High-Level Workshop on Future-Proofing Biodiversity Information in Ethiopia

Professor Jean Cossi GANGLO of the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, in his quality of Node manager of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, www.gbif.org) in Benin, and former Regional Representative of GBIF-Africa from 2019 to 2023, took an active part in the High-Level Workshop on Future-Proofing Biodiversity Information in Ethiopia.

During the workshop, Professor GANGLO shared light on the membership of Africa in GBIF in terms of its good representativeness of GBIF participants (33%), but its very weak level of data publication, less than 03% of the more than 03 billion biodiversity data published to date on the GBIF site. He furthermore underlined data gaps across the continent and explained the main limiting factors delaying Africa's rise in GBIF, a prestigious international organization.

In the second part of his presentation, Professor GANGLO highlighted the main achievements of GBIF-Benin in data mobilization and publication on the GBIF site, the scientific and technical training of partners, data use to inform decisions on biodiversity conservation in the context of climate and global changes, visibility assurance to data publishers, contributions to the achievement of the UN SDGs, and the CBD's Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

During the panel discussion, based on his experience, Professor GANGLO highlighted how Ethiopia’s participation in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) can strengthen its national biodiversity strategies and enhance its visibility and influence in global biodiversity governance.