Story | 06 Jun, 2024

BIOPAMA-established and supported Regional Observatories’ role in the GBF implementation recognised

The Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) regional and/or subregional centres of the technical and scientific cooperation centres were established at the 15^th CBD COP as mechanism to assist in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the work of the convention and its protocols. Following a process to identify the regional organisations that would play this role through a competitive Call for Expression of Interest, the CBD Secretariat announced that the BIOPAMA-led or -supported partnerships across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific are proposed to become – or contribute to – such regional centres. This outcome recognises the valuable work done through the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA) by IUCN and partners more broadly in supporting biodiversity conservation efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific regions.

Okavango Delta is a Natural World Heritage Site. BIOPAMA produced a publication on the World Heritage essentials in Africa, "Natural World Heritage in Africa: Progress and Prospects".

Photo: Bastian Bertzky

The CBD centres are expected to be announced later this year at the 16^th CBD COP.

Mandated by regional organisations BIOPAMA has established five regional centres for biodiversity and protected areas management or “regional observatories”, that serve 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific regions. Their mission includes:

Information and knowledge management: data collection, current and complete data, analysis, monitoring and reporting.
Capacity development for staff and organisations to manage this information and provide policy guidance for better decision making on biodiversity conservation.
Networking and communication.

These Regional Observatories help to achieve:

Improved decision-making at local and national levels by collating and managing high quality and verified biodiversity datasets and information.
An open-data practice as a global resource by making these data and information available freely and by promoting and encouraging their use.

The five BIOPAMA-established regional observatories are:

The “Regional Resource Hub” for Eastern and Southern Africa (RRH), hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD).
The “Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway” (CPAG), hosted by the University of the West Indies.
The “Observatoire des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale” (OFAC), hosted by the Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC).
The “Observatoire pour la biodiversité et les aires protégées en Afrique de l’Ouest” (OBAPAO), hosted by Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE), Regional Network of Marine Protected Areas (RAMPAO), the University of Ghana, the Agrhymet Centre and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
The “SPREP Regional Programme of Support for Protected Areas” (SPREP-PA), hosted by the Secretariat of Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

The BIOPAMA Programme is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States funded by the European Development Fund and implemented by IUCN and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.