The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), in collaboration with the European Union, has launched the Biodiversity Outlook for Eastern and Southern Africa (BOESA), a regional resource aimed at strengthening biodiversity conservation and evidence-based policymaking.
The publication was unveiled on September 22, 2026, during the Regional Workshop on Integrated Landscape-Seascape Modelling for Climate Resilience Development in East Africa, being held in Nairobi from September 22–24.
BOESA brings together biodiversity data, regional perspectives and practical experiences covering 24 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa. The resource is intended to improve access to credible and locally relevant information for policymakers, conservation practitioners, researchers, development partners and communities.
Sanne Willems, Regional Partnerships representative at the European Union Delegation to Kenya, said the initiative would help bridge the gap between research and policy action by making biodiversity information more accessible while strengthening countries’ capacity to use data.
RCMRD Director General Dr Emmanuel Nkurunziza said BOESA demonstrates the importance of combining data, knowledge and regional experiences to support informed conservation decisions.
The launch comes as countries work towards achieving the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). It also precedes the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), scheduled for October 19–30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia.
COP17 will undertake the first global review of collective progress in implementing the KMGBF, making regional knowledge products such as BOESA important tools for identifying gaps and strengthening conservation action.
Developed under the RCoE-ESA initiative, BOESA further highlights RCMRD’s use of geospatial information, Earth observation and knowledge-sharing to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development across the region.
