As yet GTOS has no agreed form. It is difficult to consider in detail any of its functions without an understanding of the form which it will take. This point was raised by all the Convention Secretariats. Form and function are not the same thing and they cannot be interchanged satisfactorily.
RECOMMENDATION 1: A full-time Interim Secretariat should be established and staffed by the Sponsors as soon as possible for an initial period of not less than two years. It should have a professional staff of at least two with General Service support. A more Permanent Secretariat (perhaps supported from other funding sources) can be negotiated by the Sponsors at a later date.
It is important to spread the word about GTOS as widely as possible so that Governments, particularly those of developing countries rapidly become aware of what GTOS is, what it does, and the benefits that can come from working with or through it. The Governing Bodies of the Sponsors provide one means of getting this message to Governments. If an Information Paper on GTOS was to be put before the Governing Body of each of the Sponsors it could result in supportive decisions from those Bodies. For example, if the paper is properly constructed so that GTOS is seen in the context of the work programmes of both the agency and the Conventions, it could result in a decision from that Governing Body calling upon Parties to relevant Conventions to take note of GTOS activities and to support them whenever appropriate.
RECOMMENDATION 2: Each of the Sponsors of GTOS should introduce GTOS to its Governing Body through a short Information Paper to be presented at the first possible session of that Body.
At an early stage GTOS should develop a carefully thought out, attractive but cost effective publication programme. This will help GTOS to establish its name since GTOS actions and findings will become well known. This must be done in such a way that full credit is always given to co-operating countries and partner organisations. This is particularly important when working with the Conventions which mostly already have their own publication series. Disputes over publication procedure is one of the most disruptive elements of co-operative ventures between organisations. Any Letter of Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding or project document should always make clear what is to be done about publications so as to avoid disputes later. Joint series publications is one approach that should be explored.
RECOMMENDATION 3: At an early stage GTOS should develop a well thought out, attractive but cost effective publication programme designed in such a way that full credit is always given to co-operating countries and organisations.
Most of the Convention Secretariats said that many developing countries are basically not in favour of monitoring or observational systems. These countries see the distribution or communication of national data as an actual or potential infringement of national sovereignty. This is regarded by some Secretariats as a major practical constraint to developing an operational GTOS. However, several large developing countries have already made the transition to a mainly industrial economy (e.g. Brazil, China, India, Indonesia) while many others are well on their way to achieving this state. These newly industrialised countries are already beginning to see the advantages of an observational system such as GTOS; several (e.g. China) have established their own national monitoring programmes. They might, therefore, now be more sympathetic towards GTOS. It is known, for example, that China would like to participate in GTOS through the Chinese CERN programme; this might provide a starting point for more substantive discussions with China about GTOS. If some or all of these newly industrialised countries would openly express support for GTOS it would help in getting developing countries to do the same. It would be particularly useful if each could be persuaded to provide $200,000 to GTOS for the first two to three years of its operation.
RECOMMENDATION 4: The GTOS Sponsors should at the earliest opportunity try to interest leading newly industrialised developing countries to support GTOS. Visits should be made to some to discuss their potential role in GTOS (say to Brazil, China, Indonesia, South Africa, and South Korea), with a view to soliciting their practical support to GTOS.
There is little doubt that a terrestrial observing system such as GTOS will be of very great practical and scientific value to each of the seven international Convention discussed here. The Secretariats have all said as much. Based on the responses of this selection of Conventions it is likely that there are other international and regional Conventions that would profit from a similar association with GTOS.
RECOMMENDATION 5: GTOS should consider other Conventions as possible GTOS users, especially the regional Conventions whose interests touch upon the global Conventions discussed in this report. Contact should be made with them.
Most Convention-related GTOS activities will occur within states that are Parties to the Convention and will be carried out through their national agencies. Ensuring that this is done according to agreed harmonised GTOS methods and protocols will not be too difficult to arrange for developed country Parties. For some developing country Parties, however, it may be necessary to create the entire system. If this is the case, funds will have to be sought from elsewhere (bilateral aid, multilateral aid, foundations, etc.) on a case by case basis. It is for these reasons as much as any other that it is important that GTOS not be overambitious at the start so that costs can be kept low; it should start simply and build as far as is possible upon what is already there.
RECOMMENDATION 6: For reasons of cost and practicality GTOS should begin its operations modestly starting simply, and building as much as possible on facilities and systems that are already in place.
In order to facilitate the comparability and compatibility of data from similar sites at different times, GTOS should develop a minimum set of variables that will be measured directly at each site. This will help to make more obvious any similar changes that have taken place at most sites due to environmental, ecological and management pressures.
RECOMMENDATION 7: GTOS should establish a core minimum set of variables to be measured at each site to agreed levels of accuracy and precision and at agreed time intervals appropriate to each variable.
All the Convention Secretariats have asked for more data types than is practical for GTOS to obtain, and certainly more data than they really need. GTOS should, therefore, examine very carefully the data needs of each Convention in order to reduce the number of variables to be measured to relatively few of sufficient meaning and sensitivity that they will give a proper understanding of what is happening; if this is done correctly it will also allow informed inferences to be made about the behaviour of the unmeasured variables. This approach is the only practical one for GTOS as its work load, especially in the early years, must be kept within reasonable bounds.
RECOMMENDATION 8: GTOS should carefully review the data needs of each Convention with a view to reducing the number of variables to be measured to the minimum necessary for obtaining a proper understanding of what is happening at each series of Convention sites.
Most of the Convention Secretariats call for GTOS to adopt standard methods and protocols for the measurement of variables. The reason for this is the perfectly laudable one of trying to ensure that data from GTOS are compatible and comparable throughout GTOS, which would facilitate common data usage. Few data measurement methods, however, can be employed satisfactorily in all locations and under all conditions. It is more flexible and practical, therefore, to have an agreed harmonised set of methods that will result in data of predetermined acceptable levels of accuracy and precision. This approach really would contribute to data compatibility and comparability.
RECOMMENDATION 9: GTOS should develop harmonised sets of methods for measuring variables so that data have agreed acceptable levels of accuracy and precision so helping to ensure data compatibility and comparability.
GTOS users need to know about the existence of data runs relevant to particular areas and types of investigations. In order to maximise the benefits of using such data, users also need to know the history of these data. Why were they measured? How were they measured? Who did the measuring? At an early stage, therefore, GTOS should start to put together a catalogue of available relevant data. At the same time GTOS should start a metadatabase and make it available to GTOS users worldwide. This is essential if harmonised methods for data gathering, analysis and management are to be used. Harmonisation is an important part of quality assurance and quality control procedures, the need for which was stressed by most Convention Secretariats. Harmonisation activities should form an on-going element of the GTOS programme for which separate funding should be sought.
RECOMMENDATION 10: As parts of its harmonisation programme GTOS should assemble a 'Catalogue of Available Relevant Data' and an on-going historical metadatabase. Funding should be sought for a GTOS harmonisation programme that encompasses these elements.
Several Convention Secretariats suggested that it would be useful if GTOS could recommend data management procedures that would be common to all GTOS users. The six Conventions that deal with renewable natural resources thought, since their areas of interest were so closely related, that a data management system common to them all would be useful even if that system is not adopted by all other GTOS users. It would enable them to exchange data readily and co-operate more efficiently in joint activities.
RECOMMENDATION 11: GTOS should develop an observational data management system common to all the Convention Secretariats and which they can recommend to their Parties.
Developing countries are often unable to bridge the gap between the collection of observation data and, after analysis, using them for management and for setting policies. It is important for the long term future of GTOS that this gap is removed or narrowed whenever it is encountered.
RECOMMENDATION 12: GTOS, together with the Convention Secretariats involved, and any co-operating agencies, should assist developing countries to utilise observational data for resource management and policy making by advising on needed national infrastructure, staffing, and training.
The need for training within GTOS was mentioned by several Convention Secretariats since there is often a shortage of trained technicians in developing countries. GTOS can and should advise on technician training needs, it can even develop appropriate job descriptions, but it should not attempt to provide any training programmes. Where necessary, however, training elements should be built into GTOS projects for which external funding is to be sought. UNITAR may be able to assist in this respect.
RECOMMENDATION 13: GTOS should include training elements in projects for which funding is to be sought. GTOS should not itself offer direct training.
Conventions need data that relate directly to their particular sites and the zone or zones in which those sites are set. Existing GTOS stations may not be near Convention sites. How to relate data from distant GTOS stations to Convention sites in a meaningful way is a concern to several Convention Secretariats. GTOS will thus either have to extrapolate from its own relevant stations, or it will have to assist the Government and the Convention to establish GTOS observation stations in the site area. For the studies required at many Convention sites the establishment of new GTOS stations would be the most practical approach, though this would vary from site to site. A cluster approach which linked several Convention sites to a major GTOS station might be one procedure to explore.
RECOMMENDATION 14: GTOS should demonstrate to potential users the relevance of data from GTOS stations distant from Convention sites.
Land-cover and land-use data for the zone within which particular Convention sites are located are needed by nearly all the Conventions. This information is usually requested as either zone specific spatially referenced data, or spatially referenced maps. How to obtain these data in a meaningful way is a concern to Secretariats. This sort of information can be extrapolated from GTOS Tier 5 indirect activities provided that suitable verification and ground sampling can be done in the site areas by national scientists or GTOS field teams. Preparation of the maps would have to be by contract with either national GIS facilities, or with outside GIS centres (e.g. GRID, WCMC). Funding would be from external donors in most cases.
RECOMMENDATION 15: GTOS should consider procedures for supplying users with spatially referenced maps of variables for sites and zones at specified scales since this is one of the data forms most requested by Conventions.
At an early stage GTOS must develop a data release policy. GTOS is dealing with information and data about which all countries are very sensitive. It must, therefore, be clearly understood by all parties to GTOS exactly what can and cannot be done with information and data gathered under the auspices of GTOS. This policy must also consider secondary data generated through the analysis and transformation of primary data, often outside the countries where the primary data were obtained. A data release policy is very difficult to develop and should not be rushed.
RECOMMENDATION 16: At an early stage GTOS should begin to develop a data release policy for primary and secondary data gathered or developed under the auspices of GTOS.
GTOS has no firm funding. The Convention Secretariats quite rightly found it difficult to comprehend how a body could work with them to ensure data acquisition in the field when it had no firm financial basis. A lot can and should be done by building on existing facilities both in the field and in operational co-operative organisations as has been proposed by the GTOS ad hoc Scientific and Technical Planning Group. This can only be accomplished by discussions, visits to co-operating organisations, and some small expert group consultations. An indication of some firm financial backing from the Sponsors (say $100,000 per year) specifically for these visits would go a long way towards reassuring the Convention Secretariats that GTOS is a serious proposition; this would help to unlock Convention financial support for Convention-related GTOS activities.
RECOMMENDATION 17: Funds from the GTOS Sponsors, or arranged through them, should be made available to the GTOS Interim Secretariat for familiarisation visits to potential co-operating organisations and countries, and for holding some small expert consultations.
As GTOS will rest very heavily on support from donors it is important that at an early stage GTOS discuss its aims, objectives and work programme with each of the major bilateral, multilateral and foundation donors. This should be a two way exchange of information. The donors would become informed about GTOS, but, perhaps more importantly, GTOS would learn about the donor agencies and what each can and cannot do under its Terms of Reference. Each donor has its own list of preferred countries which it will support; some will only support large projects, others only small projects; some can approve projects quickly, others take much longer; some will only support agricultural projects, others will give priority to other forms of sustainable land-use, including conservation. GTOS must know how to approach these donors and what forms of documentation are needed for each.
RECOMMENDATION 18: Familiarisation and contact visits to the major donors should be an early priority for GTOS. These can, if necessary, be arranged through the GTOS Sponsors. Potential donors should include CIDA, DANIDA, EU, FINNIDA, GTZ, IBRD, IDRC, NORAD, SIDA, UK-ODA, UNDP and USAID. Familiarisation visits to other possible supporting countries such as Australia, Belgium, France, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland and Russia should also be considered at a later time.
Any proposal to go to a Convention Conference of the Parties should have all the cost implications shown together with clear indications of the kinds of information, data, data products, and other benefits that can be expected. This is particularly important if some GTOS activities are to be considered for funding through special funds within Conventions. The Secretariats of most Conventions do not have large funds available to them so that they will probably only be able to provide token support to GTOS. An indication of Convention funds and funding mechanisms is given in this report as part of the outline of each Convention.
RECOMMENDATION 19: GTOS project documents to go to donors, especially those to go through the Conventions, should have all costs properly and fully shown. All information, data and other practical benefits from the project should be clearly spelled out.
Most of the Secretariats at first regarded GTOS as a separate data gathering agency which could help the Conventions get the data that the Parties need or which the Parties are obliged to communicate under the terms of their Convention. Thus initially GTOS was thought of as having its own funding, sources of support, and technical capabilities. Only later did most realise that GTOS lacked these capabilities and needed financial support from a variety of sources including from, or through, the Conventions themselves. In spite of this realisation the Secretariats remained sympathetic towards GTOS. Most Secretariats considered that some funding for GTOS could be obtained directly through the financial mechanisms of the Conventions, but nevertheless thought that most should be sought from donors in the form of aid to national project or programme proposals that had first been formally approved by the Conference of Parties. The COP need only approve the programme of which the individual projects or activities form a part.
RECOMMENDATION 20: GTOS should plan its operations under the Conventions as a series of programme packages each of which can be put to relevant donors separately. Each package before submission to a donor must have the prior agreement of the Convention Secretariat, the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Convention, the Conference of the Parties of the Convention, and the Governments of the countries where the work will take place.
Conventions that have been operating for some years have an easier working relationship between Secretariat and Parties than do more recently adopted Conventions. Consequently, the Parties of older Conventions tend to pay more attention to suggestions for the work programme originating from the Secretariat than do Parties of the more recent Conventions. In the older Conventions, therefore, GTOS and the Secretariats should work together quite closely in the development of GTOS proposals.
RECOMMENDATION 21: GTOS should work very closely with the Secretariats of well established Conventions to draw up relevant GTOS project proposals.
Getting formal approval of a Conference of the Parties may, however, not be as simple as it might at first seem. Many developing countries see any inventory or observing activities as an infringement of their national sovereignty, even when these activities are carried out by their own nationals and agencies; communicating national data to others is often regarded as a particularly unwelcome infringement of national rights and to be resisted even though the Convention to which they are Parties might require that it be done. A Conference of the Parties may, therefore, have built in scepticism about any form of observing system. Consequently, great care must be exercised in presenting GTOS proposals to ensure that the practical economic benefits of participation in GTOS are obvious to the Parties. It is essential, therefore, that GTOS proposals go to the COP with the full and enthusiastic backing of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Convention. Each committee is usually made up of government experts appointed by the Parties from a Roster of Experts that the COP has already approved. The Committee, therefore, is conversant with the views of the Parties and will, if it agrees with the proposal, be able to suggest ways of presentation that might make the proposal more attractive to a COP. The composition of these Committees changes every two to three years so that contact by GTOS must be kept up and not left at a once-only level.
RECOMMENDATION 22: GTOS must work through the project approval process of each Convention. It is particularly important in this respect that GTOS establish good working relations with each of the Scientific and Technical Committees of the Conventions.
In the newer Conventions which are still in the process of establishing how they will work it is important, where the rules allow, that GTOS establish some sort of observer status on the Scientific and Technical Committees. This might be done directly through the GTOS Interim Secretariat or through one of the sponsoring organisations. The presence of GTOS on the Committee at an early stage will help Committee members to become familiar with GTOS before the Committee has to start considering proposals from GTOS. The advantages of precognition were shown during the present series of visits to Convention Secretariats; one Secretariat said that “... GTOS cannot be worthwhile to the Convention because if it was we would have heard of it before - and we have not.”
RECOMMENDATION 23: GTOS should obtain observer status on the Scientific and Technical Committees of relevant Conventions, especially the newer ones that are still developing their work programme and operating methods.
Two new Conventions can be of great importance to the future of GTOS, namely the Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Both these Conventions are just beginning to develop their programmes. GTOS should, as soon as possible, press for observer status on the Scientific and Technical Committee of each. Sponsors of GTOS should ensure that there are sufficient travel funds to allow regular GTOS representation at meetings of the two Scientific and Technical Committees, particularly during the formative first years. GTOS should in addition ask representatives from the two Secretariats (or from the two Committees) to attend some GTOS work programme planning meetings to ensure that from the start the needs of these two Conventions are adequately reflected in GTOS.
RECOMMENDATION 24: GTOS should regularly attend meetings of the Scientific and Technical Committees of the Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Representatives of both these Committees should be invited to attend some GTOS programming meetings.
