Effective conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity requires the correct identification and spatio-temporal monitoring of all its components at all its levels of organisation, i.e. from genes to ecosystems. Adequate knowledge of the status and trends of biodiversity and of the services it provides is a prerequisite for an adaptive management of the ecosystems. Yet we are faced with many gaps in our knowledge on biodiversity primary data and on the role of taxa in ecosystem functioning.

The consequences of present and future biodiversity loss, both for ecosystem health and for human well-being, are poorly understood, while the effectiveness of policy responses remains largely undocumented. Impacts of alien invasive species have been insufficiently addressed. Creating synergy between policy responses and research depends largely on our ability to improve and communicate our existing knowledge as well as the necessary additional knowledge on biodiversity.

Addressing the gaps will require (i) more investment and capacity-building in key biological disciplines such as taxonomy and ecology, (ii) easy and open access to biodiversity data and research information [78], and (iii) improvement of the coordination and communication between policy and research.

The aforementioned gaps are particularly prevalent in developing countries. The Belgian Government provides increasing support and funding to research and training, with the aim of improving knowledge of and capacity-building for biodiversity in these countries. These efforts will in turn contribute to improve the implementation of the multilateral environmental agreements ratified by these countries.