Access to resources is essential for the effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB).  Developed countries that have ratified the CBD have committed themselves through Target 11.2 of the CBD to provide financial resources to initiatives in developing countries to effectively implement their commitments under the Convention. Official Development Assistance (ODA) are resources provided by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), a principle body of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which deals with promoting sustainable development co-operation with developing countries.  Ireland, as a member of the DAC, reports aid data annually to the DAC specifying for each activity whether or not it targets one or more of the Rio Conventions. 

This indicator monitors the volume of aid provided under the ‘Rio marker’ for biodiversity.  An activity can be marked with the biodiversity Rio marker if it contributes to:

a) protection of or enhancing ecosystems, species or genetic resources through in-situ or ex-situ conservation, or remedying existing environmental damage;

b) integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services concerns within recipient countries’ development objectives and economic decision making, through institution building, capacity development, strengthening the regulatory and policy framework, or research;

c) developing countries’ efforts to meet their obligations under the Convention.

When assigning a Rio marker, members of the DAC specify whether biodiversity is the ‘principle’ policy objective of the activity, or a ‘significant’ policy objective of the activity.  Activities identified as having a principle biodiversity objective would not have been funded but for that objective; activities identified as having significant biodiversity objectives have other primary objectives, but also have been formulated or adjusted to help meet biodiversity concerns. 

Although Ireland has been supplying data with a ‘Biodiversity’ Rio marker to the DAC Creditor Reporting System since 2009, the approach to assigning and collating these data has changed sufficiently to make it difficult to compare 2009 to 2011 funding levels to funds reported from 2012 onwards.  Consequently, the baseline year for this indicator is 2012. In the most recent year where data are available (2019), Ireland’s net ODA to developing countries was USD$ 973 million of which USD$ 36.79 million (3.78%) was biodiversity-related development finance.

More information on the OECD statistics on external development finance targeting environmental objectives can be found here:

http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/rioconventions.htm

http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=RIOMARKERS#

http://www.oecd.org/dac/ireland.htm

More information on the Irish Aid programme in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and country level grants can be found here:

https://www.irishaid.ie/

https://www.irishaid.ie/what-we-do/countries-where-we-work/

https://www.irishaid.ie/news-publications/tags/environmentalclimatechange/