A sub-regional approach to capacity building in taxonomy for sustainable development

1. A sub-regional approach to capacity building in taxonomy for sustainable development Dr Richard Smith Assistant Director Dr Nicholas King Director

2. Taxonomic impedimentTaxonomic Expertise and Information:not where it is needed • 95% of existing taxonomic expertise resides in “developed” countries • 95% of taxonomic information and collections reside in “developed” countries • 95% of remaining biodiversity resides in developing countries! • Regional imbalances • expertise is rapidly ‘greying’ and not being replaced

3. BioNET-INTERNATIONALbasics • A not-for-profit, donor-funded, global programme founded in 1993… • …to help build the taxonomic capacity needed by “developing countries” for sustainable development; • Assists with GTI via sub-regional Technical Cooperation Networks for Taxonomy • 10 inter-institutional subregional networks • supported by a Technical Secretariat • NOT an Internet-based information network! • NOT a database! • NOT a donor agency!

4. A Global Network for Taxonomy

5. Status in Americas and Caribbean • CARINET: established(Regional Coordinator: Ronald Barrow, Trinidad and Tobago) • AndinoNET: established(Regional Coordinator: José Clavijo, Venezuela) • MesoAmeriNET: founding workshop to be hosted by Government of Guatemala(Interim Coordinator: Alvaro Herrero, INBio) • Southern Cone (LATINET): preparing for establishment in 2004(Interim Coordinator: Mercedes Lizarralde de Grosso, Sociedad Entomologica Argentina) • NAMERINET: NSCA interested

6. What is a BioNET-INTERNATIONAL LOOP? = Technical Cooperation Network Locally Owned and Operated Partnership permanent structure, owned and operated by member institutions and governments

7. Objectives of a BioNET-INTERNATIONAL LOOP • DEMAND DRIVEN: national and regional development and biodiversity priorities • help regions become self-reliant in taxonomy • facilitate, coordinate and promote taxonomic capacity building • help users of taxonomy to develop taxonomic services and products using regional expertise

8. LOOP Work Programmes • Collections: biological and literature • Information systems (deliver capacity regionally) • Training: taxonomy and technical support • Development and dissemination of technology • Sustainability of network

9. BioNET – complementary to IABIN, GBIF etc. • A global network of people with years of networking experience • Credible, tested, demand-driven mechanisms for Technical Cooperation S-S and S-N • Links via coordinators and Secretariat to relevant initiatives and institutions world-wide • Institutional coordination (training, projects, etc.) to prevent duplication • Government commitment to a permanent TCN • Focused on developing and using taxonomic information and expertise -> checklists, identification aids (keys), identification services, etc. • NOT a biodiversity database

10. LOOPs - facilitating partnerships

11. Ist BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Global Workshop (BIGW1) 1995, Cardiff 2nd BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Global Workshop (BIGW2) 1999, Cardiff 3rd BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Global Taxonomy Workshop 8-12 July 2002, Pretoria, South Africa: “Towards Sustainable Development -Partnerships for building demand-driven taxonomic capacity”

12. Activities –recent highlights • Global Strategy – Strategy and Action Plan for GTI • International Pollinators Initiative - Pollinators & Pollination: A Resource Book for Policy and Practice (forthcoming publication) • Case study compilation - societal impacts of taxonomy • West Africa – agreement with Entomed: capacity building to support bioprospecting (French corporation) • Caribbean – pest data sheets and training for FAO; biocontrol agent identification training (EU) • Southeast Asia – plant health services capacity assessment and building (Australia) • East Africa – implementation partner for Botanical and Zoological Network (GEF project)