GBIF Spain trains experts working with biodiversity data in a workshop in Bindura (Zimbabwe)

The last workshop of the “Strengthening Zimbabwe’s GBIF node through collaboration with GBIF Spain” CESP project, funded by GBIF, was hosted in Bindura (Zimbabwe) on March 5 & 6, 2020. The Zimbabwean node of GBIF and the Bindura University of Science Education in collaboration with GBIF Spain organized this workshop on Biodiversity data access and use. The workshop gathered around 40 experts from research institutions, environmental administrations and NGOs from all over the country who work with biodiversity data.

The first day, the GBIF.ES staff shown how to access all the biodiversity information available through GBIF.org and explained the functionalities of this data portal. There were also activities such as teamwork and role games aimed to identify what difficulties we can find when trying to involve stakeholders in the decision-making process in Zimbabwe. During the second day, the GBIF.ZW staff explained how to use Maxent in the ecological niche modelling.

This workshop has been a great opportunity to promote GBIF and GBIF Zimbabwe among experts from this country working in the field of biodiversity informatics. Moreover, the workshop facilitated the creation of strong links useful for possible future collaborations.

The Agenda and training materials (presentations and use cases) used during this workshop can be found on the project website.

From GBIF Spain, we would like to thank the charming welcome offered by our African colleagues and our willingness to keep working on strengthening their node.