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UNDP| Using the UN Biodiversity Lab to Support National Conservation and Sustainable Development Goals

This 3-part series, offered in English, Spanish and French, will introduce participants to UN Biodiversity Lab and how it can be used to access and analyze global data in order to provide key information on the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Aichi Biodiversity Targets and on the nature-based Sustainable Development Goals.

Using the UN Biodiversity Lab to Support National Conservation and Sustainable Development Goals

This training, offered in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), will teach participants about global biodiversity-based uses of remote sensing.

As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, technology is revolutionizing our ability to map nature. Satellite data provide a bird’s eye, yet incredibly detailed view of the Earth’s surface in real-time, while drones and mobile apps enable local communities and indigenous peoples to map their knowledge of local ecosystems. To support policymakers to develop data-driven sustainable development solutions, UNDP, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)  launched UN Biodiversity Lab, with funding from the GEF and support from MapX, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Global Resource Information Database – Geneva, and NASA. The UN Biodiversity Lab is an online platform that allows policymakers and other stakeholders to access global data layers, upload national datasets, and analyze these datasets in combination to provide key information on the CBD’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets and on the nature-based Sustainable Development Goals. Already in use by over 50 countries, as well as utilized as the key decision support system for two NASA-funded applied science projects, the UN Biodiversity Lab has high potential to be scaled up to reach new ministries and countries and stakeholder groups.
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals:

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Course Dates: March 24, 31, and April 7, 2020

Times and Registration Information:

Learning Objectives: By the end of this training, attendees will:

  • Understand key global biodiversity and sustainable development policy instruments (CBD, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) as they relate to conservation efforts
  • Have knowledge of spatial data on biodiversity and sustainable development, including data generated by NASA projects
  • Be familiar with the UN Biodiversity Lab structure, data, and tools
  • Have the ability to apply UN Biodiversity Lab tools to their region of interest
  • Utilize case study examples from multiple partner countries as context for their work

Course Format: Three, one and half-hour parts that include lectures, demonstrations, and question & answer sessions.

NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) program offers satellite remote sensing training that builds the skills to integrate NASA Earth Science data into an agency’s and organization’s decision-making activities. As all NASA data is open and free, so are ARSET trainings.