How can biodiversity information catalyse scientific research, enable evidence-based decision-making and spur sustainable development in Africa? What tools, resources and learning networks are available to build effective biodiversity information systems in Africa?

These questions are in central focus at the international conference, Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development, taking place at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden 19 to 22 May 2015, hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and organized in partnership with UNEP-WCMC and other organizations. Approximately 100 delegates are attending this exclusive invitation-only meeting, representing over 20 African governments as well as various UN agencies, international organizations and research institutions.

Biodiversity is the bedrock of sustainable development. Our societies and economies depend on flows of ecosystem services that are generated and mediated by biodiversity, such as food, medicine, clean air, water and beauty. This is particularly true in Africa where the benefits of biodiversity are inextricably linked to the well-being and security of people. To manage this precious resource, decision makers require vast volumes of relevant, reliable data. Yet in Africa, such data is typically non-existent, inadequate or inaccessible. Addressing Africa’s biodiversity data-deficit will require a sharp increase in investment and a strengthening of regional coordination.

The objectives of the conference:

• Increase regional understanding of the biodiversity data-science-policy value chain and identify the opportunities and solutions that it presents for sustainable development in Africa;
• Draw attention to relevant tools, resources and learning networks for building effective biodiversity information systems in Africa; and
• Articulate a ‘Plan of Action’ for mobilising and mainstreaming Africa’s policy-relevant biodiversity data, and forge collaborative partnerships to implement it.

To this end, Africa Rising 2015 will feature the official launch and first regional meeting of Biodiversity Information for Development, a €3.9m EU-funded project focused on enhancing capacity and mobilizing biodiversity data in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The event programme comprises of interactive and engaging sessions over four days culminating on 22 May, the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). This year, the IDB has the theme, ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Development’. The conference participants will mark the occasion by jointly proclaiming a Declaration on Biodiversity Information for African Development.

The event is organized by SANBI in partnership with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the USAID Resilience in the Limpopo Basin Programme (RESILIM). Financial support is being provided by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation and the European Union.

For updates and news of the conference, follow SANBI on Twitter @SANBI_ZA and the hashtag #AFRICARISING.