Knowledge for biodiversity

Developing and generating specific support for national and international biodiversity policy requires us to use existing knowledge and generate new knowledge about biodiversity. Knowledge in this context refers to a fundamental knowledge of biodiversity as a complex biological phenomenon and its social significance, as well as to the applied knowledge needed to improve policy on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Most of the research into biodiversity in the Netherlands is carried out by universities, the institutes set up by Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR, including Alterra and IMARES), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, institutes of taxonomy (e.g. Naturalis National Museum of Natural History and the National Herbarium), and institutes set up by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) (e.g. Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) and the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)).

The Dutch government's policy with respect to biodiversity research will concentrate on three priority areas:

1 An adequate knowledge infrastructure;
2 Improvement in the dissemination and use of accumulated knowledge;
3 Research to support this policy and applied research.

The knowledge infrastructure in the field of biodiversity must match the needs of practitioners and help the Netherlands to secure a prominent international role in the field of biodiversity policy, biodiversity research and poverty alleviation.