About

About

Highlights the vision and approach of ecosystem accounting

About

COPERNICEA

General Presentation of the Project

The COPERNICEA Project (“Regional Cooperation for New Indicators of Ecosystem Accounting in Africa”) is a regional initiative implemented by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD). Launched in 2020, the project covered six (6) French-speaking African countries - Burkina Faso, Guinea, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and Tunisia - and aimed to provide each of them with an operational, self-governing, and sustainable Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting (ENCA) system. The project’s goal is to produce comparable and aggregated ecosystem accounts, make it possible to monitor natural capital trends, better internalize degradation costs, and support the countries’ international commitments (SDGs, Convention on Biological Diversity, Paris Agreement).

Biodiversity and sustainable development

Promoting a resilient transition through the integration of natural values ​​into national policy

This project addresses a strategic challenge: integrating biodiversity and ecosystem service values into national planning and accounting systems to improve decision-making and promote a sustainable, low-carbon, and climate-resilient development pathway.

It is built on four main components:

Institutional strengthening and establishment of regional and national structures

Institutional strengthening and establishment of regional and national structures

Creation of operational infrastructure

Creation of operational infrastructure

Capacity building

Capacity building

Communication and integration of ecosystem accounts as sustainable development indicators

Communication and integration of ecosystem accounts as sustainable development indicators

With a 4 million-euro-budget (2 million financed by AFD - the remainder as in-kind contributions from partner countries and organizations), COPERNICEA aims to not only produce the first ecosystem accounts in target countries but also establish a regional technical resource platform accessible to other African nations. Ultimately, it will help institutionalize natural capital accounting as a key tool for environmental governance, planning, and monitoring across Africa.

The COPERNICEA Network

The COPERNICEA project relies on a regional and international network of scientific, technical, and operational actors for better implementation of Ecosystem Natural Capital Accounting (ENCA) in Africa.

This network includes:

  • CIRAD (Centre for International Cooperation in Agronomic Research for Development)
  • University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM)
  • Institut de la Francophonie pour le Développement Durable (IFDD)
  • IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development)
  • Specialized NGOs, IUCN and WWF
  • National technical services (statistics, environment, biodiversity, etc.) from the six partner countries
  • Private sector actors involved in data provision, tools, or expertise

Technical and Financial Partner

The AFD supports the implementation of actions for biodiversity protection and the sustainable management of natural resources. Through its financial support and expertise, it contributes to strengthening the capacities of local stakeholders and developing innovative solutions adapted to environmental challenges in the Mediterranean region.

Biodiversity Centre (TSC)

The Biodiversity Centre (TSC) is a regional initiative that aims to strengthen the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by providing targeted support to developing countries and vulnerable communities.

It stems from Decision 15/8, adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15, Montreal, 2022), which emphasizes:

Capacity building and creation

Technical and scientific cooperation

Technology transfer and resource mobilization

Decision 15/8 also highlights the importance of inclusive partnerships, involving Indigenous peoples, women, youth, academia, and the private sector, while promoting North-South, South-South, and three-party cooperation.

The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) is recognized as a reference center in North Africa for its scientific and technical support in implementing the three Rio Conventions:

CDB

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

CCNUCC

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

CNULCD

UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

It plays a key role in supporting African countries in their environment preservation and sustainable development promotion efforts. It is one of the five technical and scientific centers officially designated by the CBD Secretariat and works in synergy with the four others.

The OSS will support Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia under its 2025–2030 strategy, with the aim of:

Encouraging knowledge sharing and best practices while maximizing synergies with other regional and international conventions, initiatives, and mechanisms

Promoting and fostering technical and scientific cooperation, as well as technology transfer, to support the implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF);

Providing a regional one-stop hub for Parties and stakeholders (governments, local communities, women, youth, civil society) to access expertise, tools, and knowledge;

Fostering innovation and cooperation by enabling access to joint research, tailored technological solutions, and traditional knowledge, while respecting the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principle;

Mobilizing resources and creating partnerships by connecting countries with specific needs to technical and financial partners

Building institutional capacities at national and regional levels in science, technology, and innovation