Presentation to the GBIF-Africa Heads of Delegation to the GBIF Governing Board, GBIF Governing Board Meeting 18, Buenos Aires, Argentina (October 2011)

1. A regional engagement framework for biodiversity informatics
in response to regional and national priorities
Fatima Parker-Allie
1st October 2011

2. Background
• At GBIF 16 the governing board endorsed the recommendation to have a series of regional
meetings with the aim of improving the coordination of activities between the country nodes and
the secretariat as well as to support collaboration amongst nodes at a regional level.
• South Africa was then nominated to lead the process
• The GBIF-Africa meeting, held in Entebbe, Uganda (Aug 2010) was a milestone for Biodiversity
Informatics on the continent.
• It brought together 18 GBIF participants, associate participants and international organizations
from across the continent, with the key objective of promoting continental collaboration,
improved regional coordination of activities and improved interaction with the GBIF structures.

3. Background
• A review of the Nodes showed that many members are at different stages of development, some
have been operational for a number of years, while others have just recently joined the GBIF
network.
• Thus a review of status /institutional arrangements, achievements and challenges were conducted,
which formed the basis of an action plan.
• This action plan included 3 broad areas of intervention to improve regional activities
– Improving institutional capacity
– Enhancing institutional data and information management policies
– Developing and strengthening partnerships
• In addition to the above, it was recognised that a formal mechanism for coordinating African
activities must be developed.
Start up
Node
Operational
Advanced
Development trajectory for Nodes

4. Rationale for an African Coordinating Mechanism
• The development of a concept document for the establishment of an Africa coordinating
mechanism (ACM), was one of the key strategic priority for 2011.
• The aim of this document is to mobilize resources through the African Ministers
Committee on Science and Technology (AMCOST) which is a component of the African
Union network, or alternatively through NEPAD.
• It has been identified that the African Coordinating mechanism needs to be established to
facilitate the development and implementation of the African strategic plan.
• This mechanism is also intended to respond and engage with GBIF, and is needed to
effectively give voice to Africa’s Biodiversity Informatics needs, and to ensure active
engagement with GBIF around Africa’s needs and activities as a developmental region.

5. The African Coordinating Mechanism
Task team established at the GBIF-Africa meeting, to
look at structure and function (Sep 2010)
Task team meeting to draft concept document (March
2011, DST, Pretoria)
Document ready for review and discussion by Node
Managers at 2nd GBIF-Africa meeting (Sept 2011)
Document to be refined and referred to HoD’s for
endorsement (current)

6. 2nd GBIF-Africa meeting
13th -14th September 2011
Meeting was attended by 28 delegates from 18 countries and
international organisations.
Purpose:
• a.) Initiate the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategic Plan
• b.) To finalise the Africa Coordinating Mechanism
• c.) Prepare for GBIF18

7. Africa Strategic Action Plan
• Significant headway was made with the implementation of the Africa Strategic
Action Plan
• This was done by identifying three key priority areas which will be addressed over
the next 2 years 2012 – 2013, and were aligned with the GBIF workplan 2012/13.
• Groups have been identified to drive the regional strategy in each of these work
areas, with a leader, having been elected.
Capacity
Building
Strategic Regional
Engagement
Data
publishing
strategy and
action plan

8. Regional Activity
MDG’s
IPBES
CBD
2020 Aichi Targets
WCMC – biodiversity
indicators
Many nodes
are
operational
Bridging the
research –
policy-
decision
making divide
Regional and
international
Partnerships
CEPDEC, SEP-
CEPDEC, JRS
GBIF
Infrastructure
IPT, standards
& tools
Data
Mobilization
>14.5 m
records
Training
activities in
biod. inform

9. The role of the Node
• In order to have regional impact, node activities need to be coordinated.
• To reap the most reward from the GBIF engagement, it is important to note that the role of
the Nodes goes beyond mobilising data
• It moves from mobilising data, to building capacity in biodiversity and biodiversity
informatics, strengthening institutions, and then developing tools and products which have
relevance for policy, decision making , conservation planning and sustainable use.

10. Some Areas of intervention by Nodes
• Some key questions should be: “How do we adequately utilize our Nodes so that
it contributes to products that address our national needs and priorities?”
• Another key question “how can we best utilise the Nodes and GBIF
infrastructures, to address international obligations such as the CBD biodiversity
targets.
Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3)
• This report is a product by the CBDs and the United Nations
Environmental Programme –WCMC.
• The 1° sources for the GBO-3:
– An analysis of the current status and trends of biod., conducted by the Biodiversity
Indicators Partnership – coord. By UNEP-WCMC.
• This provides a key area for Nodes to be involved and contribute baseline data
Aichi 2020 Biodiversity Targets
• Strategic Goal E: Enhance implementation through participatory planning,
knowledge management and capacity building

11. Regional Engagement
• The GBIF-Africa nodes have contributed much to the arena of biodiversity
informatics and information management on the continent.
• The regional engagement process has enabled nodes to make the
necessary alignments between the country, regional and GBIF strategic
plans for the first time.
• However, in order to move from working at the national level, to the
regional scale, a coordinated approach towards information management
on the continent is key.
• Thus, the ACM is key to strategic, coordinated action in BI.
• However, an appropriate funding model, to support regional engagement
is critical to ensure sustainability of regional engagement.

12. Funding framework for informatics on the continent
PRIMARY FUNDING
JRS -FOUNDATION, 11%
MAC-ARTHUR
FOUNDATION, 5%
GBIF-CEPDEC, 5%
GBIF, 21%
INSTITUTION, 21%
GOVERNMENT, 16%
GBIF-SEP-CEPDEC, 21%
The primary source of funding for node activities were identified as:
GBIF and GBIF related programs (47%),
Governments (16%),
Host institutions (21%),
JRS foundation (11%) and
Mac-Arthur foundation (5%).
Data : Africa Report

13. Sustainability
• Ideally, through support of the ACM, we will leverage funding from national
governments and Africa wide initiatives such as Nepad, AMCOST and
international donors, to build sustainability and enhance ownership of
informatics on the continent.
AC
Other funding
org
GBIF
Africa Community/Gov
Other funding
org
GBIF

14. Acknowledgements
• Thank you to all the Nodes, Heads of Delegation &
GBIF for your contributions to this initiative.