UN Biodiversity Lab

Providing decision makers with the best available spatial data to put nature at the center of sustainable development.

Who we are

With over 1,000 of the world’s best data layers on nature, climate change, and sustainable development, UNBL supports country-led efforts to use national and global spatial data for planning, monitoring, and reporting and to take action for people and planet.

Learn about us

Check out the new ELSA Integrated Spatial Planning Tool!

The ELSA Integrated Spatial Planning Tool is now available for all countries in the world.

The new tool combines cutting-edge spatial data with systematic spatial planning tools to help countries identify priority areas where action to protect, manage, and restore nature can best support goals related to biodiversity, climate, and human well-being, with a specific focus on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ELSA Integrated Spatial Planning Tool is freely available upon request on UNBL for all countries.

Learn more about the ELSA tool

Discover

Explore popular data collections that unlock the power of data to generate insights to address critical issues for nature and sustainable development.

Create a UNBL workspace

Are you working to conserve nature and foster sustainable development? Do you have national data you would like to visualize and analyze in combination with our global data layers? We offer free workspaces for diverse stakeholders to use UNBL tools in a secure environment.

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Create a UNBL workspace

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Impact stories & resources

Discover how countries are turning data into action—using spatial insights to guide decisions, strengthen policies, and drive biodiversity outcomes.

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The collaboration with the Prioritizing Nature Project, implemented in partnership with the UNBL team, has strengthened the national process around OECMs by providing a spatial analysis methodology that technically supports the verification and monitoring of IUCN criteria C and D. This tool allows for a more robust assessment of positive conservation outcomes, as well as ecosystem services, functions, and cultural values, contributing to more informed decisions by the OECM Facilitation Group and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in the OECM reporting process.”

Natalia Ramírez, Director of Forests, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services, Ministry of Environment and Development

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This is a tool that could—and should—be used as a key input in the urban planning processes led by the Urban Territorial Planning Institute.”

José Gerhartz, Territorial Planning Specialist at the Physical Planning Institute of Cuba

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For the Dominican Republic, it has been of great interest and importance to be able to count on the support of UNBL to integrate geospatial data into the conservation and management of biodiversity. This will serve decision-making, the updating of the new National Biodiversity Strategy, and the formulation of the Seventh National Biodiversity Report, while also providing the opportunity to build capacity in the application of this technology.”

Marina Hernández, Director, Directorate of Biodiversity, Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic

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With this clear example, we can identify many specific needs for prioritization. This will help achieve national and international objectives. It is important to highlight the generation of local-level information to feed this tool, allowing us to redefine national policy and align it with what territories truly need, with a focus on conservation.”

Henry Guzmán, Technical Specialist at the Consortium of Provincial Autonomous Governments of Ecuador (CONGOPE)

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These exercises have been improving in terms of the use of national data. They have reduced the error and uncertainty of global models. These approaches provide an initial perspective on what can be done for national and local public policies.”

Andrés Factos, CBD National Focal Point / Specialist at the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MAE), Ecuador

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The ultimate goal is for this tool to become an easy-to-use technical instrument for actors who need to generate national and local public policies. It allows us to identify challenges beyond biodiversity through the availability of geographic information that supports informed decision-making.”

Andrés Factos, CBD National Focal Point / Specialist at the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MAE), Ecuador

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Reliable spatial data is the foundation of effective spatial planning and budgetary processes. The ELSA Integrated Spatial Planning Tool on UNBL is the gateway to sustainable planning and successful implementation of the GBF in Ghana.”

Dr. Yaw Osei-Owusu, Executive Director, Conservation Alliance, Ghana

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The ELSA tool on UNBL is a response to the KMGBF’s mantra of “whole of government and whole of society,” as the tool is data-driven from all stakeholders who hold ownership as well.”

Dr. Yaw Osei-Owusu, Executive Director, Conservation Alliance, Ghana

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UNBL is the gateway for effective and efficient development planning and budgetary processes at both national and subnational levels in Ghana.”

Dr. Yaw Osei-Owusu, Executive Director, Conservation Alliance, Ghana

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The ELSA integrated spatial planning tool is enabling Malawi to bring together foundational national data in a spatial prioritization framework to create an action map that guides NBSAP implementation efficiently and realistically.”

Mphatso Kalemba, Chief Environmental Officer (Biodiversity), Environmental Affairs Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change of Malawi

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Countries in the SADC region have expressed the need to address data gaps and fragmentation, build technical capacity, and create national and regional dashboards to monitor and report on their NBSAPs and the GBF. SANBI sees great potential to collaborate with the UNBL partnership to build scalable solutions supporting the Seventh and Eighth National Reports.”

Ntakadzeni Tshidada, Lead, SANBI TSC, South Africa

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The ELSA Tool on UNBL offers a tried and trusted solution to support countries in the SADC region to develop integrated spatial plans to deliver on Target 1. SANBI sees strong potential to build on pilot work in South Africa and Malawi to scale across the region.”

Ntakadzeni Tshidada, Lead, SANBI TSC, South Africa

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As we reimagine conservation in South Africa, especially the expansion of our conservation estate, it is essential that we do not leave anyone behind. The ELSA map enabled us to support joint planning and decision-making among all stakeholders invested in our natural resources.”

Mukondi Matshusa, Chief Director for Biodiversity Management & Permitting, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa

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Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity identified biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning as an area requiring additional scientific and technical advice. Observing ELSA in action, and its support to national decision-makers, strengthens the foundation for best practices and knowledge exchange among Parties.”

Jamal Annagylyjova, Forest Biodiversity Officer and Lead on Terrestrial Ecosystems Restoration, CBD Secretariat

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UN Biodiversity Lab: 2024 Annual Report

Based on data layers from diverse sources, such as satellites, national and global science teams, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities, UNBL maps constitute a powerful resource to address the planetary crises by providing new ways to generate insight for nature and sustainable development.

This annual report presents the key activities, outcomes, and achievements of the UNBL partnership in 2024.

Read report

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UN Biodiversity Lab

Who we are

Check out the new ELSA Integrated Spatial Planning Tool!

Discover

Monitoring Framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Protected Areas

Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change

Ecosystem Restoration

Create a UNBL workspace

Create a UNBL workspace

Impact stories & resources

Informational Document

Report

Online Course

Success Story

Success Story

Success Story

Report

UN Biodiversity Lab: 2024 Annual Report

Related initiatives

Land and Carbon Lab

Marxan Planning Platform

NASA-supported Projects

SEPAL

Target Tracker

Trends.Earth

WePlan – Forests