Representatives of the Government of Guyana and the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change (YCBGC) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration on biodiversity science, data, and technology. The agreement was inked at the Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit being held in Georgetown.
YCBGC is an academic center housed within Yale University, dedicated to the study of Earth’s biodiversity and the creation of knowledge and tools to guide its conservation. YCBGC is home to Map of Life, an initiative under the auspices of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to assemble and integrate a wide range of knowledge about species distributions and their dynamics over time.
Through Map of Life, YCBGC offers high-quality global information on species distributions and their change, delivers biodiversity measurement and decision-support through innovative online tools, provides indicators formally adopted by the UN Biodiversity Framework.
The MoU outlines the establishment of a long-term collaboration centered on biodiversity data, technological innovation, and training in biodiversity science.
This partnership will support Guyana’s work in the establishment of the Global Biodiversity Alliance and a Biodiversity Research Centre of Excellence, and the application of these data and tools for conservation impact and decision making. YCBGC will serve as a core scientific partner in Guyana’s Global Biodiversity Alliance initiative and will contribute to the development of an International Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity Research. This includes providing scientific and organizational guidance in areas such as strategy, leadership, and scientific process design.
The agreement also provides for the application of YCBGC’s science and tools to support Guyana’s goals around protected areas, including their expansion to 30% of national territory by 2030, and broader Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) priorities. This includes the rollout of a national biodiversity information system featuring data dashboards, GIS mapping, and biodiversity data layers, all designed to inform on-the-ground monitoring.
Notably, the collaboration will be carried out in close partnership with key external organizations, although they are not included as formal parties within this agreement. Some partners include the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation (EOWBF) and Map of Life Solutions (MOLS).
Further, under the terms of the agreement, each party will be responsible for its own expenses, including salaries, travel, and support for staff, unless otherwise specified. YCBGC has also committed to providing a pilot version of its biodiversity data system at no cost, alongside scientific, technical, and strategic support to help establish a national biodiversity monitoring programme linked to this system.
Guyana, in turn, will provide the necessary staff time for system implementation and data integration and will collaborate with YCBGC to secure funding for sustaining and expanding the initiative. Notably, the parties will apply jointly for these funds, with each party identifying a minimum of three potential funding avenues per year, until the financial needs of the Collaboration have been met.
