The conference, Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development, took place at Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden in Cape Town, South Africa, from 19 to 22 May 2015. It was organised by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in partnership with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), and the Resilience in the Limpopo Basin Programme (RESILIM), with funding from the JRS Biodiversity Foundation and European Union (EU). It set out to achieve the following objectives:

• Increase regional understanding of the biodiversity data-science-policy value chain and identify the opportunities and solutions that it presents for sustainable development in Africa;
• Draw attention to relevant tools, resources and learning networks for building effective biodiversity information systems in Africa; and
• Articulate a ‘Plan of Action’ for mobilising and mainstreaming Africa’s policy-relevant biodiversity data, and forge international partnerships to implement it.

Approximately 100 delegates attended the conference representing various national agencies, research institutions, international organisations and private foundations. A total of 21 African countries were represented.

This presentation considers the results of the Africa Rising conference focusing specifically on how the momentum generated by the ‘Plan of Action’ and adjoining ‘Declaration on Biodiversity Information for Sustainable Development in Africa’ can be harnessed and applied to maximum effect. It examines various opportunities to strengthen Africa’s community of practice, mobilise policy-relevant biodiversity data, and elevate biodiversity information management into political discourse.