A crucial tool to “green” the world’s economy, the World Bank
said, is to move to a new way of accounting for national wealth that takes the value of ecosystem
services into account. For the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES), better control of legal trade and a more effective fight against illegal
trade in species is key to protect biodiversity. What links these objectives is the need for accessible,
open and rich data – a point repeatedly made by the representatives of the five specialist working
groups that are developing the Eye on Earth Special Initiatives.