1. A sub-regional approach to capacity building in taxonomy for sustainable development Dr Richard Smith Assistant Director Dr Nicholas King Director

2. Taxonomic impediment Taxonomic Expertise and Information: not where it is needed 95% of existing taxonomic expertise resides in “developed” countries 95% of taxonomic information and collections reside in “developed” countries 95% of remaining biodiversity resides in developing countries! Regional imbalances expertise is rapidly ‘greying’ and not being replaced

3. BioNET-INTERNATIONAL basics A not-for-profit, donor-funded, global programme founded in 1993… …to help build the taxonomic capacity needed by “developing countries” for sustainable development; Assists with GTI via sub-regional Technical Cooperation Networks for Taxonomy 10 inter-institutional subregional networks supported by a Technical Secretariat NOT an Internet-based information network! NOT a database! NOT a donor agency!

4. A Global Network for Taxonomy

5. Status in Americas and Caribbean CARINET: established (Regional Coordinator: Ronald Barrow, Trinidad and Tobago) AndinoNET: established (Regional Coordinator: José Clavijo, Venezuela) MesoAmeriNET: founding workshop to be hosted by Government of Guatemala (Interim Coordinator: Alvaro Herrero, INBio) Southern Cone (LATINET): preparing for establishment in 2004 (Interim Coordinator: Mercedes Lizarralde de Grosso, Sociedad Entomologica Argentina) NAMERINET: NSCA interested

6. What is a BioNET- INTERNATIONAL LOOP? L ocally O wned and O perated P artnership = Technical Cooperation Network permanent structure, owned and operated by member institutions and governments

7. Objectives of a BioNET- INTERNATIONAL LOOP DEMAND DRIVEN: national and regional development and biodiversity priorities help regions become self-reliant in taxonomy facilitate, coordinate and promote taxonomic capacity building help users of taxonomy to develop taxonomic services and products using regional expertise

8. LOOP Work Programmes Collections: biological and literature Information systems (deliver capacity regionally) Training: taxonomy and technical support Development and dissemination of technology Sustainability of network

9. BioNET – complementary to IABIN, GBIF etc. A global network of people with years of networking experience Credible, tested, demand-driven mechanisms for Technical Cooperation S-S and S-N Links via coordinators and Secretariat to relevant initiatives and institutions world-wide Institutional coordination (training, projects, etc.) to prevent duplication Government commitment to a permanent TCN Focused on developing and using taxonomic information and expertise -> checklists, identification aids (keys), identification services, etc. NOT a biodiversity database

10. LOOPs - facilitating partnerships

11. Ist BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Global Workshop (BIGW1) 1995, Cardiff 2nd BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Global Workshop (BIGW2) 1999, Cardiff 3rd BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Global Taxonomy Workshop 8-12 July 2002, Pretoria, South Africa: “Towards Sustainable Development - Partnerships for building demand-driven taxonomic capacity”

12. Activities – recent highlights Global Strategy – Strategy and Action Plan for GTI International Pollinators Initiative - Pollinators & Pollination: A Resource Book for Policy and Practice (forthcoming publication) Case study compilation - societal impacts of taxonomy West Africa – agreement with Entomed: capacity building to support bioprospecting (French corporation) Caribbean – pest data sheets and training for FAO; biocontrol agent identification training (EU) Southeast Asia – plant health services capacity assessment and building (Australia) East Africa – implementation partner for Botanical and Zoological Network (GEF project)