CETAF will contribute to the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026.
A CETAF side event has been approved as part of the IUCN Pavilion programme. Entitled KM-GBF Indicators: Who Validates the Numbers? Natural Science Collections and the First Global Review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the session will take place on 29 October from 16:30 to 17:45.
COP17 will conduct the first global review of collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This will place renewed attention on the quality, accessibility and reliability of the evidence used to monitor progress towards global biodiversity targets.
The session will highlight how taxonomy and natural science collections provide the trusted evidence base needed to validate the growing volume of biodiversity data produced through technologies such as environmental DNA, automated sensors, imaging and artificial intelligence. These data must be connected to authoritative species names, reference specimens, curated databases and long-term scientific expertise if they are to support reliable monitoring and policy decisions.
Directors and representatives from leading European natural history museums will present a shared vision for biodiversity knowledge infrastructures. Together with policymakers and international partners, they will discuss how collections, taxonomic expertise and digital resources can support implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The session will also invite participants to identify practical actions, partnerships and governance requirements for developing interoperable and scientifically robust infrastructures at regional and global levels.
The event is hosted by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, an IUCN Member, under the umbrella of CETAF, in collaboration with the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, the Natural History Museum London, the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris and the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
Further information about the programme and speakers will be shared as it becomes available.