On the first day of the workshop, attendees gathered for a group photo with speakers from the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the ACB.
BANGKOK, Thailand – A workshop on Knowledge Management for Biodiversity (KM4B) for Asia was jointly organised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which received funding support from the Government of Denmark.
Held from 11 to 13 March, the workshop aimed to respond to the crucial need to make biodiversity data available and accessible for planning, policymaking, and implementation, particularly of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF). As part of the broader KM4B Initiative, the workshop also sought to enhance the capabilities of CBD Parties and stakeholders in biodiversity knowledge management. It was intended to be geared towards supporting the implementation of the KM GBF, specifically Target 21, which focuses on ensuring that the best available data, information, and knowledge are accessible to decision-makers, practitioners, and the public. This access is crucial for promoting effective and equitable governance, fostering integrated and participatory management of biodiversity, and enhancing communication, awareness-raising, education, monitoring, research, and knowledge management.
“We have very limited time to implement KM GBF, and therefore, we need to enhance the global knowledge ecosystem to support the achievement of the global targets by 2030. The KM4B and the selection of regional and subregional technical and scientific cooperation (TSC) support centres are timely actions to accelerate the achievement of the KM GBF targets,’’ said Ms. Clarissa C. Arida, ACB Acting Executive Director, in her welcome remarks.
In a video message, Ms. Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the CBD, highlighted the significance of knowledge management following COP 16’s resumed sessions in Rome, where key decisions on resource mobilisation, monitoring, and knowledge management were finalised. She also noted that with a comprehensive knowledge management strategy now in place, countries have the tools to translate the KM GBF into national action.
Part of the workshop was a recapitulation of the 2024 knowledge management course by Prof. Andreas Brandner, Resource Person of the workshop. This ensured all workshop participants shared a common understanding of knowledge management principles. It also strengthened the participants’ ability to contribute effectively to national and international biodiversity goals.
Mr. Frederic Vogel and Mr. Abhinav Prakash of the CBD Secretariat re-introduced the KM4B Initiative, the newly adopted KM Strategy, and its relevance to national biodiversity strategies. This included discussions on the need for systematic approaches to implement knowledge management. Another highlight of the workshop was the integration of knowledge management into the national biodiversity strategy and action plans. Before this, Mr. Balakrishna Pisupati provided an analysis of knowledge management frameworks. He highlighted gaps in the current national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) and underscored the importance of integrating practitioner knowledge alongside scientific data.
The participants were able to draft the Knowledge Management Regional Agenda for Asia based on pre-identified actions related to biodiversity knowledge management, focusing on integrating knowledge management into the NBSAPs. Funding opportunities for the implementation of knowledge management plans were also presented by representatives from the UNDP, UNEP, the Global Biodiversity Fund, and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership.
