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African institutions call for data, funding to achieve global biodiversity targets – EnviroNews
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African regional institutions have called for increased investment in reliable biodiversity data, technical expertise, institutional capacity and sustainable financing to enable countries across the continent to achieve global biodiversity targets.
The institutions made the call during a series of side events and engagements at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), convened by Landscape Alliance (CIFOR-ICRAF) under the European Union-funded Regional Centres of Excellence for Biodiversity and Forests in Africa initiative.
The engagements examined how regional institutions are supporting countries to implement biodiversity commitments while identifying gaps in data management, technical capacity, institutional coordination and financing that continue to hamper progress.
The discussions highlighted the work of three Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) serving as Technical and Scientific Cooperation (TSC) centres under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
They are the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), serving Eastern and Southern Africa; the Centre de Suivi Écologique (CSE), serving West Africa; and the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), serving Central Africa.
The centres provide technical expertise, geospatial information, regional assessments and scientific knowledge to help countries implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which establishes international targets for halting and reversing biodiversity loss.
Dr. Peter Minang, Africa Director at Landscape Alliance, said achieving biodiversity commitments would depend on whether countries had the necessary systems, institutions and resources to translate international targets into practical action.
“The question is no longer whether Africa has biodiversity commitments. The question is whether we have the systems, institutions, expertise and resources to implement them at scale,” Minang said.
He described regional institutions as critical links between global biodiversity commitments and the technical realities countries face in implementing them.
Marième Diallo, Technical Director at CSE, said countries needed to address practical constraints involving information, technical capacity and financing to move from biodiversity plans to implementation.
“We need to look beyond the targets themselves and ask what it will take for countries to implement them. This means having the right information, the technical capacity to use it, and the financial resources to move from plans and commitments to action,” Diallo said.
Participants identified the quality and usability of biodiversity data as one of the most pressing challenges facing countries.
They noted that although countries might possess substantial amounts of biodiversity information, the data were often dispersed across different institutions, collected using inconsistent methods or required further validation before they could support national reporting and policy decisions.
Jackline Karimi, Policy Engagement Specialist at RCMRD, highlighted the role of geospatial technologies in improving the reliability and usability of biodiversity information.
According to her, these tools can help identify errors and inconsistencies in datasets, compare new information with existing records and support countries in preparing validated data for biodiversity reporting.
“Better data leads to better decisions. We need to ensure that the information countries collect is accurate, validated and accessible, so that it can actually be used to guide biodiversity action and reporting,” Karimi said.
She added that effective use of these technologies would require sustained investment in people and institutions capable of applying them.
RCMRD is supporting government agencies, universities and other stakeholders to strengthen their technical capacity, particularly in biodiversity monitoring, data management and reporting.
Valérie Tchuante, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at COMIFAC, stressed the importance of strengthening regional technical institutions to ensure they could provide sustained support to countries.
“We need to strengthen regional institutions and Technical Support Centres so that they can respond to the technical needs of countries,” Tchuante said.
She called for stronger links between regional institutions, universities and research organisations, alongside sustainable institutional and financial arrangements.
Diallo also emphasised the need to improve data sharing, harmonisation and validation across institutions and countries, arguing that generating biodiversity information was insufficient unless it could be effectively used to support decision-making and implementation.
“The objective is to strengthen the sharing and use of biodiversity information so that countries can have reliable information to support decision-making and implementation,” she said.
Participants further called for long-term investment in the systems underpinning biodiversity monitoring and reporting, including maintaining data platforms, regularly updating information and retaining skilled technical personnel.
They noted that regional institutions needed predictable financial resources to sustain their operations and continue providing technical assistance to countries beyond individual projects and funding cycles.
Minang said addressing the financing challenge would require stronger collaboration among governments, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders involved in biodiversity conservation.
“We need to bring all actors together, including governments, civil society, the private sector and others, to look at the financing challenge and find ways of ensuring sustainable financing for the institutions and capacities needed to deliver biodiversity action,” he said.
The discussions at COP17 underscored the importance of regional cooperation in translating global biodiversity commitments into measurable outcomes across Africa.
They also highlighted the need for countries to strengthen the scientific, institutional and financial foundations of biodiversity conservation if they are to make meaningful progress towards the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The participating institutions maintained that achieving the global biodiversity targets would require more than ambitious commitments, emphasising that reliable data, technical expertise, effective institutions, partnerships and sustained financing must underpin implementation across the continent.