The AAWG is a meeting of experts in science, conservation and ecology, from around the globe, working on amphibians in Africa. Some of the most influential authors and conservationists in the field will be present. The event is held every two to three years, in a different country. The purpose is to assess recent work done, and discuss the future priorities for amphibian conservation and research in Africa.
Since Namibia is hosting the event this year, it is run under the banner of GBIF Namibia, organized by the National Museum of Namibia. The contributions to amphibian biodiversity data, the major gaps and priorities, will be identified and discussed. A review of the major data-types and geographic areas that need to be the focus of future work, will be conducted.
A workshop on GBIF data-use and data publication pathways will also be conducted with the delegates, as a part of this conference.
This will be an important workshop to reach experts from across the world (including various African countries, the USA and Europe), who can affect change in the amphibian conservation and research realm. The aims include ensuring the future deposition much-needed amphibian data onto GIBF. Amphibian data often lags far behind that of other vertebrate groups, despite being under the greatest threat of extinction on an class level. This workshop will aim to initiate more focused citizen science groups in various African countries, and ensure that data generated from ongoing research and conservation projects, finds its way onto the GBIF network.
The events at the conference are a part of the BID project BID-AF2020-099-NAC Mobilizing collections while improving open data engagement in Namibia.