TARGET 19 - Technical Rationale extended (provided in document COP/10/INF/12/Rev.1)

Technical rationale: Each country needs access to information to identify threats to biodiversity and determine priorities for conservation and sustainable use. While nearly all Parties report that they are taking actions related to monitoring and research, most also indicate that the absence or difficulty in accessing scientific information is an obstacle to the implementation of the goals of the Convention. Action taken to reach this target will also benefit the other targets of the Strategic Plan by encouraging new research, the development of new technologies and improved monitoring. Such actions will strengthen the policy-science interface and will contribute to the fulfilment of the other elements of the Strategic Plan.

Implementation: For knowledge that is already available, access could be improved through the further development of the clearing-house mechanism at national and global levels. Relevant information includes biodiversity-related data as well as tools and methodologies for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing, and case-studies of their use. Further efforts are also needed, at multiple scales, to improve biodiversity-related knowledge and reduce uncertainties around the relationship between biodiversity change, ecosystem services and impacts on human well-being. With regards to the sharing of technologies related to biodiversity, this should be consistent with Article 16 of the Convention. This requires substantial investment in global and national biodiversity observation networks, implementation of the Global Taxonomy Initiative, and further investment in research, including modelling and participatory research. Improvements are also needed in the science-policy interface.

Indicators and baseline information: An indicator for technology transfer is under development. Possible process indicators include: the number of countries with national clearing-house mechanisms; visitors/per year at each national CHM website; a globally agreed set of status and trends metrics; extent of data coverage for global biodiversity indicators and measures; and the use of biodiversity-related information in the fifth and sixth national reports.