UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
UNEP-WCMC (based in Cambridge) was relaunched on 3 July 2000 as a key facility of the United Nations Environment Programme. In this guise it has taken on a new role as a worldwide centre of excellence, building the capacity of nations across the globe to handle information for sustainable development, and emphasising the needs of developing countries and of international conventions. UNEP WCMC is also now the first autonomous Executive Agency in the United Nations family - following the same path as the successful efficiency-focused 'Next Steps Initiative' pioneered by the UK Government.
This transition brings the first new UN institution to the UK for fifty years. As it takes on new roles and functions UNEP-WCMC will be investing to consolidate and to set out the way ahead. The Department is providing well over £3/4 million to pioneer this process, which also gives a unique opportunity to the private sector to become associated with a cutting-edge international initiative.
More information is available at the UNEP WCMC website: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/
Rationalisation of International Nature Conservation Information Systems (RINCIS)
There are a large number of agencies collecting and collating biodiversity
information on a non-commercial basis. Policy-makers lack effective analysis
of what is already available, but this is essential if informed decisions
are to be made on future investment and international co-operation in
this area. UNEP-WCMC and the Orbis Institute have carried out a Defra-
funded project entitled Rationalisation of International Nature Conservation
Information Systems (RINCIS). The aim of the RINCIS project was to classify
agencies world-wide involved in the collection, collation and processing
of data on species and habitats, so as to identify opportunities for rationalisation,
or for completion of coverage of important areas of biodiversity information.
The final report and annexes were published in August 2002 and are available
to download as Adobe Acrobat 
files below:
- Final Report
- full report (439 KB)
This file has been divided into 3 parts for easier download:
Part 1 (85 KB)
(Cover page, Table of contents, List of abbreviations and acronyms, Executive Summary)Part 2 (175 KB)
(Introduction, Nature conservation information needs of UK policy-makers, Current situation, Improving existing sources and services, Achieving harmonization and rationalisation, Strategic recommendations)Part 3 (212 KB)
(Analysis and recommendations by CLUSTER, Recommendations for the future of the reference guide)
- Annexes (437 kb)
Further information is available on our Help page
about downloading or reading Adobe Acrobat
documents.
More information is available at the RINCIS project website: www.unep-wcmc.org/conventions/RINCIS
Page last modified: 13 April 2004
Date published: 3 July 2000