As an arid and semi-arid coastal country in the eastern horn of Africa, Somalia hosts ecosystems that are both rich in biodiversity and highly fragile. These ecosystems, shaped by erratic and harsh weather, underpin the livelihoods of millions yet are increasingly vulnerable to drought, extreme heat, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss. Director of Biodiversity, Wildlife and Forests at Somalia’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Faiza Ali Yusuff, explained, “Thirty percent of our land is already degraded,” adding that “around sixty percent of our people rely on charcoal for energy—putting immense pressure on our forests.”

Despite its challenges, today, Somalia is charting a new course for nature. The country’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is committed to positioning itself as a regional leader in biodiversity action and sustainable development and has opened its doors for innovation and scientific support through a partnership with the Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS). Together, the partners aim to tackle biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse — issues that greatly affect local communities in Somalia. The collaboration made possible through the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism (MMM), is a catalyst to accelerate the changes needed to ensure a thriving future for Somalia.

The match is timely. Somalia’s biodiversity conditions are worsening, but the country is committed to act, despite immense challenges. Somalia is working to update its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and align it with the 23 targets of the post-2020 Kumming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The partnership with OSS is expected to help Somalia overcome critical challenges, including limited technical capacity, scarce data, and under-resourced institutions, which hinder its ability to respond to mounting environmental pressures.

Yusuff, affirmed, “Somalia is committed to updating its NBSAP and plans to submit by next year,” but noted that the country “needs technical and financial support to facilitate implementation and fast-track its efforts.” She added, “that’s exactly what this collaboration brings.”

The country’s success stories are motivating its work. Its collaboration with UNODC on illegal wildlife trade supports Target 5 of the GBF. Somalia is gathering data for the next Wildlife Crime report, which is scheduled for publication later this year. It has attended regional workshops and supported bilateral technical assistance and training for officials like customs police and Ministry of Environment employees to detect, investigate, and prosecute wildlife crime.

Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS), a Tunisia-based regional organisation with 27 African member states, has long supported sustainable natural resource management in the Horn of Africa and across the continent. Its work is particularly focused on areas affected by climate change including arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid ecosystems. With its recent designation as a Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) subregional Technical and Scientific Cooperation Center (TSCC), OSS plays a pivotal role in helping countries meet the targets of the GBF.

With decades of experience, OSS has become a nexus for north-south and south-south collaboration in Africa, bringing to the table technical tools, monitoring systems, funding sources, and a powerful interface between science and policy.

Head of OSS Biodiversity Division, Abir Ben Romdhane, explained, “We play a role as an interface between science and policy by putting spatial tools and platforms like earth observation at the disposal of countries. These tools help countries visualize and evaluate the impact of development on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We then support them in integrating biodiversity into planning and development.”

OSS uses spatial data, earth observation, and scenario modelling to help countries assess the impact of development, such as tourism and land-use change, on biodiversity. One standout tool OSS is excited about is their ecosystem natural capital accounting, designed to quantify the value of ecosystems in economic terms. The economic tool is a game changer across the continent of Africa, where nature’s value is high but often invisible in national planning. In Tunisia, for instance, OSS used these tools to illustrate the medium to long-term environmental costs of concentrated tourism in sensitive coastal zones, and proposed strategies that diversify tourism across the region and reduce its impact on sensitive areas for long-term sustainability of its thriving and profitable tourism sector.

OSS’s Biodiversity Director, Fatou Mar has seen these technical tools make a difference. She shared that it’s “what motivates us every day to wake up and to come here.” She explained, “What we are developing is very useful for our partners. We develop tools like ecosystem natural capital accounting to make the value of biodiversity, which is very strong in most African countries, visible and measurable, especially in policy and planning.” She emphasized “We are not just talking about trees or land. We need to feed a growing population.”

This integrated, data-informed approach is now being tailored for Somalia, a nation with little to no baseline data and immense progress to gain. The partnership between Somalia and OSS will unlock opportunities important to not only biodiversity but to communities who deeply rely on the land for their livelihoods.

Facilitated by the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, the MatchMaking Mechanism (MMM) is the first country-led mechanism designed to rapidly unlock technical and financial support for NBSAP implementation. Through the mechanism countries can submit requests for support related to national targets or key elements of their NBSAP. They can also access assistance from the MMM team in this process. Submitted requests are assessed and distributed to a network of potential suppliers, who review and respond with interest. Countries ultimately determine which partners best fits their needs, ensuring national ownership.

Somalia’s connection with the MMM began at the 25th meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) in Kenya in 2024, where MMM Lead, Devonne Goad, met Somalia’s Faiza Ali Yussuf. After learning about Somalia’s environmental priorities, it was evident that the country would benefit from a request for support through the MMM. At CBD COP16 in Colombia during NBSAP Day and at the NBSAP Helpdesk, Yussuf met leaders of OSS and learned about their portfolio of restoration work across Africa.

Soon after the official operationalization of the MMM platform at COP16, Somalia submitted a formal request for support focused on the Jazeera District, a coastal area of ecological and economic importance. Its request included restoring mangroves, demarcating protected areas, rehabilitating war-damaged natural areas, involving internally displaced peoples in restoration efforts, and establishing baseline data systems.

“Technical support is a main issue in Somalia,” explained Yusuff. “This process would have been very difficult for Somalia to navigate alone, but the MatchMaking Mechanism is helping us fill these gaps.”

OSS responded to Somalia’s request with interest, and Somalia accepted the match, formalising a collaboration that brings together OSS’s strengths in project design, spatial monitoring, ecosystem data, and climate adaptation with Somalia’s national restoration and management priorities. What began as a generous support offer quickly evolved into a jointly developed proposal to the Adaptation Fund of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with an even greater scope. The partnership will focus on ecosystem restoration in the Jazeera District, including the replanting of native flora species, especially mangroves, community engagement in restoration and sustainable management, the development of robust data and monitoring systems to support climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods, and capacity development for communities and environmental staff. OSS aims to build not just a stand-alone project with Somalia, but a system of indicators, data, and tools that will serve the country for the long-term.

OSS’s role as a TSCC endorsed by the CBD reflects its growing leadership in accelerating action on the 23 targets of the GBF in the region. Through the MatchMaking Mechanism, OSS has a vehicle to connect its expertise with country needs. This approach could be replicated well beyond Somalia. Abir Ben Romdhane, Head of the Biodiversity Division at OSS, commented, “We saw the added value of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, and it’s something we want to share with other countries.” Fatou Mar echoed the importance of the role of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership in turning a conversation into a concrete collaboration.

Abir emphasised the need to think beyond traditional funding pathways: “We must integrate biodiversity into all development sectors—water, agriculture, tourism—because that’s how we unlock funding and multiply impact.” Thinking of the 2030 deadline for the 23 GBF targets, Fatou reminded us how little time we have. With sincerity and jest, she remarked, “2030 is tomorrow.”

The team’s urgency to support African countries in managing their rich natural resources for people and the ecosystem was clear. Abir added, “we need to put Nature into the heart of the development process of each country.”

The OSS-Somalia collaboration is more than just a bilateral match. It is a glimpse into the acceleration that is possible when countries and institutions align resources, technology, knowledge, and political will to safeguard nature and human well-being.