Biodiversity E-tools to Protect our Natural World Converging Sciences Conference U. of Trento, Italy

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Biodiversity E-tools to Protect our Natural
WorldConverging Sciences ConferenceU. of
Trento, Italy

• Peter Hall
• Director, Biodiversity Information Services
• United Nations Environment Programme-World
  Conservation Monitoring Centre
• December 17, 2004

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Biodiversity What is it?
All components of the living world


Ecosystems and their dynamic functions

Species, their populations and communities

Varieties and genetic components of species
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A Wiser World
UNEP-WCMCs vision is of a wiser world .one in
which people everywhere recognise that the
diversity of life on Earth is vital to the future
of humanity, and apply this knowledge in all
their decisions.
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UNEP-WCMC Programme Objectives

• Strengthen the scientific base for biodiversity
  through assessment of trends and threats
• Support policy implementation, particularly
  through multilateral environmental agreements
• Provide information services tools for
  corporate responsibility, education and public
  awareness
• Build technical capacity of nations to assess
  biodiversity, implement policy and mobilise
  information for action

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Proteus a programme of change to deliver
improved biodiversity knowledge services

• Uuser-driven relevant meeting the needs of
  decision-makers
• Ddecentralised collaborative using existing
  centres networks
• Aeasily accessible any time, anywhere
• Iinteroperable technically compatible with key
  partner systems
• Iinclusive engaging with many sources

Interactive mapping tools
Data on protected species and sites
Public-Private Sectors Partnership
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• 2010 The Global Biodiversity Challenge

Convention on Biological Diversity
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2010 Biodiversity Target

• Ministers of all countries signing the Convention
  on Biological Diversity have agreed to the
  following
• achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the
  current rate of biodiversity loss at the global,
  regional and national levels as a contribution to
  poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all
  life on Earth
• achievement by 2010 of a significant reduction in
  the current rate of loss of biological diversity
  will require the provision of new and additional
  financial and technical resources

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Target/indicator framework

• biodiversity components (eg. species)
• sustainable use
• threats to biodiversity
• ecosystem integrity, good and services
• traditional knowledge, innovations, practices
• access and benefit sharing
• resource transfers, both political and
  technological

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• Conservation Commons
• The Conservation Commons is characterized by an
  underlying set of principles which ensures open
  access to information.
• Individuals, associations, organizations,
  governments, and other bodies are encouraged to
  agree formally to these principles.

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• Defining the Conservation Commons

•   provide open access to, and unrestricted use
  of, data, information, and knowledge related to
  the conservation of biodiversity.
• place documents, data, and other information
  resources related to conservation in the public
  domain.
• improve the management of data, information,
  and knowledge related to conservation.
• strengthen our collective ability to
  comprehend the complex integrity of nature
  through improved logical synthesis of information
  resources and technical inter-operability
  between systems and databases.

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The Information Management Challenge
The Red-breasted Goose example
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Red-breasted Goose Breeding Distribution
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Protected Areas
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Red-breasted Goose Breeding Distribution/Protected
Areas
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Climate Change Model - Red-breasted Goose
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Red-breasted Goose Flyway and Key Sites
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Biodiversity Informatics Challenges

• Architecture for workflow creation and management
• Software, middleware development
• User interfaces
• Protocols for data querying
• Taxonomic tools
• Analytical and modelling tools
• Linking spatial, aspatial data
• Scalability
• Grid networking applications

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Multiple Stakeholders
Convention on Biological Diversity
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Biodiversity E-toolkit
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Proposed Next Steps

• Key stakeholder workshop
• User needs analysis
• Technological gaps analysis
• Future biodiversity e-tools white paper
• Technology development workshop
• Capacity building strategy
• Links to converging sciences initiatives
• Possible first educational tool
• - virtual biodiversity informatics manual

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Biodiversity E-tools to Protect our Natural
WorldConverging Sciences ConferenceU. of
Trento, Italy

• Peter Hall
• Director, Biodiversity Information Services
• United Nations Environment Programme-World
  Conservation Monitoring Centre
• December 17, 2004