes the case for nature as a strategic asset, valuing the country’s ecosystems at 4.2–7.6 percent of national gross domestic product. Its scenarios warn that cloud broadleaf forest could disappear within about 11 years if deforestation continues at its current pace.
To change that course, the assessment recommends restoring mangroves, coral reefs, dry forest and upper watersheds, building a national natural capital accounting system and formally interweaving local and traditional knowledge into decision-making. Juanita Chaves, Senior Programme Officer with the NEA Initiative, reflected on more than five years of commitment from everyone involved. “Now comes the most important part, which is implementing the findings of the assessment through public policy, the private sector and academia,” she said, adding that even the knowledge gaps the assessment identified “can become a source of future progress and knowledge for the countries”.
The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic launched its NEA in June 2026, bringing together government representatives, assessment leaders, national partners and experts to reflect on the process and on how its findings will inform decision-making. The assessment was implemented by the Dominican Environmental Consortium at the request of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. It applies the IPBES conceptual framework to the country’s mountain, valley and coastal-marine ecosystems, and considers scientific literature published since 2000 alongside the knowledge of local and traditional knowledge holders, paying particular attention to the role of women and of rural and coastal communities. As local and traditional knowledge related to biodiversity has been documented only to a limited extent, it was gathered with support from UNESCO and woven through all chapters of the assessment.
The findings highlight a steady decline in the country’s natural capital: between 2006 and 2018, more than 116,000 hectares of forest were converted to other uses. Mangrove cover shrank by almost 8 percent over the decade that followed, around 40 percent of coral reefs have been lost, and 70 percent of beaches show signs of erosion. The assessment attributes these losses to agricultural expansion, forest fires, unplanned urbanization and tourism, pollution, overfishing and invasive alien species, with climate change compounding the challenges. It also makes the case for nature as a strategic asset, valuing the country’s ecosystems at 4.2–7.6 percent of national gross domestic product. Its scenarios warn that cloud broadleaf forest could disappear within about 11 years if deforestation continues at its current pace.
To change that course, the assessment recommends restoring mangroves, coral reefs, dry forest and upper watersheds, building a national natural capital accounting system and formally interweaving local and traditional knowledge into decision-making. Juanita Chaves, Senior Programme Officer with the NEA Initiative, reflected on more than five years of commitment from everyone involved. “Now comes the most important part, which is implementing the findings of the assessment through public policy, the private sector and academia,” she said, adding that even the knowledge gaps the assessment identified “can become a source of future progress and knowledge for the countries”.
With their NEAs launched, Botswana, the Dominican Republic, Malawi and Thailand have reached a major milestone and are now moving into the next phase of their work through the BES Solution Fund, BES-Net’s catalytic seed fund. The fund will support them in scaling up the findings and recommendations of their NEAs and putting them into practice, in line with each country’s national biodiversity strategy and action plan. It will help strengthen institutions, bring together science, policy and practice communities and ILK holders, and improve how data is gathered and used. It will support on-the-ground initiatives that conserve, protect and restore threatened ecosystems. The NEA Initiative will also support the dissemination and uptake of the assessment findings in all four countries by synthesizing and packaging them into more accessible formats, such as factsheets and infographics.
As countries around the world work to translate global biodiversity commitments into national action, the experiences of Botswana, the Dominican Republic, Malawi and Thailand show the value of grounding those efforts in robust, inclusive evidence that brings together science and Indigenous and local knowledge. Their assessments now set the course; the next step is to follow it.
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