The protected area network is a critical component of the overall global conservation estate. Emerging pressures, such as urban growth, agricultural expansion, mining, oil and gas extraction, are threatening the ecological integrity and sustainability of protected areas as well as negatively impacting the well-being of surrounding communities.  The Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Programme (BIOPAMA) aims to address these concerns by ensuring that the best science is available to support decision-making and policy development as it relates to protected areas.

The demonstration will showcase the East African Community Regional Reference Information System (EAC RRIS) as an innovative tool to deliver the best available science to end-users. The EAC-RRIS is based on open source technologies and harnesses published global and regional data to support decision-making and policy development. The EAC-RRIS also fosters learning networks through the sharing of publications, training opportunities and events, best practice, a data catalogue and mapping tools.

Background

The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Project was launched in 2011 by the European Commission with Intra‐ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) funding from the 10th European Development Fund (10th EDF). The project aims to assist the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in developing a framework for improving technical and institutional approaches to conserve biodiversity, particularly in protected areas, through regional cooperation and capacity building activities. The BIOPAMA project seeks to establish in each ACP region, a series of interlinked, but regionally centered, Observatories for Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management. Each Observatory will host a node for a Regional Reference Information System (RRIS), which will work as a platform to facilitate exchange of data/information among decision makers and managers of protected areas.

The EAC Observatory node is housed within the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania, to serve the specific needs of the East African sub-region. This Observatory node is the first one established in the Eastern and Southern African region. The vision for the Observatory node is to provide support to policy and decision makers on the issues of possible land/resource-use conflict between biodiversity conservation and other uses. The critical component of the Observatory node is the Regional Reference Information System (RRIS), which was developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Union, based in Ispra, Italy.

For more information: www.biopama.org