People
Davis, Kathryn K. [Kate]
| Job Title | CBD Implementation Officer |
|---|---|
| Department | Herbarium |
| Section | Dicot Systematics |
| Science Teams |
Conventions and Policies |
| Joined Kew | 1999 |
| Foreign Language(s) | Spanish (intermediate), French, German (basic) |
Qualifications & Appointments
BA (Hons), Zoology, Oxford Univ., 1989
MS, Zoology, Duke Univ., 1997
Role
Convention on Biological Diversity policy, implementation and capacity-building, focusing on access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and invasive species.
Work with Kew staff, partners, UK and overseas policymakers and botanical institutions worldwide to build understanding and promote implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), particularly its provisions on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing (ABS). Provide advice on CBD issues at Kew and overseas, and implementation tools for Kew staff such as partnership agreements, standard documents, an intranet staff guide and training courses. Represent ex situ collections and communicate practical implementation issues at ABS policy fora. Advise the UK government (Defra) on ABS policy development and practical implications for UK research collections and gardens, and participate in CBD/ABS meetings as a member of the UK delegation. Design capacity-building tools for botanical gardens, herbaria and universities, such as ‘The CBD for Botanists’ (a plain-language guide to the CBD and practical implementation), ABS web pages featuring policy advice and case studies for Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), and modules for Kew’s international diploma courses, UK university courses and the Kew Diploma in Horticulture course. Participate in Kew working group on invasive alien species issues, currently developing in-house guidelines for best practice.
Projects
Conservation and Monitoring of Meso-American Orchids
DNA Banking, Phylogeny and Conservation of the South African Flora
Understanding and Conserving the Earth’s Biodiversity Hotspots (HOTSPOTS)
Selected Publications 2001-2005
Williams, C., Davis, K. & Cheyne, P. (2003). The CBD for botanists: an introduction to the Convention on Biological Diversity for people working with botanical collections. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Darwin Initiative, 94 pp. + CD-ROM (available in English, French and Spanish).
Davis, K. (2004). Uses, benefits, tracking and trade-offs – a botanical collections perspective. Record of discussion, international expert workshop on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing, Cuernavaca, Mexico, October 24-27, 2004. Available at http://www.canmexworkshop.com/documents/papers/IV.1d.4.pdf
Davis, K., Middlemiss, P., Paton, A. & Tenner, C. (2004). The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Herbarium and Seed Bank. Case study contribution. In Tobin, B., Cunningham, D. & Watanbe, K. (2004). The feasibility, practicality and cost of a certificate of origin system for genetic resources: preliminary results of comparative analysis of tracking material in biological resource centres and of proposals for a certificate scheme. CBD information document UNEP/CBD/WG-ABS/3/INF/5, excerpted in CBD official document UNEP/CBD/WG-ABS/3/5.
Davis, K. (2005). Tracing terms and drawing lines: a view from biodiversity research collections. [Online] Record of Discussion, International Expert Workshop on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing, Cape Town, South Africa, September 20-23, 2005. Available at http://www.norsafworkshop.com/Media/Uploads/434a200437549.pdf