The BIOTA AFRICA project handed over the first collection of data on October 28, 2004 to the Ministries of Environment and Tourism (MET), and Agriculture, Water and Rural Development (MAWRD) during a public presentation by Prof. Norbert Jürgens from the University of Hamburg, Germany. The data were obtained between 2001 and 2003 by German scientists at permanent sites along a North-South transect line. Prof. Jürgens who heads the BIOTA Project, explained the different types of data and their various uses, as well as some data on the stability, degradation and restoration of biodiversity within Namibia and adjacent regions. MET and MAWRD will be the custodians of the data in order to serve the interests of Namibian scientists and students. 

According to Prof. Jürgens the data hand-over was based on an understanding of Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) in international partnership and a promise to Namibian scientists on data delivery and sharing. Namibia`s rich biodiversity attracts many researchers from abroad, and many of these foreign research activities repatriated little more than a citation of a publication in a scientific journal.  

Three nationals from Namibia, South Africa and Germany have been identified as the three database managers who would be responsible for the data. 

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