RCMRD Officially Designated as a CBD Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centre

The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) has been officially designated as a Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centre (TSCC) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

This milestone was marked by the signing of a host agreement between RCMRD and the CBD Secretariat during the 20th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), held on July 18, 2025.

This designation places RCMRD at the heart of regional efforts to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), specifically supporting Eastern and Southern African countries in their biodiversity conservation goals.

The designation of RCMRD as a TSCC signifies international recognition of the Centre’s role in:

• Biodiversity data production for evidence-based decision-making
• Capacity building for institutions, researchers, and practitioners
• Policy integration of GBF targets into national and local frameworks
• Science-based solutions to inform conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development

RCMRD joins a network of 18 TSCCs globally, including five in Africa: OSS, COMIFAC, CSE, SANSI, and now RCMRD. This network demonstrates growing momentum for South-South cooperation, fostering regional innovation and partnerships grounded in shared challenges and opportunities.

This means that as a newly designated TSCC, RCMRD will serve as a regional hub for technical and scientific support in biodiversity and ecosystem management. This means:

• Scaling up its work in Earth Observation and GIS to support 30x30 conservation targets
• Providing governments and stakeholders with open-access data, analysis tools, and platforms
• Leading capacity development programmes tailored to national biodiversity priorities
• Enhancing collaboration with partners such as UNEP, IUCN, UNCBD, and regional economic communities (RECs)

RCMRD will also play a proactive role in facilitating knowledge exchange across African countries, contributing to the co-development of tools, regional assessments, and community engagement models aligned with the GBF.

“This designation reaffirms our commitment to supporting African countries with the technical capacity they need to meet global biodiversity targets. We are honoured to join this network of Centres working to safeguard nature through data, science, and collaboration,” said Dr. Emmanuel Nkurunziza, Director General, RCMRD.

RCMRD’s designation comes at a time of renewed urgency and opportunity for biodiversity action. As nations align their policies and strategies with the GBF, institutions like RCMRD will be instrumental in translating global ambitions into regional and national progress.