25 May 2015: The ‘Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development’ conference brought together over 100 delegates, including data managers, scientists, researchers and policymakers from Africa and beyond, as well as representatives of civil society, international organizations, UN agencies and private foundations.

The conference aimed to: increase regional understanding of the biodiversity data-science-policy value chain and identify the opportunities and solutions that it presents for sustainable development in Africa; draw attention to relevant tools, resources and learning networks for building effective biodiversity information systems in Africa; and elaborate a ‘Plan of Action’ for mobilizing and mainstreaming Africa’s policy-relevant biodiversity data, and develop international partnerships to implement the plan.

The meeting coincided with the International Day of Biodiversity, and convened in Cape Town, South Africa, from 19-22 May 2015. The launch and first regional meeting of a multi-year €3.9m EU-funded programme also took place during the event. The ‘Biodiversity Information for Development’ (BID) project, launched by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), aims to enhance capacity in biodiversity information in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. It builds on the project, ‘Mobilizing Africa’s Biodiversity Data,’ which aims to develop a strategy for capturing, digitizing and publishing Africa’s policy-relevant biodiversity data, while strengthening regional capacity and collaboration in biodiversity informatics.

The event culminated with the release of a ‘Declaration on biodiversity information for sustainable development in Africa,’ a joint statement of intent put forward by conference participants. The declaration highlights that, inter alia, “Biodiversity is the bedrock of sustainable development” and, if managed wisely, could lead to a surge in green economic opportunities across the continent. The Declaration goes on to say that: achieving sustainable development in Africa will require reliable biodiversity information; data are the currency of the information age; critical data-deficits impair decision making; regional cooperation can spur coordinated action; and Africa could lead the world in biodiversity information management.

The Africa Rising conference was organized by the South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in partnership, with the (GBIF), the UN Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), and the Resilience in the Limpopo Basin Programme. [UNEP Press Release on Africa Rising Conference] [SANBI News – 4 November 2014] [Sanbi News – 26 May 2015] [Africa Rising Conference Website] [Declaration on biodiversity information for sustainable development in Africa] [GBIF News Story] [ICLEI News]