23 March 2011: The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) Secretariat has announced it will undertake its third User Needs Survey, as part of its plans to expand membership and strengthen collaboration.

The BIP brings together over 40 organizations to develop global biodiversity indicators, linking biodiversity initiatives at the national, regional and global levels and contributing information to international mechanisms and initiatives. It is a global initiative to further develop and promote indicators for the consistent monitoring and assessment of biodiversity. UNEP-WCMC (UN Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Center) hosts the BIP Secretariat.

According to the BIP Secretariat, the BIP is gathering input from a broad constituency while it plans an expansion over the coming months. The BIP aims to achieve greater collaboration with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

Responses to the User Needs Survey are requested by 1 April 2011. [BIP website] [BIP User Needs Survey]