1) Application of the economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services for promoting sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity in decision making as well as in business; 2) Design and implementation of participatory approaches for conservation and management of biodiversity in coastal and marine protected areas.

With only 2.4% of the world’s land area, India accounts for nearly 7% of the world’s recorded plant and animal species, while supporting 18% of global human population. India's large and growing population, rapid economic growth and industrialization put an increasing pressure on biodiversity and ecosystem services. For India, protecting biodiversity is a urgent need as it is linked to livelihoods of millions of people dependent on natural resources for sustenance. Sustainable use of biodiversity therefore has both ecological and economic value.

The Indo-German Biodiversity Programme addresses the challenges of biodiversity conservation in two complementary areas:

Incentives for Sustainable Management of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (ISMB)

The project, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) aims at achieving the following results:

• ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) India study focuses on three ecosystems, i.e. forests, inland wetlands and coastal and marine ecosystems, to enhance awareness and recognition of economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• Introduction of economic instruments in selected pilot projects to reward local stewardship for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
• Integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into business operations of selected companies as pilots for good practices in private sector.
• Capacity development of key stakeholders, i. e. sectoral departments at central, state and local levels, private sector, local government bodies and communities, for applying economic valuation for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (CMPA)

The CMPA project contributes to conservation of India’s coastal and marine ecosystems, while at the same time improving the livelihoods of the local population dependent on coastal resources. The project, in partnership with MoEF, aims at achieving the following results:

• Developing and implementing models for participatory conservation and management of biodiversity in selected existing and potential CMPA.
• Strengthening the necessary capacities of stakeholders, particularly the sectoral departments, NGOs, and coastal communities.
• Enriching existing local knowledge by complementing it with international experiences, and a scientific cooperation between India and Germany in the sphere of coastal and marine biodiversity.
• Providing information, education, and communication for awareness raising, public relations and policy dialogues.

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