The LOOPs
BioNET's regional networks - the 'Locally Owned and Operated Partnerships' (LOOPs) - are a unique approach to assist the taxonomic community to respond to today's challenges. They help their members build and apply taxonomic capacity to address issues in various fields, including other sciences, biodiversity research, management and use, agriculture, food security and poverty reduction, industries, and policy decision making. BioNET comprises to date 10 government-endorsed regional networks with 105 member countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin-America, and Oceania.

The interests of the LOOPs extend from the discovery and description of species, taxonomic services (e.g. species identifications), product development (e.g. species identification guides) and packaging species information for decision makers, to expert and technical training, communicating best practice, the provision of facilities for biological and literature collections, and more.

LOOPs provide BioNET with in depth local knowledge and direct insights into local priorities and institutional constraints and opportunities for developing taxonomic products and capacity. Working regionally and globally through BioNET, members are better able to serve the end-users of taxonomic outputs in the environment, agriculture, trade, education, and more. Taxonomists and these end users are the ultimate beneficiaries of BioNET's work.