Delegations of experts from IGAD Member States and stakeholders have met for two days in Nairobi to discuss the Regional Information System and the maintenance of the regional biodiversity databases.
IGAD and its linked institutions are developing several activities related to data management and mapping. The role of this workshop, mainly aimed at biodiversity issues, was to make all participants aware of what is being done, and by whom, and how the biodiversity issues, that are cross-cutting can be identified and linked to the IGAD Biodiversity Regional Reference Information System (RRIS). Various portals exist within the IGAD system, but none specifically address the biodiversity issues.
The experts took stock of the work of IGAD’s Biodiversity Management Program as well as regional and global institutions and organizations before issuing their recommendations and the way forward for the program.
The Biodiversity Management Program (BMP), funded by the European Union and implemented by IGAD, plans to create a Regional Reference Information System (RRIS) to map biodiversity hotspots in the region, develop networking at national level through the National Biodiversity Databases, and at regional level through the RRIS, and organize the compilation of data for Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) institutions to be able to follow the Aichi Targets indicators.
For more information, please contact
Dr. Debalkew Berhe – Program Manager for Environment Protection
Email: debalkew.berhe@igad.int
