Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, has called on members of the African Union to integrate biodiversity preservation into their national developmental programmes.
Such a system, she said, would be a medium and long term approach towards reducing destruction of biodiversity resource, should the developed countries refuse to commit funds.
"It will be a plus for the continent if the Western countries finally honour their financial obligation for developing countries," she said.
Ms Ayittey was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the sidelines of the second day of the High level Segment (HLS) of the on-going COP 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Hyderabad, India.
The HLS brought together environmental ministerial delegations of about 174 countries and parties to the CBD to discuss and make critical decisions regarding the protection of the world’s biodiversity which is being depleted on daily basis.
Currently, four projects namely; Resource Mobilization, Implementation of the Strategic Plan on Biological Diversity 2011 to 2020, Coastal Marine Biodiversity, and Biological Diversity for Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction are being discussed.
The developed countries are saying that due to the Euro crisis and minimal budget they would not be able to provide new and additional finances for developing countries.
At COP 10, in Nagoya Japan, the developed countries proposed to support developing countries with a financial package to enable them to protect biodiversity, but a firm decision was not taken due to the disagreement by the developing countries.
It was, however, agreed that the issue would be revisited in COP 11 which is on-going.
Ms Ayettey said of the four projects, Resource Mobilization had been the key issue which had created a dead-lock because the implementation of the other three projects hinged on it.
"We need such a support to implement all the national strategic programmes which will include education, capacity building and strengthening of institutions," she said.
The minister said it would also help the nations to resort to alternative livelihoods such as adapting to the use of solar energy instead of charcoal.
Ms Ayittey suggested that developing nation's made it a priority to set aside funds to conserve biodiversity adding that, "we are surviving because of the kindness of nature".
She urged nations to be committed to the COP decisions stressing that many countries had not rectified the Nagoya Protocol which chartered a pathway for global biodiversity conservation.
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits of using genetic resources in a fair and equitable manner.
This includes appropriate access to genetic resources and appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and technologies, and by appropriate funding, thereby contributing to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components.