Das Projekt "BioAndes - Biodiversity in the Andes" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von DEZA, Direktion für Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit durchgeführt. The three priority countries of SDC in the Andean region of Latin America; Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, are among the so-called megadiverse countries in terms of biological diversity, as defined at the Johannesburg Earth Summit in 2002. All three countries have identified their richness in cultural and biological diversity as one of the key potentials for the diversification of their economies and for pro-poor growth. Recognizing that the extraordinary biodiversity and the resulting economic benefits and environmental services must be preserved on a long-term basis the three countries have declared between 12 and 18% of their surface as protected areas. However, this alone will not allow to maintain existing degrees of biodiversity: A substantial part of the overall biological diversity is located outside protected areas, in particular in the cultural landscapes of agro, silvo and pastoral ecosystems. A high number of rural, resource-poor people are associated with these systems and directly benefit from the improvement of management of them. Because of the potentially important added value that can be expected through a systematic enhancement of regional exchange and joint activities, BioAndes is designed as a regional program for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru promoting the sustainable management of biodiversity in non-protected areas. The characteristics of the program have been defined according to the winning proposal of a regional bid. The winning consortium is led by the public University of Cochabamba-based AGRUCO (Bolivia) and is further composed of Ecociencia (Ecuador) and ETC (Peru). AGRUCO and Ecociencia are longstanding partners of SDC. The Center of Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Berne will provide a backstopping to the consortium and ensure the integration of BioAndes in the international exchange of knowledge.
The vision of the program is that stakeholders of biodiversity in the three countries have significant impacts on the respect and valorization of the bio-cultural heritage of the Andes through an increased human and institutional capacity for the sustainable management of biodiversity in non-protected areas. The mission is to enhance inter-institutional collaboration through the creation of functional platforms at sub-national, national and regional levels that promote joint learning processes, communication, empowerment, economic development and policy incidence, based on the recognition of the multidimensional nature of biodiversity. Special attention is paid to the sustainable management of bio-cultural production systems in non-protected areas. By focusing on the sustainable management of bio-cultural systems, the program is complementary to the SECO-programs, which emphasize trade-related issues. (Text gekürzt)