Business Plan 2007 - 2011 - BioNET

www.bionet-intl.org
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.