2nd edition of NABTA, an action-oriented pro-nature program

Do you know Nabta? An offshoot of the Biodiversity Partners Program (BiPP) in North Africa (financed by FASP), this regional program supports 25 pro-nature project leaders – public, private or associative – with a positive impact on biodiversity in all sectors of the economy. It enables them to gain expertise in biodiversity issues and to take their project forward using “acceleration” methods. A one-week face-to-face meeting brought together all participants to foster the emergence of a regional community of action.

From April 15 to 21, 2024, the closing phase of the NABTA (Nature, Biodiversity and Transitions in North Africa and the Middle East) program was held in Tunis, bringing together 17 participants from Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and Algeria. These project leaders are completing this 6-month program operated by INCO, financed and piloted by the AFD Group Campus in partnership with the AFD regional offices in North africa and Middle-East and in collaboration with the agencies of the countries involved. The program relies on an innovative methodology based on the triptych supported by the Campus: “learning something different, differently and together”.

The program aims to understand the challenges of massive biodiversity degradation in the Mediterranean basin (the world’s 2nd largest hotspot), through capacity-building sessions and inspiring encounters with a view to accelerating their impact projects.

After overcoming logistical and geopolitical obstacles to bring them together in Tunis, participants experienced a week-long time of reconnection with nature (notably through a Deep Time Walk in the forest on the outskirts of Bizerte) and consolidated their community (workshops, exchanges, drafting of a manifesto). The program ended at the Institut Français de Tunis with a pitch session for their projects, followed by an exhibition of artistic performances to raise awareness of the need to preserve natural resources, and an immersive experience proposed by Onyo.

NABTA has enabled the creation of the first regional community of players committed to preserving biodiversity and ecosystems in the Mediterranean (“Azul”). It will soon be joined by participants in the second edition, due to be launched shortly.

The 2nd edition will take place in 2024 and 2025.

If you’d like to take part, the call for entries is available here:  http://afd.wiin.io/fr/applications/nabta2024

For more information, visit ➡️ https://www.biodiversitypartnersprogram.com/editions/nabta-2024