UNDP, the Global Environment Facility, together with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection (Goskomecology), are planning to develop and establish a Biodiversity Conservation Information Management System (BCIMS). At the same time, Biodiversity of Uzbekistan Resource Center – open internet portal will be created.
Access to data and key environmental information is crucial to support the implementation of both national biodiversity conservation plans and the Aichi global biodiversity targets (https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/).
Nowadays, Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS), which are a combination of modern IT technologies used to allow the user to store, query, visualize and analyze current and historical data about the environment, are widely distributed throughout the world. With this storage system and efficient data retrieval, you can manage or analyze environmental data.
The biodiversity information management system developed by the UNDP / GEF and the State Committee on Ecology of Uzbekistan is an online resource that will allow to include, store and update data on flora and fauna (including nationally and globally endangered species, as well as economically important species of animals and plants), existing threats to biodiversity etc. The information system will allow not only to enter and regularly update information, but also to easily extract and combine data for the needs of managing the nature protection system of the republic.
The BCIMS manly based on geodata, or GIS maps, as well as various qualitative, quantitative data on the status of biological species, and related documentation (for example, data on the number and distribution area of species, data on production quotas for species, etc.). In addition, this information system will contain data on scientific collections of animals and plants and types of land use in accordance with national laws and regulations.
BCIMS will be will be installed in the Goskomecology for joint use by this Committee and other partner national agencies involved in the collection and provision of biodiversity data.
Currently, the international company GeneGIS GI is involved in the development and installation of BCIMS in Uzbekistan, whose recently representative visited Uzbekistan and held a series of consultations with key stakeholders on the goals and objectives of working with the BCIMS. At the same time, a situation analysis was made, an inventory of the quality and availability of available biodiversity data, and the available technical equipment, including IT equipment, the definition of users, and levels of access to the database system has been made. After installing the information management system, the project plans to conduct a series of trainings on the effective use of the capabilities of the system.
BCIMS is expected to provide substantial support to the State Committee for Ecology in planning and managing natural resources inside and outside protected areas and will become an effective tool for the biodiversity conservation.
