By Zimkita Mavumengwana
In October 2024, biodiversity experts from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) joined their French counterparts at the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB) for an intensive five-day study tour in Paris. With a shared mission to monitor, protect, and report on biodiversity, the SANBI and OFB teams came together to exchange ideas, learn from each other’s systems, and explore the latest in biodiversity data management, indicator tracking, and reporting tools. This collaboration aims to reinforce each institution’s efforts to track the health of their nations’ ecosystems and improve data accessibility for researchers, policymakers, and the public.
Addressing shared challenges in biodiversity monitoring
Both SANBI and OFB face similar challenges in fulfilling their mandates to report on the state of biodiversity, a task that requires them to gather, analyse, and present complex data. This involves documenting biodiversity to understand what species and ecosystems exist, monitoring environmental changes, and sharing data in ways that influence policy and public awareness. Throughout the week, the teams tackled pressing issues, including managing vast volumes of biodiversity data, often collected from a mix of citizen science projects, government research, and field studies. One key challenge discussed was the need for centralized databases that can bring together diverse data sources under standardized formats. Standardized data enhances consistency, allowing scientists and conservationists to better analyse trends over time and between regions. An added complexity is handling sensitive biodiversity information in ways that protect habitats and species at risk while ensuring accessibility for scientific analysis.
Further complicating data management, SANBI and OFB must meet reporting requirements for various international conventions and frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and national biodiversity strategies. Each framework has unique indicator requirements, often with subtle variations in scope or focus. For instance, some indicators track species-specific data, while others might focus on ecosystem health or human impacts on biodiversity. Coordinating the collection and reporting of these indicators is a balancing act that requires precise planning and a reliable workflow.
Innovative solutions to strengthen biodiversity data systems
The study tour highlighted a range of innovative solutions aimed at improving data management and biodiversity reporting. Both SANBI and OFB are increasingly turning to digital tools and standards that help streamline data handling, reporting, and policy alignment. Four key lessons are:
- Data integration and standardization
To meet the challenge of consolidating data from various sources, SANBI and OFB are working on establishing centralized biodiversity data hubs. These hubs can unify information from citizen science, research institutions, and governmental data, organized in globally recognized formats like Darwin Core. Standardizing the data in this way facilitates accurate comparisons across time and location, enhancing both local and international research efforts.
- Dashboards and interactive reporting tools
The study tour also highlighted the power of interactive dashboards as tools for sharing biodiversity indicators. SANBI’s BIRDIE Project is one example of a platform that enables users to visualize critical biodiversity data, from species distributions to ecosystem health indicators. By using customizable charts and dynamic maps, dashboards can make biodiversity data accessible to diverse audiences, from policymakers to educators. Such tools help users explore biodiversity information and understand the urgent conservation actions needed.
- Ensuring data quality and workflow reproducibility
Maintaining high data quality is essential for reliable reporting. The teams discussed implementing automated systems to detect data inconsistencies and track the origin of each data point. Reproducibility is also key, as it allows other researchers to replicate studies and build upon previous work. By documenting workflows and version-controlling datasets, SANBI and OFB aim to establish a single source of truth for each indicator, making it easier to re-compute and update as data improves over time.
- Open-access platforms and collaboration networks
Both institutions recognize the importance of open-access platforms, which allow stakeholders to upload, access, and analyse biodiversity data. Through SANBI’s Biodiversity Advisor platform, users can access a wealth of biodiversity information, while OFB’s networks connect French researchers and conservationists with global data partners. Collaboration with international organizations such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) further strengthens data sharing and knowledge exchange.
From data to policy: Making biodiversity data count
One of the major goals of the study tour was to find ways to connect biodiversity data directly to policy frameworks. Biodiversity indicators play a vital role in assessing a country’s progress towards its national and international biodiversity commitments, such as the CBD’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. By using data-driven dashboards, SANBI and OFB can help decision-makers access real-time biodiversity insights and track progress on targets such as protected area expansion, habitat restoration, and species conservation.
The discussions also underscored the importance of capacity building within both organizations. With a shortage of skilled data analysts, SANBI and OFB are considering strategies to address skills gaps, including training programs and partnerships. Outsourcing certain functions, like dashboard development, could help both organizations leverage the latest technology without stretching their resources too thin.
An ongoing partnership with global impact
This study tour in Paris marks a significant step in the long-term partnership between SANBI and OFB, one supported by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) under the South Africa-France partnership for biodiversity. Through these exchanges, SANBI and OFB aim to continue refining their data management and reporting strategies, ultimately improving how biodiversity information is communicated to the world.
As the first in-person exchange since the partnership’s inception, the study tour set a solid foundation for ongoing collaboration. Both teams returned home with fresh insights and practical strategies to apply in their work, with a shared commitment to advance biodiversity science and improve public and policy engagement with biodiversity data.
The collaboration between SANBI and OFB reflects a growing recognition that global biodiversity challenges require global solutions. By working together, these organizations are not only improving their own practices but also contributing to a broader vision of a world that values and protects its natural heritage.
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