Why Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Baseline and monitoring activities of Critical Habitat-qualifying biodiversity of the Upper Victoria Nile

1. 40 aquatic species are likely Critical Habitat-qualifying fish species of the UVN

2. of these, 35 are Haplochromines cichlid fishes

3. Of these 35 species, 25 are currently under-described

3. two species are classified by IUCN as Data Deficient

Little is known about the taxonomy, ecology, habitat preference, distribution and conservation

What would be the BAP Outcome

What is then Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)? BNG refers to mandatory intervention(s) which results in the net improvement to biodiversity for a defined area.

• Net improvement=improved biodiversity value of a development site
• Mandatory interventions are those undertaken by developers to either preserve, protect mitigate or enhance any habitats found on site. BNG can be both onsite and offsite.
• Simply stated, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), sometimes described as Net Positive Impact (NPI), means leaving biodiversity better off following development activity, compared to an appropriate reference scenario = No Net Loss

Who are proponents of BNG/NNL?

• Governments: the goal may be set at a national, regional or local level.
• Companies: the goal may be at a site, project or corporate level, or for part of the value chain.
• Financial institutions, the focus could be their investment strategies, based on environment, social and governance (ESG) policy that refers to BNG.
• In all cases, the goal must be defined relative to an appropriate reference scenario: