One of the objectives of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) is conservation and promotion of biodiversity. This ranks equally with the objectives of promoting sustainable use of biodiversity and promoting nature conservation as an overall responsibility of society.

BfN activities in recent years have focused on formulating guidelines for sustainable tourism in sensitive areas, creating a global protected area network, furthering the development of the  ecosystem approach and drafting international guidelines for access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their utilisation (‘access and benefit sharing’, or  ABS). Climate change and its effects on biodiversity form another increasing focus of the Agency’s ongoing work.