NAIROBI, Kenya — 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 improving access to biodiversity information and supporting evidence-based conservation and policy action.
The publication was launched on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during the Regional Workshop on Integrated Landscape-Seascape Modelling for Climate Resilient Development in East Africa, taking place in Nairobi from September 22–24.
BOESA brings together biodiversity information, regional perspectives and practical experiences to help countries better understand the region’s biodiversity and strengthen efforts to protect it.
The publication covers 24 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and highlights the importance of accessible, credible and locally relevant information in guiding conservation planning and decision-making.
Sanne Willems, Regional Partnerships representative at the Delegation of the European Union to Kenya, said collecting data alone is not enough unless it is translated into information that can support policy and action.
“We have seen many programmes over the years conduct incredibly valuable research, but we often lack the next step of translating it into policy and, therefore, into action,” Willems said.
She added that the programme is making research findings more accessible to young people and decision-makers while strengthening the capacity of countries to act on the information collected.
The launch comes as countries step up efforts to achieve the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
It also comes ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), scheduled for October 19–30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia.
COP17 will provide the first global review of collective progress in implementing the KMGBF, making regional knowledge resources such as BOESA important for assessing progress, identifying gaps and strengthening conservation action.
Dr Emmanuel Nkurunziza, Director General of RCMRD, said the publication demonstrates the importance of bringing together data, knowledge and regional experiences to support biodiversity conservation.
“BOESA reflects the importance of bringing together data, knowledge and regional experiences to support informed decisions for biodiversity conservation,” Nkurunziza said.
He said making biodiversity information more accessible would support policymakers, conservation practitioners, researchers, development partners and communities in advancing nature-positive action across the region.
Developed under the RCoE-ESA initiative, BOESA further demonstrates RCMRD’s use of geospatial information, Earth observation and knowledge-sharing to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development.
As countries intensify efforts to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets, the publication is expected to provide a platform for shared learning, regional visibility and stronger collaboration on conservation.
The BOESA publication and digital flip reader are available through the BOESA website.
About RCMRD
The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) is an intergovernmental organisation promoting the use of geospatial information, Earth observation and related technologies to support sustainable development and resource management in Eastern and Southern Africa.
RCMRD currently has 20 Contracting Member States: Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
About the ArcX Programme
The Africa Regional Centres of Excellence (ArcX) programme is an initiative advancing sustainable development in Africa through Science, Technology and Innovation.
Launched in 2023, the programme strengthens collaboration between African and European institutions and supports inclusive green growth and Africa’s transformative agenda in agroecology, biodiversity and forests, water, ocean and climate-change resilience.
