Integrating ecosystem and biodiversity data to assist national development planning

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Colobus-vellerosus-iNat-mhulme-hero
The white-thighed colobus (Colobus vellerosus) is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Photo 2011 Mark Hulme via iNaturalist Research-grade Observations, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Data for species is especially limited for Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Ghana that lie outside designated protected areas, which leads to bias in spatial planning and development that can exacerbate biodiversity loss. This project will mobilized occurrence and checklist data from off-reserve areas on priority endemics, economically important and threatened species, alien plants and lesser known taxa of flora and fauna. The data sources include baseline and monitoring surveys, research reports, articles and institutional repositories. The project will apply the Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM) criteria, conduct National Red List assessments, use the species assessments and range maps to identify potentially new KBAs.

The project will develop two information products; a database of off-reserve OECMs and KBAs in off-reserves. These will be integrated into the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and align it to develop key geospatial biodiversity indicators under the Sustainable Development Framework, the post-2020 CBD Biodiversity Framework and reporting on SDG indicator 15.1.2.

The project seeks to support the Biodiversity Information Management Forum to become a community of practice for biodiversity data mobilization and policy mainstreaming by building capacities in data mobilization and key biodiversity assessment.

he project will mobilize about 30,000 records made available of GBIF, develop two information products, contribute to the revision of the NBSAPs and national reporting on SDG indicator 15.1.2 and build capacities of 10 institutions.

The project impact will be measured by its use to develop indicators in the current revision of the NBSAPs and other land use planning guidelines, prioritization of the identified biodiversity hotspots into national and international policy frameworks and records mobilized per priority species in geographical areas where little data existed before.

Project progress

The project has been progressing very well. Some of the achievements are listed below:

  • 32,274 data records have been mobilized, cleaned and published on GBIF. This is 4,274 records more than the proposed number of records

  • Capacity Building programs have been successfully organized for project partners and other institutions within the BIMF. More than 10 institutions attended the training workshops which focused on Introduction to Biodiversity Data Management, Darwin Core formatting, Digitization, Data Quality Checks, Data Cleaning, Geo-referencing, Meta Data Writing and Data Publishing using the IPT.

The project was monitored and evaluated during planning meetings with partners and other stakeholders. These meetings looked at the project implementation and reviewed how data holders are contributing to the data mobilization exercises and the expected uptake of the information products to be developed.

During the BIM and capacity building workshops held in December 2021, members were briefed about the project's progress and the funding contribution by JRS Biodiversity Foundation and GBIF in advancing data-science policy in Ghana through this project. Additionally, social media platforms were used to enhance visibility of the project including meetings with stakeholders and capacity building workshops.

€ {{ 60000 | localNumber }}
€ {{ 12470 | localNumber }}
Type of grant
Data-use grant
Duration
1 April 2021 - 31 March 2023
Project identifier
BID-AF2020-029-USE
Partners
Contact details

Yaw Osei-Owusu
Conservation Alliance International
NO 13 Afari Djan Street, ECOMOG Avenue, Haatso, Accra
Post Office Box KA 30426, Kotoka International Airport
30426 Accra
Ghana

€ {{ 60000 | localNumber}}