1. CONNECT PROJECT: MAINSTREAMING BIODIVERSITY INTO THE HEART OF GOVERNMENT DECISION MAKING
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
Presented at a side event –SBSTTA 2; 12 December 2017, Montreal Canada
FRANCIS OGWAL SABINO
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER (BIODIVERSITY AND RANGELANDS)

2. Project objectives at the national level
To clearly understand the in-country demands for, and the barriers to using, biodiversity information within government decision making including clarifying the format, timing and packaging required
To mobilise and repackage existing biodiversity data and information to meet a number of the above demands; and,
To strengthen the connection between government decision makers and biodiversity and ecosystem services data providers in order to sustainably provide policy-relevant, spatially explicit information to meet ongoing national needs.

3. Outcomes of the national inception workshop
Progress has been made towards objective 1; component 1 and outcome 1
Institutions that form the heart of Government decision making to support mainstreaming biodiversity information identified – Cabinet Secretariat, Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance
Information needs for policy makers and means of dissemination identified
Linkage of the project to SDGs, Vision 2040, NDP II, NBSAP identified
Contribution to reporting on progress of implementation of the Presidential Directives on Environment and Natural Resources
Identification of barriers for access to, and use of biodiversity information identified. To be refined at the time of political economy (context) analysis
Process for carrying out political economy (context) analysis clarified

4. PROPOSED BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION NEEDS, THREATS, OPPORTUNITIES AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION STRATEGY
No.
Biodiversity Information needs for policy and decision makers
Threats
Opportunities
Information dissemination strategy 1.
Wetlands , Water resources and fisheries
wetland coverage is shrinking in many parts of Uganda– urban development and cultivation
Invasive species; Salvinia molesta (Giant Salvinia), Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth ) etc.
Over exploitation
Oil & Gas
Mining
Industrial development
Pollution
Silting
Eutrophication
Sensitization and law enforcement
Best practice
Strengthening ESIA process to handle the sensitive emerging industries
 Spatial data
Land use data
Data – census data
Indigenous knowledge

5. PROPOSED BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION NEEDS, THREATS, OPPORTUNITIES AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION STRATEGY Cont’d
No.
Biodiversity Information needs for policy and decision makers
Threats
Opportunities
Information dissemination strategy 2.
Forests , Rangelands, Wildlife, Mountainous and hilly areas
High deforestation rates on private land and encroachment on public forests
High pressure by charcoal burning, firewood and development
Degradation of pastures by grazing, reduced productivity and water stress
Illegal wildlife trade and wildlife corridors blocked
Poaching
Wildlife dispersal has been restricted, affecting population dynamics
Threatened species at risk
Invasive species;
 Protection of fragile ecosystems and ecosystem services
Community involvement in massive tree planting
Best rangeland management practices
Law enforcement and community police
Corridors to be maintained
Community conservation projects
Environmentally friendly ways of addressing invasive species
 Spatial data
Land use data
Data – census data- wildlife
Indigenous knowledge
Market information – local and international

6. PROPOSED BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION NEEDS, THREATS, OPPORTUNITIES AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION STRATEGY
No.
Biodiversity Information needs for policy and decision makers
Threats
Opportunities
Information dissemination strategy 3.
Agro-biodiversity (Fisheries, livestock, crops, insects (pollinators), below ground biodiversity)
Terraces and landslides collapsing with croplands
Invasive species
Development
Oil & Gas
Mining
Pollution
Silting
Eutrophication
Climate change
Pests and diseases
Human population increase
Poor agro practices
Sensitization and law enforcement
Best practice
Legal frameworks – bio safety law
Political will
Economic use of IAS – weeds turned into biofuels e.g. Salvinia molesta, Water hyacinth etc.
Experts in various fields
Private sector
Strong CSO advocacy
Partnerships
Investment in the sector
 population – numbers and spatial
Land use data –Data – census data- crop, animals
Surveillance of disease and pests
Genetic information

7. Provisional barriers (affecting accessing and using biodiversity information)
Ranking of barriers - {L-Low; M-Moderate; H-High
Bureaucracy H
Plagiarism H
Data hoarding H
Cost of data – High cost - limited funding H
Cost of data production - H
Scattered data H
Cost of software and Software licenses – H
Incompatibility of formats – H
Incomplete data sets H
Lack of central database (fragmented) – M
Lack of coordination amongst the MDAs – H
Conflicting mandates – H
Inadequate capacity to analyze data - H
Lack information about the location of the data - H
Intellectual property rights - H
Human Resources (Taxonomists, entomologists) - H
Knowledge management specialist - H
Data outside government control-privately owned- H

8. Some lessons learned so far
The project has successfully demonstrated its relevance and the expectation is high from stakeholders
Political economy analysis may be misinterpreted from what it is intended for and hence proposal to change to “ context analysis”
The establishment of experts working group is envisaged to facilitate sharing of data/information, especially when the group begins handling thematic issues in response to information needs for policy markers
Knowing the institutions that form the heart of Government decision making is very critical for successful mainstreaming of biodiversity