15 May 2025

Learning from what works: Regional knowledge exchange workshop in Namibia

Participants from the regional knowledge exchange workshop in Namibia

Christian Stiebahl

In early May, Windhoek became the hub of regional learning and collaboration as Namibia hosted a landmark knowledge exchange workshop focused on implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) in Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Mozambique and Côte d’Ivoire. Organised by IUCN in collaboration with GIZ and Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) and under the umbrella of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, the workshop brought together around 40 participants from government and civil society engaged in rich knowledge exchange.

Participants engaged in a discussion during the workshop

Christian Stiebahl

Over three days, participants shared knowledge, challenges and practical experiences. The event fostered peer-to-peer learning through a carefully curated agenda that addressed shared priorities across countries. These included area-based conservation, inclusive and community-led conservation, sustainable biodiversity financing, and integrating biodiversity into national development policies.

The workshop’s success was underpinned by a rigorous preparation phase where the key learning topics were selected based on extensive desktop reviews, consultation with stakeholders and expert interviews. These were then matched with Solutions from the vast PANORAMA database and other replicable experiences from the region.

PANORAMA Solutions that were referred during the workshop

Christian Stiebahl

The concept of positive plagiarism, the idea of adapting and replicating proven Solutions, was at the heart of the workshop. Case studies presented by PANORAMA Solution Providers, along with other good practices, sparked dynamic exchanges on bridging knowledge gaps and adapting good practices for knowledge uptake. Moving beyond discussions, participants also made concrete “replication pledges,” i.e. personal commitments to how they will apply some of the insights from the workshop, replicating elements of existing solutions.

The momentum continues post workshop with some participants documenting their own innovative approaches as PANORAMA case studies, resulting in at least 12 new Solutions being added to the PANORAMA database, including for example youth engagement in biodiversity planning in Madagascar or community-based forest management in Lokolama, DRC.

As a first in the series, this workshop in Namibia set a strong foundation for future workshops to be held in Indonesia and Peru.