By 2030, Dominica aims to complete a national biodiversity inventory and baselines and operationalise an open access National Biodiversity Information System (NBIS) to support awareness, education, research, decision-making, monitoring and public access to information. The target aims to make reliable, current biodiversity information accessible and useful for national and local action. It will bring together information on species, ecosystems, their benefits and the pressures affecting them, supported by clear responsibilities for quality, updates and long-term maintenance. Public access will be accompanied by safeguards for sensitive information and traditional knowledge, including respect for Kalinago rights, consent and customary governance.

Dominica aims to establish a coordinated biodiversity information and knowledge-management programme with clear institutional responsibilities, data standards, sharing arrangements and sustainable financing. Priority actions include completing the national biodiversity inventory, establishing baselines for national targets and agreeing methods for regular monitoring. Existing records will be reviewed, digitised and combined with new assessments to address priority information gaps across terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine environments. The NBIS will support the national biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism, providing accessible datasets, maps, monitoring results and educational materials. Quality controls, source information and regular updates will help users assess and apply the evidence. Compatible systems and agreed procedures will facilitate information exchange across institutions. Traditional knowledge will be governed through culturally appropriate, community-led protocols. Documentation, access and use will depend on free, prior and informed consent, agreed conditions and safeguards against misuse. Decisions not to document or disclose knowledge will be respected. Training, public outreach and community monitoring will support the use of information in planning, management, education and reporting.

Access to financial resources: Reliable baselines and monitoring will support funding applications and accountability, while sustained financing will maintain inventories, information systems and public services.

Collective effort towards the targets: Implementation promotes coordinated contributions from data holding institutions, researchers, businesses and communities.

Consistency with international agreements or instruments: The programme will support biodiversity reporting and information exchange under the Convention on Biological Diversity and relevant information-sharing arrangements.

Contribution and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities: Implementation will support Kalinago traditional knowledge governance, free, prior and informed consent, culturally appropriate participation and community decisions on documentation, access and use.

Cooperation and synergies: Shared standards and compatible systems will connect biodiversity information with relevant sectoral data and regional and international knowledge networks.

Different value systems: The programme will recognise scientific, local, traditional, cultural and economic knowledge, respecting the conditions under which information is contributed and shared.

Ecosystem approach: Inventories and monitoring will address ecosystem condition, ecological connections and functions alongside species records, supporting landscape and seascape management.

Formal and informal education: Accessible materials, practical tools and public outreach will support biodiversity awareness, learning and informed participation.

Fulfilment of the three objectives of the Convention and its Protocols, and their balanced implementation:Information will support conservation and sustainable use, with appropriate governance of genetic-resource information and associated traditional knowledge supporting benefit sharing objectives.

Human rights-based approach: The NBIS will promote access to information and meaningful participation while protecting privacy, confidential knowledge and community rights.

Intergenerational equity: Long-term stewardship, secure storage and knowledge transfer will help preserve biodiversity records and institutional memory for future generations.

National circumstances, priorities and capabilities: Implementation reflects Dominica’s small technical teams, disaster exposure and need for affordable, reliable systems that maintain information continuity.

Science and innovation: Biodiversity inventories, spatial technologies, data standards and appropriate digital tools will improve the quality, accessibility and application of evidence.

Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach: Implementation promotes shared institutional responsibility and inclusive participation, with the Kalinago people and local communities involved in defining information needs and governance arrangements.

National Target 21 addresses key elements of GBF Target 21 through biodiversity inventories, baselines and an accessible national information system supporting education, research, decision-making and monitoring. The current target title does not explicitly state safeguards for traditional knowledge, although these are addressed in the proposed implementation measures. This does not imply their exclusion. Clear consent procedures and community-led governance will establish when and how knowledge may be documented, accessed or used. Implementation will also clarify standards for information quality, regular updates, accessibility and long-term maintenance. Monitoring will assess both the availability of information and its practical use in decisions, management and public learning.

No formal non-State actor commitments are recorded towards this national target. Opportunities for voluntary contributions and partnerships can be further developed during implementation, subject to agreed data sharing conditions and appropriate knowledge safeguards.

Additional financing, technical assistance and institutional capacity are needed to complete inventories and baseline assessments, digitise records and establish a reliable NBIS. Priorities include taxonomic and data-management expertise, field equipment, spatial information, quality standards and practical monitoring methods. Support is also needed for data-sharing agreements, staff training, accessible public materials and community-led traditional knowledge protocols. Secure backups, disaster-recovery arrangements and sustained maintenance funding will protect information continuity. Implementation will account for fragmented records, limited technical capacity and the need to safeguard sensitive information. Clear responsibilities and regular review will support reliable updates and effective use of the system.