GBIF appoints four contractors to boost network capacity for BID programme

Contractors from Uganda, Madagascar, Colombia and Argentina have signed on to provide project support during the upcoming cycle of the Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme. Their remit will include projects across each of the three regions—Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands—supported through BID, which received renewed funding from the European Union in September 2024.

Anabela Plos of Argentina has joined three returning members of the regional support teams for Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean—Laban Musinguzi (Uganda), Tsiky Rabetrano (Madagascar) and Leonardo Buitrago (Colombia)—each of whom earned selection at the recommendation of the independent BID advisory committee. These appointments will enhance GBIF's capacity to provide guidance, technical support, training and other services to project teams and other community members across all three BID target regions, including the Pacific islands.

These two-year appointments will address the challenge of implementing data mobilization projects successfully while complementing the ongoing work of node managers in the target regions. Boosting capacity in support of free and open biodiversity data also enables the effective implementation of global-scale multilateral agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), along with regional commitments like the Escazú Agreement.

"BID aims to improve access and availability to biodiversity data and information not just for researchers, but also for policymakers in countries eligible to participate in the programme," said Melianie Raymond, community and capacity manager at the GBIF Secretariat. "Having such experienced teams distributed across both regions significantly increases our capacity to support these increasingly influential communities of practice."

The reappointment of Musinguzi, Rabetrano and Buitrago reflects both their individual accomplishments and the demonstrated value of increasing regional support since their respective appointments in 2021. Meanwhile, Anabela Plos's addition doubles network capacity-support based in GBIF's Latin America and the Caribbean region, which she has served in leadership roles including regional representative for the Nodes Steering Group during nearly ten years as node manager for GBIF Argentina. Plos plans to continue in her current elected position of 2nd vice chair of the Node Managers Committee.

"Anabela Plos has wide experience in supporting data mobilization and steering institutional participation in the region, as recently demonstrated in the launch of the Biodiversity Data Portal of Argentina, which she led using GBIF's hosted portal service," said Martin Ramirez, curator of the National Collection of Arachnology at Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", senior researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas: CONICET), and head of the GBIF Argentina delegation. "These skills will be critically important for matching local and regional perspectives with global needs through the BID programme."

The contractors foster collaboration between the BID project teams and existing global, regional and thematic communities of practice across the GBIF network. Since carving out the role in recent years, they also play a leading role in regional support and outreach for individuals and institutions, particularly in countries that are not yet GBIF participants.

"By providing distributed help-desk services, training and mentoring, the regional contractors help emphasize the role of capacity enhancement in helping funded projects achieve their goals," said Maheva Bagard Laursen. "These talented teams ensure the exchange of knowledge and best practices while cultivating the long-term involvement of project members in the wider GBIF network."

Regional support contractors

• Leonardo Buitrago: Biodiversity informatics consultant, formerly with SiB Colombia (reappointment)
• Laban Musinguzi: National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFiRRI), Uganda (reappointment)
• Anabela Plos: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia and node manager for GBIF Argentina (new appointment)
• Tsiky Rabetrano: Biodiversity informatics consultant, Madagascar (reappointment)

About Biodiversity Information for Development

BID is a multi-year programme led by GBIF and currently funded by the European Union to build capacity and skills for effective mobilization and use of biodiversity data in research and policy in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. GBIF signed a new five-year contract that will support new calls for proposed projects beginning in 2025.

 This programme is funded by the European Union.