A National Biodiversity Information System (NBIS) is currently being developed under the direction of the Yale Centre for Biodiversity and Global Change to improve data accessibility and enable policymakers to make evidence-based decisions.
Head of Partnerships at the Yale Centre for Biodiversity and Global Change, Dr Claire Hoffmann, said Guyana will have easy access to the global biodiversity digital system.
Speaking on Monday’s episode of the United for Biodiversity: The Alliance Podcast, Dr Hoffmann explained that the NBIS will have two key components: the data infrastructure behind the scenes and the user interface.
The user interface will ensure the data is easily accessible to policy leaders through a manageable and user-friendly platform.
Dr Hoffman explained, “We also want to make sure that the application and the integration of more data are also at different scales. We need to be strategic in filling out data gaps on the ground through our biodiversity monitoring programmes. Guyana is doing an amazing job on this front already. We have worked with a lot of the teams that are collecting data on the ground to make sure that it is ingested into our systems ahead of the summit.”
She also committed to supporting Guyana in prioritising future biodiversity programmes more effectively by providing relevant data and insights to guide decision-making.
Dr Hoffmann explained that having access to relevant data is essential for informed decision-making. By using the NBIS, it is possible to include additional countries that share species with Guyana. This move, she highlighted, would enhance regional collaboration and improve the effectiveness of future biodiversity programmes.
“We have to ensure that the data we are using to support our decisions is trustworthy,” she emphasised. “We had to be careful about creating tools in relationships and initiatives like the Global Biodiversity Alliance that bring that data out into the world that is both accessible and effective.”
