Da Silva, JMSeymour, CLHarris, LRVan Niekerk, LaraDayaram, ADriver, AKgomo, TKhatieb, SMsweli, STSink, K2026-02-202026-02-202025-111654-72090044-7447https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02285-8http://hdl.handle.net/10204/14696To combat global biodiversity decline, countries must identify priority ecosystems and species, often through National Ecosystem or Biodiversity Assessments (NEAs/NBAs). In developing nations, resource constraints make effective uptake critical. South Africa has conducted three NBAs (2004, 2011, 2018), which have influenced policy and practice, though their impact has never been quantitatively assessed. This study evaluates NBA uptake via citation tracking, an online survey, and an application inventory. Citations revealed strong academic use, while the survey showed relevance in spatial planning, conservation actions, and environmental assessments. The application inventory demonstrated NBA influence beyond biodiversity, extending to areas like water security. Understanding NBA uptake is key to maximising its impact. We distil two decades of experience into lessons to improve future NBA uptake in South Africa and support implementation in other countries.AbstractenBiodiversity declineNational Ecosystem or Biodiversity AssessmentsBiodiversity data synthesisScience-policy interfaceArticleN/A