Business Plan 2007 - 2011 - BioNET

BioNET 

Business Plan 

2007 - 2011 

taxonomy conserving biodiversity 

taxonomy discovering life 

taxonomy saving crops 

taxonomy enabling trade 

taxonomy certifying medicines

the global network for taxonomy 

*** 

Increase your options with names!

www.bionet-intl.org 

BioNET’s Vision 

The capacity to name all living organisms is 

accessible to serve the needs of 

people everywhere. 

BioNET’s Mission 

Enhance human well-being and biodiversity 

conservation by building capacity to 

discover, name and classify the 

world’s living organisms.


Contents 

1 Key Messages 

3 Introduction 

3 The Organisation 

7 BioNET’s Markets, Services and Niche 

9 The Global Programme 2007-2011 

10 Management Summary 

10 Financing and Funding 

13 Risks and Keys to Success


KEY MESSAGES 

BioNET’s goal is for anyone, anywhere in the 

World, to be able to find the correct name for 

any plant, animal, fungi or micro-organism. 

BioNET is achieving this by building capacity and 

partnerships globally. 

Naming organisms enables us to manage the 

world sustainably, understand our impact upon 

it, and the effects of our changing environment. 

It is integral to achieving the Millennium Development 

Goals and meeting agriculture, trade, 

health, food security and other needs of countries 

world-wide. 

Taxonomy is the science of discovery, naming 

and classification of all living things. 

Taxonomic Impediment – The job of providing 

names falls on a very few individuals and institutions. 

Capacity is wholly insufficient to respond 

appropriately to people who need names to 

manage biodiversity, support agriculture, promote 

health and regulate trade. The Impediment 

is acute in most developing countries. 

BioNET’s Mission is to “enhance human wellbeing 

and biodiversity conservation by building 

capacity to discover, name and classify the 

world’s living organisms”. BioNET is the leader 

in establishing and operating partnerships for 

capacity building and advocacy for taxonomy in 

developing countries. 

The organisation is not-for-profit and distributed 

world-wide, with a UK-based Secretariat 

and ten locally managed, government-endorsed, 

regional partnerships encompassing institutions 

in 115 countries in Africa, Asia and Oceania, the 

Caribbean and Latin America. CABI, an international 

not-for-profit organisation, provides the 

legal framework and hosting services for the 

Secretariat. 

The BioNET Strategy – The regional partnerships 

are BioNET’s unique capacity building 

and product delivery mechanisms. Their local 

know-how is complemented by the Secretariat’s 

in-depth knowledge of international taxonomic 

priorities and its strategic partnerships with leading 

international technology and capacity building 

organisations. 

Achievements – BioNET has a strong record in 

capacity building and is highly regarded internationally. 

Key decisions of the Convention on 

Biological Diversity identify roles for BioNET, 

recognising it as the “most comprehensive network 

for taxonomy”. BioNET’s success depends 

on effective mobilisation of partnerships both 

locally and internationally. 

The Global Programme 2007-2011 – BioNET’s 

role has grown among international organisations 

and demands on its centrally-managed services 

have evolved and are increasing. Following 

the successes of establishing regional partnerships, 

the new Global Programme is product 

oriented. It identifies four key areas of work: A) 

fortifying BioNET’s delivery platform (regional 

partnerships), B) accelerating the development 

of products with technology partners, C) creating 

an enabling policy environment and D) mobilising 

resources for taxonomy. 

BioNET’s Funding Needs – Increased operational 

and human resources will be needed to 

realise the ambitious yet realistic goals of the 

Global Programme. The total cost of the Global 

Programme (2007 to 2011) will be £3.14 million, 

of which two thirds will be directed to fortifying 

the delivery platform and accelerating product 

and capacity development with international 

partners. BioNET has secured £445K of funding, 

leaving a total of £2.7 million needed to implement 

the Programme, £425K in its first phase 

from 2007-2008. 

Potential Funders – BioNET’s work is fundamental 

to humankind everywhere and sustainable 

funding should therefore be based on a mix 

of public or private institutional sources. While 

developing nations are providing resources 

and institutional commitments for the regional 

partnerships, the costs of the Global Programme 

should rightly be borne by the developed nations. 

Keys to Success – Empowered to deliver its 

Global Programme, BioNET will help to reduce 

the Taxonomic Impediment. BioNET’s unique 

partnership approach, its capability to accelerate 

product and capacity development, its longstanding 

experience in developing countries and, 

above all, its prominence as the only organisation 

promoting taxonomy globally – means it is 

ideally placed to reduce the Taxonomic Impediment 

and in doing so, enhance biodiversity 

conservation and human well-being.


BioNET’s WORLD


INTRODUCTION 

BioNET is a distributed not-for-profit organisation 

with responsibilities shared between an 

affiliated network of government-designated 

national and subregional Coordinating Institutions 

world-wide and a UK-based Secretariat. 

“BioNET” is used throughout this document 

to refer to both the Secretariat and the wider 

network. This business plan is specifically that 

of BioNET’s Global Programme (2007-11) which 

is led by BioNET’s Secretariat and delivered 

with BioNET’s regional partnerships and others 

internationally. The plan is intended for use in 

communicating the new Programme to potential 

funders and technical partners, particularly 

those concerned with implementing Multilateral 

Environmental Agreements (MEAs). 

THE ORGANISATION 

Why BioNET 

BioNET’s World 

We depend on Nature’s services for our wellbeing. 

To understand, quantify, map and sustainably 

use natural resources we need to be 

able to identify the components of Nature. The 

ability to do this is based on “Taxonomy” – the 

science and process of discovery, naming and 

classification of all living things. 

Of the 5 - 30 million species of plants, animals, 

fungi and other organisms on Earth, only about 

1.8 million have been named and described 

scientifically. In a time of rapid environmental 

change and environmental degradation, species 

are being lost at an unprecedented rate, with 

irreversible consequences for environmental 

functioning and our biological resource base. 

Humanity needs to be able to assess and 

understand the distribution of the remaining 

species if it is to conserve and sustainably use 

them. Equally, with political responses to our 

already changing climate increasing so rapidly in 

scope, the taxonomic community has important 

and urgent contributions to make. Policy 

makers need expert predictions and monitoring 

of biodiversity if they are to make informed decisions 

and adapt management measures in a 

timely manner. This in turn means knowing the 

names and distributions of organisms. 

Investment in taxonomy is good value: it answers 

immediate questions while also providing 

long-lasting benefits for future generations. 

However, the societal and scientific benefits of 

taxonomy are not delimited by national borders. 

Perhaps for this reason, it is often too easy for 

governments to think of it as someone else’s 

responsibility. As a result, taxonomy has long 

been in decline leading to the so-called “Taxonomic 

Impediment”. The job of discovering species, 

giving them names, understanding how 

they relate to other species, knowing where to 

find them and providing identification services 

and products falls on a very few individuals and 

institutions. The output of taxonomic products 

(Figure 3) is wholly insufficient to respond to 

people who need names to manage biodiversity, 

support agriculture, promote health and 

regulate trade. The Impediment is acute in 

most developing countries. 

BioNET’s World is shaped by the need to build 

capacity and deliver products to overcome the 

Taxonomic Impediment so people everywhere 

can better conserve species and address development 

challenges. BioNET’s interests fall in 

several areas: 

Biodiversity conservation, sustainable use 

and benefit sharing – Taxonomy provides 

baseline data and other information necessary 

for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss 

to meet the 2010 Biodiversity Target. Knowledge 

of species distributions is derived from 

biological collections and allows prediction of 

climate change impacts, risk assessments and 

rational planning of protected areas. Each step 

in invasive species management benefits from 

taxonomic support. Taxonomic know-how allows 

countries to participate in the knowledge 

economy, much of which is biologically based. 

Biological collections are integral to conservation 

and regulation of biodiversity science and 

the benefits from using biodiversity. 

Agricultural productivity, poverty reduction 

and food security – The well-being of the 

world’s poorest people is closely connected 

 

see case studies illustrating “Why Taxonomy Matters” 

at www.bionet-intl.org.


NAMERILOOP 

MESOAMERINET 

proposed 

ANDINONET 

2003 (5) 

1993 (22) 

CARINET 

LATINET 

planned 

WAFRINET 

EUROLOOP 

NAFRINET 

2003 (6) 

1999 (13) 

SAFRINET 

1995 (15) 

LOOPs to be defined 

EAFRINET 

1998 (6) 

2006 (7) 

SACNET 

ASEANET 

2002 (5) 

EASIANET 

1998 (10) 

PACINET 

2000 (26) 

Figure 1: 

BioNET LOOPs. Hatched areas indicate LOOPs to be defined / being established. 

Date of establishment and number of member countries are giben. 

 

to the productivity of agriculture and related 

sectors (forestry, fisheries, horticulture, aquaculture 

etc.). Taxonomy supports these sectors 

through, e.g., diagnoses of pests and 

pathogens, research and management tools for 

integrated pest management and knowledge 

on pollinator management. 

International trade and poverty reduction – 

To take advantage of international markets, 

exporting countries need to overcome the regulatory 

barriers imposed by importing countries. 

Taxonomic tools and training are key to implementing 

sanitary and phytosanitary standards, 

opening markets for developing country exporters, 

and protecting productive systems from 

potentially harmful species introductions. 

Health and human well-being – Taxonomy is 

fundamental for correct diagnoses and treatment 

of diseases and parasites, prediction and 

management of disease vectors, and regulation 

and quality control of trade in medicinal plants. 

Basic science and other fields of human 

interests – Taxonomy is crucial to fundamental 

research and education in many life science 

disciplines. It also makes surprising and important 

contributions to other fields of human 

interest like civil engineering, construction, and 

forensics. 

BioNET’s Policy Context 

Today, interest in taxonomy is growing. On the 

political stage, strong mandates and a framework 

for delivering the taxonomy needed for 

sustainable development have been developed 

under the United Nations (UN). BioNET is at the 

centre of these efforts to respond to today’s 

taxonomic challenges, particularly those faced 

by developing countries and as described by the 

UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

With its highly developed partnership structure 

and experience, BioNET is uniquely positioned to 

accelerate the development of taxonomic products 

by mobilising collective responses and customising 

products according to the formats and 

languages required by end-users world-wide. 

BioNET’s Global Programme is embedded in 

a policy framework concerned with poverty 

reduction, biodiversity management and trade. 

BioNET’s global-level work is defined by the 

need to strengthen taxonomic efforts to address 

the major threats to biodiversity identified 

by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 

(MA); by the need for taxonomic support for 

the goals of major multilateral agreements, not 

least the UN’s Millennium Development Goals 

(MDGs); the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and 

Phytosanitary Measures (WTO-SPS), the Convention 

on International Trade in Endangered 

Species (CITES), and the Convention of Biological 

Diversity (CBD).


BioNET’s work in support of the CBD is supported 

by a Memorandum of Cooperation and 

key decisions of the CBD identify BioNET as a 

leader in international cooperation and capacity 

building for taxonomy. In particular, BioNET 

is a key implementer of the Global Taxonomy 

Initiative (GTI) of the CBD, the policy framework 

for developing the taxonomic support needed 

to effectively implement the CBD. There is, 

therefore, clear political support for BioNET 

and its practical approaches to overcoming the 

Taxonomic Impediment. 

Who We Are 

BioNET was established in 1993 to respond to 

the significant and growing mismatch between 

the need for, and availability of, taxonomic 

expertise and services in developing countries. 

Today, the organisation is comprised of a Secretariat 

linking subregional, government-endorsed 

partnerships with international technology, 

informatics and capacity building partners. From 

the outset BioNET has worked with governments 

and scientific institutions to build and 

mobilise taxonomic capacity at the subregional 

level through “Locally Owned and Operated 

Partnerships” (LOOPs). Ten LOOPs have been 

established to date, bringing together institutions 

from 115 countries in Africa, Asia and 

Oceania, the Caribbean and Latin America in 

“the most comprehensive network for taxonomy” 

(CBD decision VI/8) (Figure 1). 

There are four principal reasons for BioNET’s 

subregional structure: 

P 

P 

P 

P 

First, few if any countries have all the 

taxonomic capacity they need, so mobilising 

capacity across borders is a practical 

solution. 

Second, ecological and biodiversity issues 

such as invasive species management are 

not country specific and depend on coordinated 

regional and international action. 

Third, resources to duplicate taxonomic 

capacity in each country cannot be found, 

nor can they be justified. 

Fourth, the centrally managed Global Programme 

is able to mobilise a highly cost-effective 

structure, combining local optimisation 

and ownership with global presence 

and impact (Figure 2). 

The Secretariat 

BioNET’s Secretariat leads the delivery of the 

Global Programme in partnership with the 

LOOPs and international partners. Through 

targeted and strategic participation in policy 

forums, the Secretariat maintains global market 

knowledge of current and emerging needs for 

taxonomy related to development and biodiversity 

conservation. The Secretariat has a 

critical role in helping LOOPs respond to local 

taxonomic priorities by mobilising expertise and 

technical partnerships with capacity building 

organisations and technology initiatives. Underpinning 

the Secretariat’s functions are formal 

agreements with strategic partners such as 

the CBD Secretariat, GBIF, GISP, IFS, IUCN and 

CBOL. 

The LOOPs – 

“Locally Owned and Operated Partnerships” 

The LOOPs are BioNET’s unique capacity building 

and product delivery mechanisms. Their 

interests extend from taxonomic services (e.g. 

species identifications), product development 

(e.g. identification aids) and adoption and use of 

technologies, to training and facilities for biological 

and literature collections, and more (Figure 

3). LOOP membership is open to any institution 

offering taxonomic services. LOOPs provide 

BioNET and its international partners with indepth 

local knowledge and direct insights into 

local priorities and institutional opportunities for 

developing taxonomic products and capacity. 

cost-effective coordination and support 

Secretariat 

Global level capacity 

building partnerships, 

advocacy, communication, 

coordination. 

Figure 2: 

LOOPs 

Pooled regional knowledge 

of the taxonomy 

markets, taxonomic 

output delivery. 

local know-how of taxonomic needs 

The BioNET Feedback LOOP

Field 

Guides: 

These books 

contain text and 

pictures describing a 

given group of organisms and are designed to be 

brought into the ‘field’ to help distinguish between 

similar species. Field guides on invasive 

plants, for example, aid resource 

managers to protect our 

environment. 

Pictorial Keys: 

Keys offer a method of 

deducing the species 

assignment of an 

organism. They 

are a guide to what 

a species might be. 

Final identification may 

require expert comparison 

of specimens with 

the accurate, scientific 

species description. 

Species 

Lists: 

Lists of species are used 

as a catalogue of, e.g., all 

species existing in one region, or all 

endangered species of a given 

habitat, or all species of 

one family, etc.. 

Access to both old and 

current journals is crucial to 

taxonomic research. Increasingly, 

older publications are being made 

availble digitally, creating 

new possiblitlies for 

practicing taxonomiy 

cost-effectively 

in developing 

countries. 

Libraries: 

Digital 

Taxonomy: 

Computer technology enables taxonomists 

anywhere to have online access to images and 

data from biological collections. Software is used 

to develop easyproducts 

ID Cards: 

Identification 

cards are fact sheets 

with information, 

descriptions and 

illustrations on one 

particular species, like 

its distinctive markings, habitat preferences, 

distribution, etc.. ID cards help nontaxonomists 

to quickly identify 

certain organisms and are 

often used in education. 

Identification 

Aids 

There is an increasing need for easy-touse 

tools that help people identify the life 

forms on Earth. Some of these aids can be 

taken to the field to study the species in 

their own environment, some are lab 

or office bound and the specimens 

need to be collected for correct 

identification. 

to-use taxonomic 

such as 

interactive 

pictoral 

keys. 

Molecular 

Taxonomy: 

Molecular markers 

have been widely 

used in taxonomic 

research and 

DNA-taxonomy 

studies. Today, 

DNA-barcoding 

employs short, 

species-specific DNA 

sequences for quick and accurate 

species identification. 

Reference 

Collections: 

Well organised, preserved and 

documented specimen collections are essential 

resources for identification services, taxonomic 

research, conservation planning and predicting 

the impacts of environmental change. They 

are vital for regulating access and use 

of biodiversity. 

Taxonomic Products 

Tools and resources for 

biodiversity conservation 

and sustainable development 

Taxonomic Services provided by museums, universities and other institutions: 

Routine 

Identification: 

Millions of tests are done 

daily, e.g. for diseases, 

pests, invasives and more. 

Specialist Identification: 

Many organisms are difficult to identify or 

are not yet known. Expertise in taxonomy is 

necessary to address such questions and to 

understand, protect and use biodiversity. 

Training: 

There is insufficient taxonomic 

personnel and training 

is needed to respond to 

various global demands. 

6 

Figure 3 

Surveying: 

One focus of biodiversity 

surveys is to monitor environmental 

change caused by 

human or other impact.


Achievements 

BioNET has become a well known brand, 

familiar within many of the international policy 

making and capacity building bodies for its 

LOOPs, networking, capacity building and 

advocacy for taxonomy and its applications. 

An external review led by the Chief Scientist 

at IUCN, and involving senior staff from UNEP- 

GEF and the CBD Secretariat, has strongly 

endorsed BioNET’s global-level work, finding 

it to be highly cost-effective and emphasising 

BioNET’s impressive record of capacity building 

in developing countries. In particular, the review 

commended BioNET’s support for the CBD, a 

role most recently recognised by Parties with 

the invitation to lead the establishment of a 

Special Fund for taxonomy. 

A further important achievement is BioNET’s 

strong strategic partnerships, established 

particularly with technology and informatics 

organisations (GBIF, CBIT, CBOL), capacity 

building organisations (CABI, GISP, IUCN, IFS), 

and policy making bodies (CBD, CITES, IPPC). 

With its news, events calendar, grant opportunities, 

LOOP profiles, taxonomy case studies, 

resource centre, etc., the BioNET webpage 

serves as an excellent and popular communication 

platform for dissemination and exchange 

of information relevant to the application of 

taxonomy. The BioNET e-bulletin is presently 

distributed to over 150 countries, with new 

subscription requests received each week. 

Because of its unique experience and capacity 

to mobilise expertise, BioNET plays a leading 

role in advocacy and policy development for 

taxonomy. It has obtained permanent membership 

of the GTI Coordination Mechanism, 

advising the CBD on taxonomy and has organised 

three Global Taxonomy Workshops, the 

most recent in partnership with CBD, IPPC and 

UNESCO. 

Above all, BioNET’s first phase has demonstrated 

that it can establish LOOPs that operate 

effectively as locally-driven platforms for 

taxonomy, delivering products, training and 

international collaborations. 

BioNET’s Future 

With ten LOOPs in operation, significant international 

recognition and excellent relations 

with strategic partners internationally, demands 

for BioNET’s centrally-managed services have 

evolved and expanded considerably since its 

establishment in 1993. To seize the opportunities 

and build on past investments, BioNET has 

taken stock of its position in the world today 

and redefined its niche accordingly. 

At the global level, BioNET is now ready to 

move from process-oriented work (LOOP and 

strategic partnership establishment) to focus 

on delivering unique product-oriented services. 

The new Global Programme will focus on mobilising 

BioNET’s network to develop products and 

the capacity underpinning product delivery. Four 

key areas of work have been identified: 

(A) fortifying BioNET’s delivery platform, 

(B) accelerating the development of products 

with technology partners, 

(C) creating an enabling policy environment and 

(D) mobilising resources for taxonomy. 

The Programme will empower LOOPs and enable 

a radical step change in the scale of their 

responsiveness to taxonomic needs. 

By 2011, BioNET will have a strong record 

of product delivery via LOOPs and technical 

partnerships, justifying an ongoing programme. 

Objectives and priorities will include continued 

support to the taxonomic sector in developing 

countries via LOOP planning and operational 

services, product development and advocacy. 

By 2020, BioNET will be recognised as the leading 

channel for mobilising taxonomic support 

for implementation of Multilateral Environmental 

Agreements, particularly among developing 

countries. 

BioNET’s MARKETS, SERVICES, NICHE 

Key Markets 

The need for taxonomy to contribute to biodiversity 

management, poverty reduction, trade, 

health and sustainable agriculture is greatest in 

developing countries. The capacity of the taxonomic 

sector to respond to such needs, on the 

other hand, is very limited in most developing 

nations, preventing the implementation of key 

elements of the CBD and other MEAs. Devel-


GBIF, CBIT, CBOL, ... 

DEMAND-DRIVEN AND LOCALLY OPTIMISED TAXONOMIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

Technology and tool developers 

Policy and 

regulation 

MDG, CBD, IPPC, ... 

GLOBAL PROGRAMME 

Capacity building organisations 

IUCN, UNDP 

Identification aids, species lists, reference collections, identifications, training ... 

, CABI, ... 

Taxonomic partnerships: LOOPs and expert centres 

Figure 4: 

The role of the Global Programme in mobilising partnerships to accelerate the development of 

taxonomic products for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. 

oping countries therefore are the key market 

segment for BioNET. 

Yet, it is clear that biodiversity loss and the 

discovery, conservation and use of species are 

global matters concerning all people likewise, 

today and in the future. Developing countries 

currently have the greatest need for taxonomic 

capacity building; however, beneficiaries of 

taxonomic products and services are found 

worldwide. 

Core Services, 

Beneficiaries and Clients 

BioNET is a service provider, with a Global 

Programme led by the Secretariat and delivered 

with the locally differentiated LOOPs and 

international technology and capacity building 

partners. Its key services include the provision 

of capacity building, coordination, advocacy 

and communication services to the taxonomic, 

technology and policy sectors concerned with 

addressing the Taxonomic Impediment. 

The ultimate beneficiaries of BioNET’s work are 

the clients of LOOP member institutions in the 

public and private sector, particularly national 

and subregional agencies and businesses with 

interests in the environment, agriculture, trade 

and education. The list of end-users ranges 

widely and may include farmers, conservation 

practitioners, biologists, customs agencies, 

traders in natural products, tourists, epidemiologists, 

among others. It could be expanded 

considerably because virtually all of humanity 

depends on biodiversity and will benefit from 

being better able to identify and understand it. 

The clients (targets) of the Global Programme 

fall into four groups, i) taxonomic institutions 

and taxonomists (including the LOOPs), ii) 

technology partners, i.e. the developers of 

digital and molecular technologies and tools, iii) 

capacity building partners in science, development 

and environmental management, and 

iv) policy makers concerned with environment 

and development with the CBD being BioNET’s 

primary client. 

BioNET’s Goals and Niche 

BioNET’s success depends on its ability to mobilise 

effective partnerships, as well as a clear


definition of its distinct role among the key 

global players in the biodiversity and taxonomy 

landscape. Combining forces in partnership 

increases the ability to both deliver timely products 

and link them to the markets. Therefore, 

a major part of the Global Programme involves 

mobilising LOOPs, technology developers and 

capacity building organisations to accelerate the 

development of taxonomic products (capacity, 

tools and services) for MEA implementation 

(Figure 4). 

Strategic cooperation with organisations with 

related interests not only decreases the risks 

of competition for resources, it also creates 

new opportunities for growth for both. BioNET 

and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility 

(GBIF), for example, have complementary 

objectives. GBIF’s capacity building focuses 

on informatics infrastructure and related skills 

while BioNET’s focus is the human resources 

and collections that underpin the practice of 

taxonomy and hence the data served by GBIF. 

BioNET has found a unique niche, being the 

only internationally active organisation with 

its central focus on taxonomic institutions and 

human resources. Its main area of excellence 

is to understand the needs of the taxonomic 

markets (via LOOPs and policy forums), incorporate 

this knowledge into its capacity building 

operations and ultimately produce products that 

meet market needs. 

BioNET’s Core Values 

BioNET’s driving force is the timely and accurate 

provision of identifications where they are 

most needed – helping people everywhere find 

the name of the elements of their living world. 

Five core values guide BioNET’s work: 

End-user Focus – Knowledge of what taxonomic 

support non-taxonomists want is the 

essential basis for a demand-driven response 

from the taxonomic sector. 

Awareness and Action – Increasing engagement 

of the taxonomic sector in addressing 

policy priorities serves to focus effort and 

increase the responsiveness and immediate 

impact of taxonomic work. 

Partnerships – Increased world-wide access 

to taxonomy demands partnerships on several 

levels: among taxonomic institutions, between 

taxonomic institutions and policy bodies and between 

taxonomic institutions and international 

leaders in technology and capacity building. 

Timeliness – Emerging, technology assisted 

and more efficient approaches to delivering 

taxonomic products, services and research 

outputs need to be widely adopted. 

Scientific Integrity – The practice of taxonomy 

requires the application of scientific rigour and 

method. 

THE GLOBAL PROGRAMME 2007-11 

Objectives – Global Programme 

In delivering the Global Programme the Secretariat 

will work with its clients within four Key 

Areas: 

Key Area A 

Fortifying the operational platform (LOOPs) 

BioNET will strengthen the LOOPs so they 

can enhance their responses to local end-user 

needs. LOOPs will have the capacity, business 

models and operational support needed to 

respond in a timely manner to market needs. 

Key Area B 

Accelerating development of taxonomic 

resources, tools and technologies 

Working in partnership with leading international 

technology and informatics providers, BioNET 

will mobilise taxonomists to develop taxonomic 

resources and use them to deliver user-friendly, 

demand-driven products. The secretariat will: 

1. support selected innovative approaches that 

exploit digital and molecular technologies, resources 

and tools, and 2. promote optimisation 

and dissemination of taxonomic products according 

to local market needs, using traditional 

as well as appropriate modern approaches. 

Key Area C 

Policy development and communications 

BioNET will continue to promote the long-term 

sustainability of the taxonomic sector by helping 

create an enabling policy environment and 

by providing unique communication services. 

This includes: 1. provision of relevant and timely


technical input into policy development, 2. 

advocating (under CBD) the roles and capacity 

needs of taxonomy in IAS management 

and ABS and (under IPPC and WTO) sanitary 

and phytosanitary measures, and 3. promoting 

taxonomy at all levels to strengthen the implementation 

of global multilateral agreements and 

regional processes. 

Key Area D 

Resource mobilisation and governance 

Given its unique niche and mission, BioNET 

needs to mobilise adequate resources to enable 

its LOOPs, partners and other stakeholders 

to fully address the Taxonomic Impediment 

and implement the GTI. BioNET governance 

needs to be representative of core client interests 

yet sufficiently streamlined to allow flexible 

responses to emerging opportunities. The 

Secretariat will lead the development of a novel 

funding mechanism for the GTI with the aim of 

securing new technical, human, financial and 

other resources for BioNET LOOPs, partners 

and others. 

Short and Medium-Term Priorities 

From 2007 to 2008, the Global Programme will 

focus on completing BioNET’s transition from a 

process oriented (LOOP establishing) organisation 

to a powerful, product delivering, taxonomic 

partnership. The following priority activities 

will fall into this period: 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

Complete the launch of LOOPs for South 

Asia, North Africa and Latin America. 

Research and publish a “Best practice 

guide to LOOP management”. 

Develop the GTI Special Fund (CBD Decision 

VIII/3). 

Assess the taxonomic capacity needed for 

invasive species management and initiate 

innovative taxonomic product development 

in this sector. 

Initiate training to CBD Focal Points in taxonomy 

and invasive species / access and 

benefit sharing. 

Produce an introductory “guide to identification” 

for CITES. 

Launch “DNA barcode” initiatives in developing 

countries. 

Test best practice guidelines for Access and 

Benefit Sharing. 

P 

P 

Publish and translate 100 case studies on 

Why Taxonomy Matters. 

Establish the BioNET Registry of Expertise. 

From 2009 to 2011, the Global Programme will 

use BioNET’s unique network and mandates to 

identify product needs and work with partners 

to deploy BioNET’s infrastructure in delivering 

high value, demand-driven and user-friendly 

taxonomic products. BioNET’s priority activities 

during this period are: 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

P 

Assist LOOPs in developing and using locally 

relevant business models for taxonomy. 

Engage LOOPs in using technologies to 

build capacities and accelerate product 

delivery. 

Establish BioNET as the lead taxonomic 

partner for MEAs concerned with trade. 

Support completion of the Catalogue of Life 

by 2011. 

Work in a consortium to define product 

needs using further innovative needs assessments. 

Work in a consortium to support the development 

of biological collections able to 

service the ABS regime, conservation and 

industry. 

Launch an innovative platform for mobilising 

funds for taxonomy. 

Organise and convene the 4th Global 

Taxonomy Workshop “Technologies for 

Democratising Taxonomy” in 2009. 

MANAGEMENT SUMMARY 

Legal Structure 

BioNET is not a legal entity. The current and 

founding host of the BioNET Secretariat is 

CABI, a not-for-profit international organisation 

specialising in scientific publishing, communication, 

research and problem solving. BioNET 

operates independently from CABI, having both 

independent funding and governance. Strategically 

and operationally, there are numerous advantages 

to BioNET of continuing this relationship 

with CABI, as both share common markets 

10


Table 1: Financial Plan Summary 

EXPENSES & REVENUES (£K) 

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2007-2011 

EXPENSES -421,6 -448,4 -754,6 -751,3 -766,1 -3142,0 

Employee costs – Global services -143,3 -170,2 -251,8 -221,0 -232,1 -1018,3 

Employee costs - Regional Programme Officers 0,0 0,0 -47,5 -75,0 -78,8 -201,3 

OPERATIONAL COSTS 

Key Area A: Operational Platform (LOOPs) -84,4 -84,4 -181,9 -181,9 -181,9 -714,5 

Key Area B: Accelerating product development -126,3 -126,3 -148,0 -148,0 -148,0 -696,6 

Key Area C: Policy & Communications -37,6 -37,6 -85,8 -85,8 -85,8 -332,6 

Key Area D: Resources & Governance -29,9 -29,9 -39,6 -39,6 -39,6 -178,6 

FUNDING SECURED 222,5 222,5 0,0 0,0 0,0 445,0 

SUBTOTAL (FUNDING NEEDED) -199,1 -225,9 -754,6 -751,3 -766,1 -2697,0 

POTENTIAL REVENUES 0,0 0,0 40,0 45,0 35,0 120,0 

TOTAL (MINIMAL FUNDING NEEDED) -199,1 -225,9 -714,6 -706,3 -731,1 -2577,0 

and capacity building interests. It may become 

beneficial in the future to establish BioNET as 

a legal entity. At present, however, this option 

has been ruled out in the interests of efficiency. 

Oversight and Governance 

The BioNET Secretariat is governed by the 

BioNET Fund Supervisory Board. Finances are 

administered by CABI as a notional “BioNET 

Fund”, managed by the Director of BioNET’s 

Secretariat at the discretion of the BioNET 

Board. Board membership includes leading 

personnel from the CBD Secretariat, NHM 

(London), SDC and CABI. Further strategic 

guidance is provided by an informal Advisory 

Group including LOOP and GBIF representatives. 

Human Resource Needs 

The three current Secretariat positions 

– Director, Programme Officer (Global) and Office 

Manager – will continue until at least 2011. 

From July 2007 until end 2009, a Programme 

Officer (GTI Special Fund / Resource Mobilisation) 

will work with an international steering 

committee to lead BioNET’s response to CBD 

Decision VIII/3. From 2009, a Communications 

Officer will be employed to meet the growing 

demand for communication products from 

BioNET globally and regionally, and a Lucid Keys 

Programme Officer will be managed jointly with 

CBIT to accelerate the publication of keys to aid 

invasive species identification. The first of three 

Regional Programme Officers (RPOs) will start 

work in January 2009 with responsibility for 

supporting BioNET’s four LOOPs in Africa. From 

July 2009, two further RPOs (one dedicated to 

Asia/Oceania, the other to Latin America and 

the Caribbean) will commence similar work for 

the LOOPs in their regions. RPOs will be located 

regionally and receive administrative and 

operational services from a host organisation. 

FINANCES AND FUNDING 

Expenditures and Cost Trends 

The total cost of the Programme over the five 

years from 2007 to 2011 will be £3.14 million, 

of which £870K will fall in the 2007-8 period, a 

two year transitional phase of essential preparations 

for full strength delivery of the Global 

Programme (Table 1). 

The greatest staff and operational costs – together 

approximately £2 million over the five 

years – are attributed to Key Areas A and B 

11


– capacity building and product delivery. £590K 

over the five years will support Key Area C 

– policy development and communications, 

with BioNET’s services expanding to include 

the MEAs concerned with trade and endangered 

species. Key Area D – resource mobilisation 

and governance – is the smallest in terms 

of costs: £460K over five years. After 2011, 

costs in this area are anticipated to fall, once 

the transition to a diversified and longer-term 

basis for funding has been achieved. 

The tax status of CABI as an international organisation 

allows the Programme to be costed 

very competitively. Additionally, the possibility 

of generating revenues from services to needs 

assessment, environmental impact assessments 

and partnership building will be explored; 

preliminary estimates are given in Table 1. 

Past and Current Funding 

From 1996 to 2006, a contribution from the 

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation 

(SDC) to the BioNET Fund supported the 

ten year LOOP establishment programme and 

the core operations of the Secretariat (£2.4 million). 

A similar level of additional project funding 

during this period came from various other 

funders (e.g. UNDP, DFID, Commonwealth 

Secretariat, CTA, GEF, FAO, CABI, Defra). 

In 2004, SDC commissioned stakeholder 

research and an external review of BioNET 

which came to the conclusion that the case for 

BioNET’s Secretariat continuing operation is 

compelling. In response, SDC made a further 

grant to support BioNET in making the transition 

from a fixed-term programme to a longlasting 

organisation (£360K). Project funding for 

2007 to 2008 of £85K has been secured from 

Defra, NHM, and SDC. Thus, funding secured 

totals £445K, all of which is committed for the 

2007-8 period. 

In kind funding from CABI totalled £200K until 

2006 and a further £25K/year will be provided in 

the future (in kind funding is not considered in 

the financial plan). 

Financial Plan and Funding Needs 

Table 1 gives an overview of the estimated 

expenditure and potential income of BioNET’s 

Global Programme from 2007 to 2011. For the 

first phase from 2007 to 2008 an additional 

£425K is urgently needed to make BioNET 

ready for its new focus on product delivery 

from 2009 onwards. Including the secured 

funding, BioNET needs £2.7 million in total 

for the next five years, not considering any 

potential income. Speculating that BioNET will 

achieve income of £120K, the total net funding 

requirement totals £2.6 million. 

Resource Mobilisation Strategy 

BioNET needs a diversified and sustainable 

funding base to realise the ambitious yet realistic 

goals of its Global Programme. Funding 

should come from various developed country 

institutional and government sources, because 

first, given the vital importance of BioNET’s 

work and the unique services it provides, it 

is illogical that the bulk of the funding burden 

should fall on one institution, SDC; second, 

BioNET provides services that benefit all mankind, 

in both developed and developing nations; 

and third, developing nations are providing 

resources and institutional commitments for 

the LOOPs, hence the costs of the Secretariat 

should rightly be borne by the developed nations. 

The Secretariat’s goal is to develop and sustain 

mutually beneficial relationships with donors 

who share common goals with BioNET and its 

Global Programme. The Secretariat will align 

fundraising efforts with the goals of partners 

such as GBIF, CBIT, CBOL, CABI etc. and work 

with an international steering committee to 

establish a novel GTI funding mechanism to 

mobilise and sustain taxonomic support for 

conservation and sustainable development. 

Possible sources of funding for BioNET’s Global 

Programme are diverse, encompassing the 

public and private sectors, differing thematic 

interests and varying geographic concerns. 

Funders may be interested in the benefits 

of BioNET’s work for society, in international 

biodiversity work, agriculture or trade, in the 

socio-economic development of the developing 

world, poverty reduction and food security, 

supporting particular geographical priorities, 

or promoting science or digital and molecular 

technologies in general. 

12


Longer-term Perspective 

From 2011, the services of BioNET’s Global Programme 

are expected to cost an estimated £1.2 

million per year, sufficient to provide ongoing 

support for MEA implementation globally and 

locally with one Programme Officer dedicated 

to supporting the operation of each of the then 

twelve BioNET LOOPs. In view of the services 

BioNET provides to MEAs, the scope for financing 

of BioNET’s Secretariat will be explored 

with multilateral organisations with environment 

and sustainable development mandates 

(e.g. World Bank, CGIAR, UNEP, UNDP, UNES- 

CO, EC, GEF). BioNET will also seek additional 

funds from trusts and foundations and from 

corporate sponsors, particularly those with 

interests that intersect with BioNET’s Mission, 

with active corporate social responsibility 

programmes and involvement in biodiversity 

issues through, for example, biodiversity off-set 

arrangements. As BioNET is raising the profile 

of its work, we will approach US foundations 

(via CABI Inc., a 501(c)(3) status organisation), 

UK charitable sources (via the CABI Trust) and 

wealthy individuals who see the vital strategic 

need for BioNET’s growth and survival. 

RISKS AND KEYS TO SUCCESS 

Risks 

BioNET faces a number of challenges in delivering 

its mission. A major internal risk may be 

that the Secretariat’s capacity becomes too low 

to effectively support LOOP product delivery, 

as when involvement with global partners and 

requests for technical assistance from LOOPs 

increases demands on the Secretariat more 

than presently foreseen. BioNET will respond to 

this by focussing its efforts on priority projects 

and increasing its fundraising efforts to meet its 

human resource needs. 

The number of taxonomy and biodiversity-related 

capacity building organisations has grown 

since BioNET’s founding. This may be an external 

risk factor to BioNET’s Global Programme 

because of potential competition for funding. 

This threat is addressed by BioNET’s active involvement 

in the governance of other initiatives, 

a strategy of working with not against other 

institutions, and ongoing, careful refinement of 

BioNET’s niche to complement the missions 

of its partners. Most importantly, BioNET has 

unique assets and an excellent if not unique 

strategy that will convince funders to support 

the delivery of its Global Programme, enhancing 

taxonomic capacity, biodiversity conservation 

and human well-being. 

Keys to Success 

BioNET’s profile, strategic characteristics and 

managements systems together form a set 

of strengths that will ensure the success of 

its Global Programme. Among these are its 

high international profile, high impact, unique 

partnership approach, in-depth understanding 

of taxonomy markets and end-user needs, 

strong local commitment, innovative multi-sector 

platform approach, excellent communication 

platform, excellence in advocacy for taxonomy, 

and its lean and efficient management. 

There are also external factors furthering 

BioNET’s mission. Taxonomy and its role in biodiversity 

conservation and sustainable development 

is now recognised at the highest international 

level and there is strong local institutional 

support for LOOPs and national support for 

their mandates. Current concern about climate 

change and the environment more widely has 

raised public and political interest in managing 

threats to our well-being from our changing 

environment, providing BioNET with increased 

opportunities for advocacy and promotion. 

BioNET does “the right thing at the right time”: 

nobody else focuses on capacity building in 

taxonomy as their “core business” on a global 

level as BioNET does. 

In summary, considering BioNET’s unique expertise, 

niche and infrastructure together with 

its positive environment, the setting for Bio- 

NET’s ambitious plans is more than opportune. 

Empowered to deliver its Global Programme, 

BioNET will succeed in bringing significant, high 

value, demand-driven and user-friendly taxonomic 

products to local and global markets to 

reduce the Taxonomic Impediment and thereby 

enhance biodiversity conservation and human 

well-being. 

13


ACRONYMS 

CBD 

CBIT 

CBOL 

CGIAR 

CITES 

CTA 

Defra 

DFID 

EC 

FAO 

GBIF 

GEF 

GISP 

GTI 

IFS 

IPPC 

IUCN 

LOOP 

MA 

MDG 

MEA 

NHM 

RPO 

SDC 

UN 

UNDP 

UNEP 

UNESCO 

WTO 

Convention on Biological Diversity of the UNEP 

Centre for Biological Information Technology 

Consortium for the Barcoding of Life 

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research 

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

International Center For Technology Assessment 

UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs 

Department for International Development 

European Commission 

Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 

Global Biodiversity Information Facility 

Global Environment Facility 

Global Invasive Species Program 

Global Taxonomy Initiative 

International Foundation for Science 

International Plant Protection Convention 

The World Conservation Union 

BioNET’s regional “Locally Owned and Operated Partnerships” 

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 

Millennium Development Goal 

Multilateral Environmental Agreements 

Natural History Museum, London, UK 

Regional Programme Officer 

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation 

United Nations 

United Nations Development Programme 

United Nations Environmental Programme 

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 

World Trade Organisation 

14


ILLUSTRATION CREDITS 

Inside Cover Cartoon: 

Chris Lyal, United Kingdom 

Photo Page, from top left to bottom right: 

José Clavijo, AndinoNET 

E. Zumbado, MesoAmeriNET 

ID, Imagedirekt GmbH, Germany 

Arnhild Althof, SafriNET 

Laban Njoroge, EafriNET 

Angela K. Kepler, Pacific Biodiversity Information Center 

Page 6 - Taxonomic Products: 

José Clavijo, ANDINONET 

Laban Njoroge, EAFRINET 

Further photos from CARINET and WAFRINET 

Muna Anjum, United Kingdom 

Kornelia Rassmann, rf-projektagentur, Germany 

TEXT CREDITS 

Richard Smith and Kornelia Rassmann 

© BioNET-INTERNATIONAL 2007 

In this publication, the registered trademark 

BioNET-INTERNATIONAL® has been abbreviated 

for presentational purposes to BioNET or bionet but all 

references should be taken to refer to the trademark in full. 

15

BioNET-INTERNATIONAL - the global network for taxonomy 

Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey, TW20 9TY, UK. 

W: www.bionet-intl.org E: bionet@bionet-intl.org T: +44 (0)1491 829036 F: +44 (0)1491 829082

Business Plan 2007 - 2011 - BioNET

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