Weather data
A large number of automatic weather stations has been implemented in the frame of the BIOTA AFRICA project by the Namibian National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the Group "Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology" (BEE) of the University of Hamburg. The website offers hourly updates of data and graphs of a large number of weather parameters.


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BIOTA East Africa - Cross-cutting themes


Overview

CCT - Theme 5

Capacity building and information policy at local, national,and international levels
CCT Description The participation of forest management authorities will be important with respect to the development of management scenarios and the implementation of instruments for a sustainable use of biodiversity. Institutional capacity building is an important measure to enable continuation of initiated long-term efforts and to assure feedback processes about transformation of used instruments. A major goal is autonomous management by East African counterparts.
Key characteristics of the information policy should be compatible with different levels of local and national capacity, needs-driven, created for the mutual benefit of all participants. the information programme includes preparation of illustrated English/Swahili field guides to selected plant/animal groups, documentations of sounds of the forests as well as posters and booklets on forest diversity, as well as compilation of a library with publications relevant for the scope of BIOTA East. These resources will be made available e.g. for visitors and schools via an information centre that should be set up.
Further activities include seminars to create public awareness, to explain strategies for successful conservation and development of indigenous tree species, implementation of a geodata viewing and processing unit in close vicinity of the forest, allocation of digital species data, participatory elaboration of District Development Plan with integration of biodiversity and Forest Management Plan, development of a report to the Ministry of Environment and participation in the presentation of a BIOTA exhibition.


E01 - Conservation and sustainable use of East African rain forest ecosystems
Details WP1 Kakamega Biodiversity Information Centre (BIC) and expansion of the forest station
Details WP2 Recommendations for participatory forest management planning
Details WP3 Products for biodiversity identification, education and management

E02 - GIS and Remote Sensing in Support of Biodiversity Management at the Landscape Scale for Rainforests in Eastern Africa
Details WP1 Finalizing the BIOTA-East-GIS (data integration, user interface development, training) and geodata visualization
Details WP4 Applying spatial information in participatory forest management and landuse planning for Kakamega Forest and surroundings

E03 - Regeneration of tropical trees - implications for forest conservation
Details WP5 Installation of an Ecological Laboratory for biodiversity research
Details WP6 Education and outreach

E04 - Flora and vegetation of rainforests in East Africa - conservation and sustainable use
Details WP4 Ex-situ conservation of forest plants in Maseno Botanical Garden
Details WP5 Capacity building (PhD students from Kenya and Uganda)
Details WP6 Establishment of Lichen and Bryophyte Herbarium in the National Museum Nairobi and at Makerere University
Details WP7 Economic, ecological and agronomic evaluation of the on-farm cultivation of valuable forest species

E10 - Towards conservation and sustainable use of pollinators
Details WP3 Automated identification system for East African bees
Details WP4 The potential of stingless bees and solitary bees as manageable crop pollinators
Details WP5 Raising public awareness to mainstream pollination into policy decisions and strategies
Details WP6 Building capacity for the sustainable use of pollinators

E11 - Human impact on avian diversity, seed dispersal and regeneration processes of East African rainforests: management tools and recommendations
Details WP3 Multi-disciplinary analysis of data on biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Details WP4 Tropical farmland – linking socio-economy, land use and bird diversity
Details WP5 Conservation education and outreach to Kenyan partners

E13 - Conservation and Management of Biodiversity for Rural Livelihoods: Developing Sustainable Strategies for Reconciling Stakeholders' Interests in Kakamega Forest
Details WP3 Enhancement of the capacity of forest users and managers through training

E14b - Sustainable use and management of biodiversity for rural livelihood
Details WP2 Identification of income alternatives and their policy requirements
Details WP3 Capacity building

E14c - Sustainable Use and Management of Biodiversity for Rural Livelihoods: Economic Development in a Peripheral Region
Details WP2 Exploring the Potential of Rural-Urban Linkages as Catalysts of Regional Economic Development
Details WP3 Localizing Ownership of Project Results

E15a - Capacity building in biodiversity information systems for animals and plants in East Africa
Details WP1 Building of BIOTA E15 technical Infrastructure at NMK
Details WP2 Database harmonisation & migration for improved scientific information access of zoological BIOTA-East specimen- and observation data
Details WP3 Capacity building and sustainable management of zoological BIOTA-East specimen- and observation data

E15b - Capacity building in biodiversity information systems for animals and plants in East Africa
Details WP1 Development of a Quality Control protocol for specimen and image information
Details WP2 Improvement of database interoperability and compatibility
Details WP3 NMK - a regional centre of excellence for biodiversity informatics and a provider of biodiversity data
Details WP4 Key species mapping and genetic barcoding of tree species.

E16 - Ant and termite communities along a habitat degradation gradient: patterns and consequences for ecosystem function
Details WP1 Enhancing tools and scientific capacity for monitoring ants and termites