BIODIVERSITY 3 is a developing Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action (CRA) focused on leveraging long-term ecological data to support evidence-based biodiversity policy, conservation and sustainable development. The initiative recognises that addressing accelerating biodiversity loss requires more than generating new data: it requires connecting long-term observations, emerging technologies, research infrastructures and diverse knowledge systems, and translating these resources into actionable solutions across regions and sectors.
The scoping process aims to bring together international research and innovation organisations, researchers, technology developers, infrastructure providers, policymakers, funders and societal partners to collectively shape the future multilateral funding call. It will explore key knowledge gaps and societal needs emerging from the current CRA concept note, map existing long-term monitoring infrastructures, datasets, technologies and capacities, and identify opportunities to strengthen their interoperability, accessibility and use. Particular attention will be given to how these capabilities can be connected across disciplines, geographical regions and knowledge systems, and how research and innovation can better respond to the needs of practitioners, decision-makers and communities.
The WAITRO Summit 2026 offers a particularly valuable opportunity to broaden this dialogue beyond the traditional biodiversity research community and engage organisations with expertise in technology development, innovation, research management, knowledge transfer and international collaboration. It can help identify potential partners, technologies, infrastructures and funding opportunities that could strengthen the BIODIVERSITY 3 ambition, while fostering connections between organisations that may not otherwise engage through conventional biodiversity networks. The objective is ultimately to move from a shared understanding of challenges towards concrete, transdisciplinary and implementation-oriented research projects, capable of mobilising long-term data and emerging solutions to support biodiversity action in diverse regional contexts and at global scale.