The Guidelines for Developing National Biodiversity Monitoring Systems provide guidance to ECE member states and other interested countries to help make monitoring a practical tool for environmental policy, especially in the development of plans and strategies on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, the mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation objectives across policy sectors, and in assessing progress in achieving policy targets and the effectiveness of conservation measures.
Minimization of health, environmental and socioeconomic risks resulting from biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, as well as the maximization of benefits from biodiversity and ecosystems, are the main objectives.
The guidelines are based on an assessment and evaluation of the situation with regard to biodiversity monitoring in the target countries contained in their environmental performance reviews, prepared under the ECE Environmental Performance Reviews Programme, as well as in the sixth and seventh Pan-European Environmental Assessments.