Nature-based solutions are emerging as one of the key ways to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution and waste. They are rooted in locally-appropriate actions that provide human well-being and biodiversity benefits by protecting, sustainably managing and restoring ecosystems. For example, restoring local forests can conserve biodiversity, while protecting communities from extreme weather events, preventing soil erosion and contributing to climate mitigation.
But nature, and the solutions it may offer, are in trouble. We are losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history, and one million species face extinction.
United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) Making Peace with Nature report shows that humans now impact three-quarters of the land and two-thirds of the oceans and many of the ecosystem services essential for human wellbeing are eroding.
Confronted with these crises, the world is working towards an ambitious and measurable Post-2020 global biodiversity framework, as highlighted at the recent UN Biodiversity Conference (COP-15) in Kunming, China.
With the global framework, timely, high-quality data and knowledge will be more essential than ever. Data and knowledge are critical to understand challenges, guide responses and track the progress at the national, regional and global levels.
Collating national data from multiple government ministries and other official sources can be a challenge. But this information will be critical to reverse the biodiversity loss that threatens the planet’s natural support systems. This is where DaRT comes in.
UNEP’s Data Reporting Tool or DaRT allows Parties to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to gather and report data in a single space and share it across ministries and other bodies to better monitor their progress towards the new biodiversity targets.
DaRT aims to strengthen countries’ understanding of the links between global biodiversity, sustainable development and health agendas. It brings together the strategic goals and targets from multiple conventions and information from other tools and information sources – such as those developed by UNEP-WCMC and the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership – synthesizing information, bridging knowledge gaps and ultimately improving efficiency.
Supported by the Government of Switzerland and the European Union, DaRT offers a way to collate national indicators, track strategic plans, and gain an overview of global trends.
Since the tool was rolled out in March 2019, 15 countries have adopted it and are already using a DaRT national working space, while users from 134 countries have visited the website. To support uptake among other countries, UNEP offers webinars and workshops, bringing together national stakeholders and establishing common national DaRT working spaces.
DaRT enables countries to strengthen cooperation between government ministries and other national authorities, allowing a clear assessment of all the relevant data related to drivers of biodiversity loss whether land use change, climate change, pollution, natural resource use and exploitation, gender responses or invasive species.
“Bringing together what belongs together – this is DaRT’s aim,” says Eric Wiedmer, DaRT expert at UNEP. By linking global, regional and national strategic commitments of a Party with the best available data and knowledge sources is the base to make the right decisions to achieve the Post-2020 global biodiversity framework and to monitor and report on the progress in implementing actions.“
Bringing together what belongs together – this is DaRT’s aim.
In Cameroon, DaRT is being used in the Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development - with contributors from other stakeholder Ministries - to facilitate data collection, reduce related costs and address inconsistencies in reporting.
UNEP helped facilitate a national process to guide the adoption of the technology in Cameroon. This included defining cooperation among national actors and advising on the sketched-out structure of the DaRT national committee with a specific focus on the administrative procedures to ensure data quality and monitoring biodiversity targets.
“Using DaRT to interlink national and global environmental data sources provides a better understanding of environmental knowledge, significantly intensifies collaboration among all stakeholders and ultimately supports a coherent national policy making,” said Madame Josephine Beyala Epse Eloundou, National Focal Point for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for Cameroon.
Tanzania is following the path of Cameroon and will organise a national workshop to define the structure of the national DaRT Committee. UNEP also plans to organise training for DaRT contributors.
As more countries adopt the data reporting tool, DaRT will achieve its “proof of concept’ and become more effective in this critical era for biodiversity.
Better data and knowledge management will help analyse national achievements against the Sustainable Development Goals and show how MEAs are contributing towards the Agenda 2030.
Try the innovative DaRT tool yourself by requesting a national DaRT working space for your country or a dedicated national webinar with your experts by contacting: Diane Klaimi (diane.klaimi@un.org) or Eric Wiedmer (eric.wiedmer@un.org).
