Unblocking the flow of biodiversity data for decision-making in Africa

Priorities for big biodiversity data

“…Capacity and tools are required to convert data into derived products (synthesized reports, maps, dashboards, etc) for easier interpretation by decision makers; this will be enhanced if products are developed and verified through appropriate science–policy interfaces that facilitate dialogue between data collectors and data users (Stephenson et al . ).…”

Developing policy-relevant biodiversity indicators: lessons learnt from case studies in Africa

“…It also reflects substantial gaps in (existing) data availability and accessibility in the South (Chambers et al 2017), as demonstrated by the poor results for the 'based on available data' BIP criterium for most developed indicators (table 4). Moreover, data may be of insufficient quality (weak sampling design and methodology), badly processed or interpreted, presented in a user-unfriendly format or insufficiently harmonized, rendering replication and comparison difficult and time-consuming (Costello et al 2013, Stephenson et al 2017. Therefore, scientific capacity-resources or skills-for data collection and processing is essential and should be continuously supported, as under this CEBioS programme.…”

“…It can be seen as an action research component: 'a learning process between stakeholders to understand the problems at stake, each other's roles, the policies and mandates and the access to information' (Janssens de Bisthoven 2015). This contributes to 'decompartmentalisation' of different types of actors and of different levels (Ubels et al 2010), which is essential for mainstreaming biodiversity information into decision-making (Stephenson et al 2017). Participants positively evaluated their interactions, and the better understanding of each other's expectations and role in the process.…”

“…Unfortunately, there is a lack of collaboration and communication at the science-policy interface between the data holders and the policymakers who need to use the information. The lack of cross-sectoral or inter-ministerial collaboration is a major barrier for using and mainstreaming biodiversity information (overview: Stephenson et al 2017). Moreover, a lot of technical barriers prevent efficient use of data, e.g.…”

Open data and the future of conservation biology

“…To this end, international re search projects and scientific collaborations enhance the exchange of information and target the standardization of methodologies and available data (Levin et al 2014, Stephenson et al 2016, Katsanevakis et al 2017. Nevertheless, the main question is whether the valuable in formation collected globally (including citizen-based information) is available and thus could support the most effective measures for conserving biodiversity and ecosystems services.…”