Doha: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), represented by the Wildlife Development Department, concluded a series of preparatory workshops for the Qatar Biodiversity Database Project, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme's West Asia Office.

According to Qatar News Agency, the three-day workshops aimed to enhance the capacities of Ministry officials, policymakers, and stakeholders in biodiversity planning and reporting. This initiative is part of an ongoing partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to establish a comprehensive national platform that supports environmental decision-making and contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Assistant Director of the Wildlife Development Department, Khalid Al Mohannadi, explained that the project is one of the Ministry's strategic tools for protecting the environment and conserving biodiversity. He noted that the digital platform will include comprehensive data, such as species lists and spatial and temporal distribution maps, enabling interaction between decision-makers, experts, and nature enthusiasts.

The workshops also addressed scientific policy tools, including the UN Biodiversity Laboratory (UNBL) and the ENCORE tool, and discussed the outcomes of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16). Additionally, they reviewed the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

This project is part of the Qatar Digital Government Strategy 2023-2025 and aims to create a sustainable national database containing accurate environmental maps and information. It seeks to enhance national efforts to conserve the environment and achieve a balance between development and the conservation of natural resources within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030.