A pan African delegation from IUCN raised awareness of BIOPAMA in Africa through an exhibition stand and discussions with BIOPAMA audiences at the recent Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) African Forestry and Wildlife Committee meeting, held from 30 September to October 4 in Windhoek, Namibia.

Meeting participants – focal points for FAO member countries in Africa, United Nations agencies, international organizations, regional bodies, civil society and nongovernmental organizations – debated the role forestry and wildlife play in ensuring food security and enhancing a green economy. The IUCN delegation participated with a BIOPAMA exhibition stand, a side event on protected areas governance and an IUCN statement on elephant poaching.

BIOPAMA discussions at the event focused on a better understanding of stakeholders’ information needs and the further improvement of the information contained in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) as basis for many of BIOPAMA’s Digital Observatory for Protected Areas (DOPA) models. Participants provided feedback on users needs linked to the DOPA explorer demonstration and explored potential linkages between BIOPAMA and other similar projects. Discussions on enhancing collaboration and partnership with other organisations (FAO and UNEP) were also conducted.

In IUCN’s other major contributions to the meeting, the Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ali Kaka, delivered the IUCN statement on elephant poaching, and the full IUCN delegation participated in the side event on protected areas governance.