Taxonomic Needs Assessment Projects:
Project 1: Global Assessment - Invasive Alien Species
Project 2: National Assessment - Ghana




Needs assessments can identify deliverables on several levels:

• non-taxonomist user level: checklists, inventories, identification services, identification tools, keys, research, distributional data, species diagnosis, and others
• infrastructure and information level: collections, expertise and informatics needed to deliver the required outputs
• organisational level: prioritising CBD needs within taxonomic institutions; building capacities; networking taxonomists or taxonomists and end-users; establishing and using GTI focal points

The purpose of taxonomic needs assessments is to identify important taxonomic information required for biodiversity conservation. The specific tasks are to

• identify taxonomic deliverables
• be a resource for priority setting in order to allocate resources
• catalyse and prioritise relevant taxonomic research, training, product development and capacity building

Taxonomic needs assessments can

• identify the basis for long-term sustainability of the taxonomic sector
• help implementing the CBD, IPPC and other international agreements on biodiversity conservation
• be used to develop a framework for technical cooperation by international biodiversity initiatives and programmes (GISP, GISIN, ISSG/GISD, I3N, SP2000, ITIS, Discover Life, GBIF, BioNET)
• help non-taxonomists to recognise that taxonomy is of underpinning importance for sustainable development and biodiversity conservation
• build understanding and be the basis for designing / establishing long-term partnerships between the taxonomic sector and users of taxonomy

Taxonomic needs assessments are a resource for target groups interested in delivering policy-relevant taxonomic outputs (research, species information, identification tools, etc.) such as taxonomic research and training institutions, collections and national museums.

The principal beneficiaries of taxonomic needs assessments are the many authorities, organisations, NGOs and private sector bodies that commonly lack the taxonomic support and tools needed to fulfil their responsibilities for environmental management for health, conservation and agriculture.

Stakeholders are national and international initiatives, agencies and authorities (CBD, IPPC, FAO, UNEP, UNDP, IUCN, WWF, EC Programmes, etc.) who are concerned with sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.