10 February 2015: The European Union (EU) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) announced a four-year €3.9 million project to increase biodiversity information available for developing countries.

The project, titled ‘Biodiversity Information for Development’ (BID), will focus on enhancing capacity and mobilizing data from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. It is developed in the framework of the EU Biodiversity for Life Flagship Initiative (B4Life), and seeks to support progress toward the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The goal is to help countries from the identified regions meet key policy needs and commitments under intergovernmental processes like the CBD and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). BID will also help the EU fulfill commitments to stop global biodiversity loss.

The project will initially focus on Africa, and then work with partners in the Caribbean and Pacific regions to develop priorities and understand needs with regard to biodiversity information. [GBIF News]