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WCMC is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in the location and management of information on the conservation of biodiversity. The Centre has more than 15 years' experience in this field, during which time it has provided advice and information services not only to its three founder organisations, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), but also to development aid agencies, United Nations agencies, international convention secretariats, governmental and non-governmental organisations, commerce, industry, scientists and the media.

WCMC is a non-profit organisation, independent of governmental funding and public membership. Occupying a purpose-built building in Cambridge, WCMC is a highly professional organisation with full project development and management capabilities. WCMC employs some 50 professional staff, with a wide range of international experience.

Key skills include:

	development and provision of information services
	information management on:
		national parks and other protected areas
		species and habitats of conservation concern
		international agreements and programmes
	locating information from other sources worldwide
	systems analysis
	database design and management
	map based Geographical Information Systems
	computer communications

Annually WCMC delivers more than 30 projects, as well as providing a regular information service for a wide range of clients. WCMC's project portfolio of over 100 projects in execution or development, builds on the Centre's resources and staff experience and is focused upon the main aims of the Centre, which are to provide:

	information services based on programmes of analysis, compilation and assessment
	technical assistance based on experience in information management

WCMC has significant experience in the development of information services required by users of biodiversity data, and is working to develop an improved service. Examples of WCMC information services tailored to the needs of specific users include support to:

	the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Secretariat, and several Contracting Parties include the European Union
	IUCN and UNESCO on World Heritage
	IUCN's expert networks on species and protected areas
	UNEP and the Convention on Biological Diversity

In addition, WCMC has been collaborating with the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) to develop an advanced map-based information management system - the Biodiversity Map Library - using ESRI's ARC/INFO. The Biodiversity Map Library aims to facilitate access to computer maps and the databases linked to them, providing non-expert users much of the power of a computer GIS, without requiring them to be familiar with GIS software and technology. This database offers an advanced take-off point for further projects in this area.

WCMC has been very active in supporting the development of in-country information management and is the hub of a network of organisations preparing guidelines and materials for capacity building. These activities build on an earlier collaboration between WCMC and UNEP on the development of Guidelines for Country Studies on Biological Diversity (United Nations Environment Programme, 1993). They aim to provide the support necessary for developing and implementing the national biodiversity strategies and action plans called for by the Convention on Biological Diversity. WCMC activity in this area is likely to increase significantly over the next few years.

WCMC works to a three-year programme, reviewed annually by its international management board. The programme identifies the wide range of activities being undertaken by the Centre, most of them in collaboration with a wide range of national and international organisations. The programme also charts the general direction in which the Centre is moving, while providing sufficient flexibility to encompass new services which fall within the Centre's mission. WCMC actively seeks new opportunities.

The WCMC Board comprises:
Rudolph Agnew, a British businessman; Anthony Brough, former Assistant Executive Director of UNEP; Sir Martin Holdgate, former Director General of IUCN; Dr Christoph Imboden, Director General of BirdLife International; Dr Claude Martin, Director of WWF International; David McDowell, Director General of IUCN - The World Conservation Union; Professor Reuben Olembo, UNEP Office of the Environment Programme; Dr Robin Pellew, Director of WWF UK; and Professor Adrian Phillips, Chairman of the IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas. Dr Mark Collins, Chief Executive Officer of WCMC, acts as Secretary to the board.

Forest programme

	Forest programme objectives
	Forest projects

	The Information Officer
	World Conservation Monitoring Centre
	219 Huntingdon Road
	Cambridge CB3 0DL, United Kingdom

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