Operational objective 5. Within the work on cross-cutting issues of the Convention include key taxonomic objectives to generate information needed for decision-making in conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and its components

Further comments on the measures to strengthen capacity for the inventory and classification of biodiversity and its components in the development of a national strategy on access and benefit-sharing

No strategy on ABS yet available. ABS components will be included in the National Biodiversity Strategy (still under development).

Further comments on taxonomic support to address the issues of invasive alien species

Research programmes mainly, at this stage. Some examples: 

• Alien crustacean and molluscan species in Belgium, ongoing, RBINS
• Alien fruit fly species (Diptera, Tephritidae) in East Africa, ongoing, RMCA
• Floristics of non-indigenous vascular plants (especially weeds and invasive taxa) in Europe, ongoing, UGent
• Freshwater macrozoobenthos biodiversity and assessment of the biological quality of watercourses in Wallonia, 1990-, CRNFB
• Invasive bryophytes in Belgium, 1990-2010, NBGB
• Invasive Plant species in Belgium: patterns, processes and monitoring (INPLANBEL), 2003-2006, FuSaGx, NBGB, ULB, UA
• Invasive species of freshwater molluscs in Belgium, 1996-, RBINS
• Marine invertebrate fauna of W-Europe, especially Cirripedia and Molluscs; alien species, 1973-, RBINS-MUMM
• Phylogeography, population and eco-genetics of European marine and terrestrial molluscs, ongoing, UA
• Taxonomy and ecology of weeds, especially Polygonaceae, 1987-, ULB

Further comments on the taxonomic information system to support the maintenance, preservation and protection of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities

Some research projects (listed alphabetically by titles, non exhaustive list):

• Database concerning traditional veterinary medicinal plants in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1994-, UCL
• Ethnobotany (medicinal plants, vernacular names) and tropical horticulture in Central Africa, ongoing, NBGB
• Ethnomycology in Africa, UGent
• Ethnomycology, especially of West and Central Africa, 1973-, FUL
• Germplasm collection, characterisation and crop development of locally used fruit species in southern Ecuador, ongoing, UGent
• Inventory of wild edible fruits in the savanna of northern Ivory Coast, 1996-2002, FuSaGx
• Medical ethnobotany of Quechua farmers and Yuki-indians in Cochabamba, Bolivia: medicinal plant diversity, medicinal plant use and indigenous classification, UGent
• Medicinal plants from the forest region of Dja as suspected malaria antagonists (Cameroun, Central Africa), 1999-, ULB
• Systematics, taxonomy, ecology and ethnomycology of macromycetes (Fungi) of tropical Africa, 1997-, NBGB
• Valorisation of medicinal plants in Africa, 1986-, ULB

Further comments on programmes and activities to support the implementation of the ecosystem approach and the work in the field of assessments, monitoring and indicators

Monitoring programmes in place for various groups of organisms. This monitoring is carried out at the regional level. In addition, research projects target the use of specific taxa as bio-indicators. Some research projects (alphabetical, non exhaustive list):

• Ants in leaf-litter as bio-indicators, 1998-, RBINS
• Biodiversity in shallow lakes (taxon diversity, genetic diversity, resting egg banks), 2000-2003, KULeuven
• Biometry of seabirds and bio-monitoring of seabird mortality as an indicator of oil pollution, ongoing, IN, RBINS-MUMM
• Biomonitoring, faunistics, population genetics, bio-indicator research on carabid beetles (Carabidae, Coleoptera) in Belgium, with implications for nature conservation, ongoing, RBINS
• Birds as bioindicators in Albertine Rift, Comoros, and other African Countries, 1985-, RMCA
• Butterflies (Lepidoptera) as indicators for evolution in the tropical rainforest of East and West Africa, 1993-, RMCA
• Development of indicators and indices for forest plant species diversity and the consequences of fragmentation on forest plant species in Flemish forests (Belgium), 1998-2001, KULeuven
• Diatom indices in water quality assessment and biomonitoring of lotic freshwaters, 1980-, UCL
• Dolichopodidae (Diptera) as bio-indicators in nature conservation, 1990-, RBINS
• Forest parasitoids as biodiversity indicators in spruce plantations, 1998-, ULB
• Inventarisation and identification of invertebrates as ecological indicators in Flemish forest reserves, 2000-2002, RBINS
• Invertebrate animals as bio-indicators in Flanders (Belgium), ongoing, IN
• Sclerosponges (Porifera) as biorecorders of environmental changes, ongoing, RBINS
• Spiders as bio-indicators within the framework of nature conservation in Flanders, 1986-, IN
• Structural and functional biodiversity of copepod (Crustacea) communities on the Belgian Continental Shelf (North Sea), 1998-2003, UGent
• Study of aquatic bryophytes for the survey and monitoring of water quality, ongoing, ULg
• Taxonomy and phylogeny of birds in central and West Africa, 1974-, RMCA
• Trophic ecology of the demersal fish community of Lake Malawi/Nyassa, Central Africa. INCO-DC project 1998-2002, RMCA, RBINS