GEO, GEOSS, and GEO BON
GEO is a partnership of over 70 member countries, the European Commission, and over 50
participating organizations. The objective of GEO is to improve the coordination of existing Earth
observation data sets, implement new observations, and thereby generate Earth observation
products. In order to achieve this, the partners have committed themselves to the establishment
the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which will focus the objectives of
GEO into nine ‘societal benefit areas.’ ‘Biodiversity’ is one of theses nine societal benefit areas,
and it will be investigated through the action of GEO BON (the Biodiversity Observation Network
of GEO). This will be achieved by the eight working groups within GEO BON.
GEO BON Freshwater Ecosystem Monitoring Group
The outline that the GEO BON Secretariat prepared for the Freshwater Ecosystem Monitoring
Group is as follows:
“Monitoring of freshwater ecosystems aims to observe species and population dynamics in
different freshwater ecosystems and make global comparisons on systems and system changes
under the influence of management, regulation and use. The Freshwater Ecosystems component
of GEO BON will provide global information on freshwater ecosystems, focusing on their
distribution, extent, and condition, and how these parameters are changing over time. The drivers
of these changes and their consequences are of particular interest, as are linkages between
different ecosystems. The global monitoring requires common approaches for standards in
measuring chemical, physical and biological data, harmonization of approaches and agreement
on exchangeable formats for metadata.”
How would the GEO BON Freshwater Ecosystem Monitoring Group link to existing
efforts?
GEO BON provides a Concept Document at:
http://www.earthobservations.org/documents/cop/bi_geobon/200811_geobon_concept_document
.pdf
On page 16 (Box 5) there is information on some of the post 2010 biodiversity indicators that
GEO BON can help develop; on page 21 (Table 2) there are some specific examples of the kinds
of datasets that GEO BON expects the Freshwater Group to be developing. In effect, many of the
objectives of the GEO BON Freshwater Ecosystem Monitoring Group are captured by existing
regional and global programs in which we and our organizations are involved. Thus, GEO BON is
an additional route to present the objectives of our various projects to international for a, and to
highlight these objectives as critical action items for monitoring, conserving, and sustainably
managing freshwater resources. I hope that this would then help leverage funding for these linked
projects.
The GEO BON Secretariat recognize that many relevant programs already exist and the
Secretariat states that GEO BON should not duplicate or replace existing systems. Instead GEO
BON seeks to make the programs more effective and efficient by linking them together, and
enabling synergies to emerge.
Thus, the role of GEO BON would be build upon the existing links and collaborations between
projects, and to create new links. For example, I see this as an opportunity to build on some of
the existing links that some of us have discussed between IUCN’s Global Freshwater Biodiversity
Assessment; Conservation International’s developing Freshwater Initiative; Wetlands
International’s work on RAMSAR sites; GWSP/DIVERSITAS and TNC’s global review of threats
to freshwater systems; the “Global assessment of the conservation of freshwater biodiversity”
proposed by Eren Turak as an activity of the Society for Conservation Biology Freshwater
Working Group; the Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment program; the Eflows Network;
WWF/TNC’s work on Freshwater Ecoregions of the World; TNC’s and Wetlands International’s
work on ecosystem service provision etc. We can also strengthen links to the work of the Global
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Invasive Species Programme; FAO’s work on ecosystem services; WWF/USGS’ work on
hydrology via HydroSheds etc. (this list is not exhaustive, just a selection of opportunities that
come to mind).
Existing members of the Freshwater Ecosystem Monitoring Group.
1) Ian Harrison. Freshwater Species Assessment and Program Fundraising Manager. Center for
Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International (CI); and CI- IUCN Biodiversity
Assessment Unit.
2) Eren Turak - Senior Environmental Scientist , NSW Department of Environment & Climate
Change.Australia.
2) Nicolas Tubbs - Specialist Group & Expert Network Coordinator-Biodiversity Programme,
Wetlands International
3) Sebastien Miazza – formerly of the GEO BON secretariat; background in biology and business
(NGO/IO MBA management); worked on protected area manager (mostly for wetlands).
4) Peter McIntyre – Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan.
I have also discussed the GEO BON Freshwater Ecosystem Working Group with the following
additional people who have expressed interest in the activities of group:
Will Darwall – Manager, Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, IUCN Species Programme
Robin Abell and Michele Thieme – WWF-US Conservation Science (Freshwater)
Margaret Palmer – Chair, DIVERSITAS Freshwater Biodiversity Group
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