During the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), that took place from 19 to 30 October, the TETTRIX project announced its first policy brief – “Taxonomy in action for the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”. The Framework, adopted during COP15, establishes an ambitious pathway to achieving the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Its key elements include four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030.
Fitting right into the topic of this year’s COP17, our new policy brief, presented during several COP17 panel sessions and discussions, discusses how TETTRIX strengthens the knowledge and capacity needed for achieving some of the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
What GBF biodiversity targets can taxonomy support?
T4: Species conservation & recovery
The fourth target of the GBF focuses on making biodiversity more visible and identifiable by assessing species, monitoring change, and targeting conservation and recovery actions. TETTRIX will contribute by providing extensive and more connected taxonomic knowledge via platforms and tools, such as TaxoTrack, the European Taxonomic Reference Catalogue, and the Species AI Lab (SAIL).
T6: Invasive alien species
Target 6 aims to strengthen the ability to identify and distinguish species accurately and rapidly. For this target, TETTRIX will bring forward reliable identification, surveillance, and early detection of invasive species with the help of resources like the GHOST Framework.
T14: Mainstreaming biodiversity in decision-making
The focus of Target 14 falls on bringing reliable species-level knowledge into policy, planning, and practice so that biodiversity can be more effectively integrated into decisions across sectors. TETTRIX will support this by developing the TETTRIX Marketplace for taxonomic expertise, tools, services, and data, as well as engaging the private sector in taxonomy and biodiversity conservation.
T20: Capacity-building, technology transfer & scientific cooperation
Target 20 works towards improving taxonomic expertise, skills, technologies, and cooperation so that biodiversity knowledge can be generated and applied at the scale required for effective implementation. For this target, we will build the TETTRIX Academy for training and certification of current and future taxonomists, as well as launch Satellite projects for addressing less spotlighted issues in biodiversity.
T21: Knowledge available & accessible for biodiversity action
Target 21 of the GBF strives to close taxonomic knowledge gaps and improve the availability, interoperability, and accessibility of reliable species-level information. TETTRIX will support this target by modernising identification approaches, structuring knowledge, and making tools, data, and services easier to access. Some of our upcoming outputs for this are the Knowledge Exchange Network for Taxonomy and the Taxonomy Cluster.
“Effective biodiversity action starts with knowing what species exist, where they occur and how to identify them. TETTRIX turns that knowledge into capacity for action.” – a quote defining the essence of the policy brief.
Coordinator Ana Casino and TETTRIX partner Marko Lovrić from CETAF at COP17
To learn more about TETTRIX’s role in supporting the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, read our full policy brief here.
