Principles of Effective Guidance to Support the Implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Louise Mercer, Daniela Alvarez Gallo, Élie Pédarros , Sarah Dalrymple, Katherine Jutting, Vanessa Cutts, Mohammad Khalid Sayeed Pasha, Maria-Mihaela Antofie, Onyeka Nwosu, Barbara Engels, Philip JK McGowan 

Effective guidance is necessary for conservation practitioners to implement targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). However, there is a need to determine what properties make good guidance: easily accessible, widely usable and addressing specific needs to be implemented quickly by end-users. Alongside a rapid review of tools and guidance resources (T&G) submitted to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) in response to notification 2023-120, we gathered input from Party representatives and end-users involved with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) processes. Key findings highlight regional disparities in perception between guidance producers and users, limited accessibility of guidance and lack of clarity surrounding guidance application. We present key principles for producing effective, inclusive guidance that is end-user focused to enhance the accessibility and usefulness of guidance supporting KMGBF implementation. These principles can aid development of co-designed, flexible, and accessible guidance that directly addresses the needs of diverse rights-holders and stakeholders. The use of these principles will require aligned technical capacity building for guidance producers and end-users accordingly. The application of these end-user pathways could contribute towards producing effective T&G that can be implemented to make progression to address KMGBF targets.