About 30 participants from Angolan museums, universities and national environment, agriculture and fisheries agencies attended a workshop on biodiversity data sharing in Luanda, in September. The event was organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Angola, in collaboration with GBIF Portugal, and in association with the 4th National Conference on Science and Technology.
In his opening speech, the National Director of Scientific Research, Domingos Neto, discussed the need for a data policy framework in Angola. Representatives from five museums, universities and research institutes, which together host more than 100 thousand specimens, then presented the institutions’ collections and research.
Tim Hirsch from the GBIF Secretariat gave an overview of the benefits of participation in GBIF, and Rui Figueira, from GBIF Portugal, summarized information about biodiversity in Angola available through GBIF.org, and presented the guidelines for the creation of a national node.
The workshop offered an opportunity for Angolan researchers to discuss participation in GBIF, and the next steps towards it.
The workshop is part of a project receiving support through the GBIF capacity enhancement support programme for 2015.