GLOBAL TAXONOMY INITIATIVE (GTI)

Krishnapriya T. R.

M.Phil Scholar

INTRODUCTION

GTI (Global Taxonomy Initiative) is a cross cutting programme

developed by CBD to address taxonomic impediment.

underpins the conservation of biological diversity. An international policy used to inform national policies by the

Parties to the CBD. The main aspect of GTI is to ensure that the taxonomic

information to the taxonomists, decision makers and non-taxonomists.

Darwin Declaration: led to the development of GTI by a meeting of group of experts held in Darwin, Australia, in February 1988 was sponsored by the CBD, the GEF, Environment Australia and the Smithsonian Institution.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Largest of the environmental conventions.

Signed & ratified by 188 parties (187 countries).

Objectives:-

Conservation of Biological diversity

Sustainable use of its components

Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the

civilization of genetic resources.

The Programme of Work (PoW) for The GTI

Focus on supplying taxonomic information and work to

implement the objectives of CBD.

Adopted in 2002, supplemented in 2006 ( CoP decisions VI/8

and VIII/3).

summarizes objectives and major activities of the GTI.

comprises 19 planned activities within 5 operational

objectives.

One specific target is included in operational objective 3.

Operational objective 1: Assess taxonomic needs and capacities at national, regional and global levels for the implementation of the Convention.

Planned Activity 1: Country-based taxonomic needs assessments and identification of priorities.Planned Activity 2: Regional taxonomic needs assessments and identification of priorities.Planned Activity 3: Global taxonomic needs assessments.Planned Activity 4: Public awareness and education.

5 Operational objectives & its planned activities

Operational objective 2: Provide focus to help build and maintain the human resources, systems and infrastructure needed to obtain, collate and curate the biological specimens that are the basis for taxonomic knowledge.

Planned activity 5: Global and regional capacity building to

support access to and generation of taxonomic information.

Planned activity 6: Strengthening of existing networks for regional

cooperation in taxonomy.

Operational objective 3: Facilitate an improved and effective

infrastructure / system for access to taxonomic information with

priority on ensuring countries of origin gain access to

information concerning elements of their biodiversity.

Planned activity 7: Develop a coordinated taxonomy information system.

Operational objective 4: Within the major thematic work

programmes of the Convention include key taxonomic objectives

to generate information needed for decision-making in

conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and its

components.Planned Activity 8: Forest biological diversity.

Planned Activity 9: Marine and coastal biological diversity.

Planned Activity 10: Dry and sub-humid lands biodiversity.

Planned Activity 11: Inland waters biological diversity.

Planned Activity 12: Agricultural biological diversity.

Planned Activity 13: Mountain biological diversity.

Planned Activity 13b: Island biological diversity.

Operational objective 5: Within the work on cross-cutting

issues of the Convention include key taxonomic objectives to

generate information needed for decision-making in conservation

and sustainable use of biological diversity and its components.

Planned Activity 14: Access and benefit-sharing.

Planned Activity 15: Invasive alien species.

Planned Activity 16: Support in implementation of Article 8 (j): traditional knowledge, innovations and practise.

Planned Activity 17: Support for ecosystem approach and CBD work on assessment including impact assessments, monitoring and indicators.

Planned Activity 18: Protected areas.

Forest biological diversity

The taxonomic needs associated with forests are immense.

Specific needs in this thematic area highlighted through COP decisions :

support basic assessment and monitoring of forest

biodiversity,

with particular emphasis on the impact of climate change and

of soil, air and water-borne pollution (decision VI/22).

Marine and coastal biological Diversity

15% of all species described so far are marine, 80% of which

belong to phyla restricted to the seas.

Taxonomic work in this area requires a focus on pelagic

juvenile stages of benthic organisms, identification guides for

major groups and extensive technology for research in deep sea

areas.

Examples of cost-effective approach are

the Census of Marine Life (CoML),

the OASIS (Oceanic seamounts: an integrated study) project,

the Sea Around Us Project and Seamounts online.

The CoML database has added 106 new species of fish in 2004.

‘Cephbase’, a tool which covered information on Cephalopods

and accessed through the Ocean Biogeographic information

System (OBIS).

Organisations active in this field are the International Coral

Reef Initiative, its partners and The Intergovernmental

Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

Dry and sub-humid lands biodiversity

The PoW for biological diversity in dry and sub-humid lands,

encompasses Mediterranean, arid, semiarid, grassland and

savannah ecosystems (decision V/23) and includes several

elements for which taxonomic input is required.

The needs highlighted (in the GTI PoW) are increasing

taxonomic capacity to identify crust-forming lichens and

develop identification tools, improving knowledge of the micro-

organisms in nutrient cycling, increasing taxonomic information

on pests and diseases.

Inland waters biological diversity

Some groups of animals and plants in inland waters (e.g. many

fish, crustacea) are of great social and economic importance.

The programme of work on biodiversity of inland waters has

been included in decision VII/4.

A DIVERSITAS report submitted to SBSTTA, included two

proposals on taxonomy and inventory of inland water

biodiversity.

Agricultural biodiversity

includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to

food and agriculture and that constitute the agro-ecosystem

(decision V/5).

Two areas have been highlighted: soil biodiversity and

pollinators.

Soil biodiversity

The importance of taxonomic work on soil micro-organisms

(including symbionts) has been highlighted several times in

COP decisions.

An International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable

Use of Soil Biodiversity has been established as a crosscutting

initiative within the PoW on agricultural biodiversity (decision

VI/5).

The International Pollinators Initiative (IPI)

Pollination, an essential ecosystem service which depends on

symbiosis between pollinated and pollinator species.

To address the issue of worldwide decline of pollinator

diversity, the COP established an International Initiative for

the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators in 2000

(decision V/5, section II).

The taxonomic needs in the IPI are the most important in any

Convention document other than the GTI decisions.

Pests and Pathogens

Identification of pests and diseases affecting domesticated

plants and animals, treatments : a major component of

agricultural work all over the world.

The COP suggested studies of pest and disease control

mechanisms (decision V/5).

Mountain biological diversity

Mountains cover about 25 per cent of the earth’s terrestrial

surface and serve as refuges for many species.

Within the PoW for the GTI, the planned activity on mountain

biodiversity was elaborated by COP in 2006, with a focus on

collating relevant information and expertise at regional levels.

Several existing initiatives identified are GMBA, the Mountain

Partnership and the Mountain Forum.

Island biological diversity

In 2006, the COP adopted a planned activity on island

biodiversity as part of the GTI programme of work (decision

VIII/1).

The planned activities 8 to 18 of the existing programme of

work also contribute to conservation and sustainable use of

island biodiversity.

Invasive alien species (IAS)

species introduced outside their natural habitats, establish

themselves, out-compete natives and take over the new

environments.

The threat to biodiversity due to invasive alien species is

considered second only to that of habitat loss.

Impacts are predicted to increase in future for many types of

ecosystems.

The work under the Convention on IAS has highlighted the

important role of taxonomy for understanding and management of

IAS.

Developing the GTI and monitoring its progress

GTI has dual nature, ie, policy & implementation.

Policy: to identify the priorities for action, which culminate in decisions of the COP including the programme of work.

Implementation: policy at international level into policies, strategies and activities at national level.

Roles and Responsibilities

The CBD Secretariat

administration of the GTI under the Convention rests with the

Executive Secretary of the SCBD in Montreal.

Main duties of the CBD Secretariat include preparing documentation for SBSTTA, COP and other

meetings, gathering and analyzing information for these documents, corresponding with interested parties and focal points.

The GTI Coordination Mechanism

set up by the COP at its fifth meeting in 2010 for the development of the PoW.

comprises delegates from each of the UN regions and from relevant international organisations.

National Focal Points Only about one-third of Parties have nominated GTI National

Focal Points. individuals or institutions to understand taxonomic needs in

relation to the CBD. designed for a number of activities for GTI.

A total of 210 National (Focal) Contact Points in the CBD are currently registered.

Of this feature, the countries such as Argentina , Belgium , Germany , Poland and Japan have its own website.

A special feature of the GTI Focal Point Germany is a comprehensive Acronym database with about 3500 entries that is constantly being expanded.

COP

the governing body for the Convention, requests and invites Parties to carry out certain activities

related to the GTI, alert organisations and initiatives

i. to play a role in meeting needs

ii. to provide funding

SBSTTA (Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice)

meets twice in each inter-sessional period between COPs, ensure that decisions of COP are grounded on scientific inputs.

Mechanisms to facilitate implementation

National reporting prepared periodically for the development of GTI. distributed by the Secretariat in 2004 to solicit information for

the in-depth review of the GTI.

NBSAPs (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans)

focuses on implementing COP decisions and CBD at national level to remove taxonomic impediment.

accessible through the CBD website.

GTI Implementation at National level

CBD

National government

National laws integration into other areas

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action

Plan

Conservation initiatives

National reports

Goals and obligations

Roster of Experts

addresses various thematic areas and cross-cutting issues under the Convention, including the GTI.

Outreach at 8 th meeting in 2006, the COP decided to raise awareness

activities specific to taxonomy as part of the Global Initiative on Communication, Education and Public awareness (CEPA) under the Convention.

Taxonomic needs assessments identify priority needs across the various sectors for

implementing the CBD.

basis for future activities,

mechanism to highlight taxonomic needs, raises the profile of taxonomy, the GTI and other aspects of the CBD.

Pilot projects identified in the PoW under each of the planned activities. helps to understand the benefits and possibilities of GTI.

Obstacles to Implementation

Inadequacy of global taxonomic resources to meet the

priorities.

Poor communication and lack of knowledge about GTI.

No taxonomic problem in implementing the Convention.

Funding for GTI

Global Environment Facility (GEF) Main source of funding for large-scale projects. Established to promote international cooperation for global

environment benefits. Administratively linked to the World Bank. It supports taxonomy based on the priority areas identified by

Conference of the Parties (COP).

Project proposals for GEF funding are considered through three windows: enabling activity, operational programs and short-term response measures.

Enabling activity (EA)

Grants for EA were designed

to help countries to prepare national strategies and action plans,

to assess needs, identify priorities, build consenus on particular issues

and support capacity-building activities.

Medium sized projects (MSPs)

several species based conservation projects have been financed.

limited to a maximum of US $ 1 million and submitted on a

rolling basis throughout the year.

Full projects (FPs)

use project development facility (PDF) funds to cover project

preparatory expenses,

included in a work program and submitted at a meeting or

intersessionally.

Small Grants Programme (SGP)

this global project is coordinated by UNDP and offer individual grants to NGOs and community based organizations (CBOs).Proposals of (MSPs , FPs & SGP) are based on the requirements of GEF operational programs.

Short term response measures

Proposals included do not form an integral part of an operational program. proposals approved include the taxonomy project ‘Inventory, Evaluation and Monitoring of Botanical Diversity in South Africa: A Regional Capacity and Institution Building Network ’ (SABONET).

Other multilateral sources

such as United Nations Environment Programme and the Food

and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations are

involved in global and regional taxonomic projects. Bilateral sources

include Belgian Development Corporation and Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Darwin initiative, a programme expertises biodiversity rich developing countries.

provides assistance by means of scientific and technical linkages between target and donor countries,

supports taxonomic activities.

Non governmental sources

Includes Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, Moore Family Foundation.

funds taxonomic activities.

Taxonomic Tools BioNET

An initiative that promotes taxonomy, so the countries can

identify their biodiversity, address sustainable development

and conservation priorities.

Supports Global Taxonomy Initiative.

Biodiversity Information System (BIS)

Provide taxonomy information over the architecture for

sharing national, regional and global biodiversity databases.

Examples of GTI Projects

National Project – Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in

Taxonomy (US).

GEF Project – The Indonesian Biodiversity Collection Project.

GEF Project – SABONET(the Southern African Botany

Diversity Network).

GEF Project – Botanical and Zoological Taxonomic Networks

in Eastern Africa (BOZONET): Linking Conservation to

Taxonomy.

GEF Project – Biodiversity Resources Development Project for

Costa Rica.

Bilateral – Example projects supported by the UK Darwin Initiative.

“Taxonomic capacity-building in support of biodiversity

conservation in Thailand”: funded through the UK Darwin

Initiative, for biodiversity conservation and research in

Thailand.

Bilateral – Example projects supported by the Belgian Development Corporation and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

Herpetological Species Richness and Community Structure on

the Kaieteur National Park Tepui (Guyana)

Biodiversity assessment at three protected areas in northwest

Cambodia

Training Program for the Study of Biodiversity and

Management of Rodents and Shrews in Eastern Congo

(Kisangani)

Regional European Union Initiatives

European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT), a network

sponsored by the European Commission which aims at starting

to overcome the taxonomic impediment through collaboration

and joint work programmes, including capacity building.

European Network for Biodiversity Information (ENBI) focuses

on information-sharing

Non-governmental – Investing in Nature: an eco-partnership between the HSBC Group, WWF, Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Earthwatch

In 2002, the HSBC Group established, in eco-partnership with

WWF, Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

and Earthwatch, the Investing in Nature programme139 with

US$50 million to fund conservation projects around the world

over five years.

Partner project DIVERSITAS , established in 1991 by a number of scientists

from all parts of the world. a partnership of international organisations, to promote,

facilitate and catalyse scientific research on biodiversity-its origin, composition, ecosystem function, maintenance, and conservation.

has a number of key Elements, one of which is “systematic inventory-discovering and describing the world’s species”.

As a global non-governmental group, it has a role in mobilising the wider scientific community to embrace the aims of the GTI.

Other partner projects are GBIF and IPBES.

CONCLUSION

Global Taxonomy Initiative is a cross cutting issue of the United

Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to address the lack

of

taxonomic information.

The 5 operational objectives of the GTI are for each member

country to conduct a taxonomic needs assessment, contribute to

capacity building, provide support for the CBD’s thematic areas

and cross cutting issues and improve access to information.

Australian Biological Resources Study 1998 (ABRS). The Global

Taxonomy Initiative: Shortening the distance between discovery

and delivery. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study,

Environment Australia.

Cristian Samper 2004. Taxonomy and environmental policy. Phil.

Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond.(B), 359: 721-728.

Mark Graham 2005. The Global Taxonomy Initiative CBA

Bulletin 38(3): 35-36.

www.cbd.org.

REFERENCES