Through the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism (MMM), the Republic of El Salvador secured two matches with the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). As a specialised technical, knowledge and convening partner, UNEP-WCMC will support the development of a National Biodiversity System and strengthen the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in biodiversity monitoring, data management, and reporting. The match is designed to help build the data, systems, and institutional capacity needed to support long-term implementation of the country’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

As a small nation navigating resource and capacity constraints, El Salvador’s strategic use of the MMM demonstrates how access to targeted partnerships can help countries move from identifying implementation challenges to securing the technical support needed to address them. Together, these efforts are helping lay the foundation for more effective implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

For El Salvador, the partnership builds on years of existing effort rather than a fresh start. As Dr. José Enrique Barraza Sandoval, Director of Biodiversity at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, explains:

El Salvador has taken a strategic approach to accelerating biodiversity action by prioritizing the areas where targeted support can have the greatest impact. Guided by this approach, The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) identified critical gaps in biodiversity monitoring, data management, and policy frameworks. The Ministry also recognized that, given ongoing pressure on land and natural resources, agroecosystems must play a central role in biodiversity management.

After attending presentations about the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership at CBD COP16, representatives from El Salvador met with the partnership and submitted four strategic requests for support to the MatchMaking Mechanism (MMM). Within a short period, the government received three partnership offers, two of which are now moving forward through the country-led matchmaking process.

One of the responding organizations, UNEP-WCMC, saw a strong alignment between El Salvador’s priorities and its own work supporting biodiversity monitoring and implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The match emerged through a convergence of national demand and technical expertise. Through its National Monitoring Support Initiative, UNEP-WCMC had already identified El Salvador as a potential country partner based on its interest in strengthening biodiversity monitoring systems, and other criteria. At the same time, El Salvador had submitted requests through the MMM seeking support in precisely these areas. The MMM helped connect these complementary priorities, transforming identified needs into a concrete collaboration.

As UNEP-WCMC Programme Officer and Project Lead for the National Monitoring Support Initiative Gabriela Franco explains, UNEP-WCMC joined the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership because the MatchMaking Mechanism offers “a practical way to connect country-defined NBSAP implementation needs with technical support.”

One of El Salvador’s successful matches focuses on the development of a National Biodiversity System. The centralised platform will provide specialised, organized, and up-to-date information on species and ecosystems across the country, helping to:

• Support climate impact monitoring
• Inform strategic decision-making for biodiversity conservation
• Reduce biodiversity loss through improved data access and use
• Strengthen national capacity through technology transfer and scientific cooperation

By consolidating biodiversity data into a single, accessible system, El Salvador will improve its ability to track ecosystem changes, identify emerging risks, and design more targeted conservation responses. The system will also strengthen alignment with global biodiversity monitoring and reporting frameworks. Beyond improving data access, the system will help create the evidence base needed to assess whether conservation actions are working and where adjustments may be required.

Complementing the development of the NBS, the second match focuses on strengthening MARN’s institutional and technical capacity to manage biodiversity data.

This includes enhancing the Ministry’s ability to:

• Monitor biodiversity across ecosystems and species
• Store and manage digital biodiversity information
• Report on national biodiversity trends and progress
• Improve the management of natural protected areas and wildlife

By improving its ability to generate and use biodiversity indicators, El Salvador’s decision-makers will be better equipped to understand whether actions are achieving intended outcomes, adapt implementation where needed, and contribute to national and global reporting on progress toward biodiversity targets.

Together, these efforts address a critical bottleneck being observed across many requests received through the MMM: the lack of robust systems and capacities to collect, analyse, and use biodiversity data effectively. Countries around the world are grappling with similar constraints as they work to translate biodiversity commitments into action. As Franco of UNEP-WCMC explained in an interview with the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership:

For El Salvador, strengthening both biodiversity information systems and institutional capacity will help create the foundation needed for evidence-based decision-making, more effective biodiversity management, and improved monitoring and reporting on progress towards national and global biodiversity targets.

The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is UNEP’s Centre of excellence on biodiversity and nature’s contributions to society and the economy. Operating at the interface of science, policy, and practice, the Centre generates and applies high-quality data, knowledge, and tools to support better environmental decision-making worldwide. 

UNEP-WCMC’s support is being delivered through its National Monitoring Support Initiative, which works with countries and regions to strengthen monitoring systems, indicators, and reporting frameworks that support implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Through the Initiative, UNEP-WCMC collaborates with governments to strengthen the evidence base needed for biodiversity planning, implementation, monitoring, and review. 

The Initiative currently supports countries and regional organizations across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific, creating opportunities for peer learning and knowledge exchange. As implementation progresses, lessons from El Salvador’s experience can help inform similar efforts elsewhere, while the country can benefit from experiences generated by other partners in the Initiative.

UNEP-WCMC’s mission is to develop knowledge and capacity to improve the state of nature for all , helping governments, businesses, and institutions place biodiversity at the heart of planning and policy. Its work spans biodiversity monitoring, data systems, ecosystem assessment, and policy support, with a strong emphasis on digital innovation and the use of standardized, accessible data to inform action. 

A defining feature of the Centre’s approach is collaboration. Working with partners across governments, research institutions, and international organizations, UNEP-WCMC helps strengthen national systems while connecting them to global knowledge platforms and best practices. Through its National Monitoring Support Initiative, UNEP-WCMC helps countries strengthen the monitoring systems, indicators, and technical capacities needed to support and track implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and NBSAPs. The Initiative connects countries with a global network and capacity of more than 70 partner organizations, helping translate biodiversity commitments into measurable action.

El Salvador’s experience demonstrates how the MatchMaking Mechanism (MMM) can move countries from identifying challenges to initiating solutions. At its core, the MMM is designed to connect country-led biodiversity priorities with relevant technical and financial partners to accelerate NBSAP implementation. 

Rather than navigating fragmented outreach and bilateral negotiations, El Salvador used the MMM to centralize its requests for support and engage a global network of partners through a coordinated, transparent process. This approach reduces transaction costs, improves visibility of national priorities, and enables faster, more efficient partner engagement. The two matches supported by the UNEP-WCMC illustrate how this process works in practice. By clearly articulating needs related to biodiversity data systems and monitoring capacity, El Salvador was able to connect with a highly specialized partner aligned with those priorities, resulting in collaborations that address both technical infrastructure and institutional capacity.

A key strength of the MMM is its role as a neutral broker. It does not provide funding or directly manage projects; instead, it organizes connections between demand (country needs) and supply (technical and financial partners). This structure preserves country ownership while ensuring that nationally defined priorities drive engagement. The mechanism’s digital platform and coordinated approach help streamline interactions and reduce inefficiencies that often slow down implementation. By combining a people-centred approach with structured coordination, the MMM enables countries like El Salvador to mobilise around shared priorities.

A third request for support, currently in conversation with potential partners, involves developing a national roadmap to support ratification of the Nagoya protocol to advance Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) development in the country. The absence of ratification was identified as a barrier to progress. Without it, opportunities related to genetic resources and benefit-sharing remain limited. This effort to close policy gaps reflects a broader focus on aligning national policy frameworks with international biodiversity commitments.

Dr José Enrique Barraza Sandoval of El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment explained: “We receive requests for bioprospecting, but when we say we are not part of the Nagoya Protocol, the process stops. We identified this as a key gap. Our goal is to develop a roadmap and then approach the Legislative Assembly to advocate for ratification. But first, we need technical and legal support to understand what happened—why it was signed more than 10 years ago but not ratified—and to help move the process forward.”

With the UNEP-WCMC partnership underway, El Salvador is building momentum toward more integrated and effective biodiversity action. While the current matches focus on strengthening biodiversity data systems and monitoring capacity, they support a broader national vision for conservation, sustainable production, and public engagement.

As Dr José Enrique Barraza Sandoval explains:

Looking ahead, the country will focus on implementing matched projects, expanding collaboration, and strengthening the systems needed to support evidence-based biodiversity management. 

For UNEP-WCMC, the partnership represents more than a single project. As Gabriela Franco explains, “What is exciting is that the collaboration with El Salvador is country-led, capacity-focused and designed for creating long-term impact.” Lessons from El Salvador’s experience can help inform similar efforts elsewhere, while insights from other countries can strengthen implementation in El Salvador. 

As implementation begins, the focus will shift from identifying gaps to strengthening the systems, indicators, and technical capacities needed to monitor progress and support evidence-based decision-making. The partnership is designed to create lasting institutional capacity, ensuring that biodiversity information can continue to inform policy and action well beyond the life of the project.

By leveraging targeted partnerships and maintaining a clear focus on national priorities, El Salvador is laying the groundwork for sustained progress.

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