Free digital access to 30 years of UNEP-WCMC publications and reports

Since its creation in 1979 WCMC has produced well over 1500 books and major reports. UNEP-WCMC has selected 380 of the most important books and reports from this collection, and has worked with the Biodiversity Heritage Library to make these freely available online.

These documents include a significant body of information of value to audiences around the world ranging from researchers to the general public, and from educators to decision-makers. Items are available in 9 different formats, for maximum accessibility, and are published according to open access standards in a forum which welcomes and encourages both use and contribution, while respecting attribution rights.

The internet archive website has instant download statistics, and items rank highly in Google searches. In only a few months the UNEP-WCMC materials had already been downloaded 9,307 times (by 14th Oct 2010) - with no specific promotion other than through informal networks.

The UNEP-WCMC archive can be found at http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=wcmc and will soon be incorporated into the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

The State of Biodiversity Information in Canada

NatureServe Canada recently released a report on the state of biodiversity information in Canada. By looking at sources of accessible data, including those of NatureServe Canada, this report reveals gaps in Canada?s information holdings.

Some highlights:

1. Canada does not have ready access to the biodiversity information needed to understand its natural heritage or assess the shared outcomes set out in Canada ’s Biodiversity Outcomes Framework.
2. Canada has significant data holdings for some taxonomic groups (e.g., birds, mammals), largely developed in response to legislative priorities or opportunistic data gathering efforts, yet, in most cases, that information is inaccessible or inconsistent.
3. Canada lacks both an understanding of its species diversity and a national inventory program designed to develop primary information for known species.
4. Canada does not have a national biomonitoring system that works across scales and builds on existing initiatives, nor the depth of interpretive expertise required to monitor ecological change. Canada needs to invest in biomonitoring and mapping (including remote-sensing and other related technologies).
5. Canada lacks investments in taxonomic expertise (capacity) and digitized data (presently held as “hard-copy” in Canadian collections). It is ill-prepared to respond to issues like species extinction potentials, invasive species, and climate change.
6. Canada needs to promote biodiversity information sharing and access, including one or more common repositories, and remove cultural and institutional barriers that keep information fragmented.
7. Canada needs to complete efforts to classify and map ecological communities (wetlands, grasslands, arctic tundra, etc.) as a complement to species data, and as a means of exploring and enhancing its understanding of Canadian ecosystems.
8. Canada ’s approach to biodiversity information management must be based on a strategy that recognizes the shared, multi-jurisdictional mandate and responsibility for biodiversity conservation.
9. Canada needs an effective national biodiversity information partnership among federal, provincial, and territorial agencies that includes non-government, academic, aboriginal groups, and the business community.
10. Institutions in other countries, in particular the United States , publish more primary information about Canadian biodiversity than Canada does.

Download the report (PDF)

Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: The Plazi approach

A large part of our knowledge on the world's species is recorded in the corpus of biodiversity literature with well over hundred million pages, and is represented in natural history collections estimated at 2 – 3 billion specimens. But this body of knowledge is almost entirely in paper-print form and is not directly accessible through the Internet. For the digitization of this literature, new territories have to be chartered in the fields of technical, legal and social issues that presently impede its advance. The taxonomic literature seems especially destined for such a transformation.

This article 'BMC Research Notes' "describes the services and software of Plazi, which provide a fully functional infrastructure that allows adding new publications to be processed by running a semi-automatic mark-up process and storing the enhanced documents into a dedicated server that supports harvesting of its contents."

Note: Plazi is an association supporting and promoting the development of persistent and openly accessible digital taxonomic literature.

Using GIS in biodiversity conservation across South Africa

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) promotes easy and open access to biodiversity information. Through its Biodiversity GIS website it provides free access to biodiversity plans, maps and tools to support research, planning and decision-making.

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Group on Earth Observations strengthens access to data and information

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is holding its annual Plenary meeting in Washington on 17-18 November to assess and promote progress towards making information about global environmental change readily available to policy-makers, managers and anyone else who needs it.

"GEO is on track to make critical information about global changes widely and easily available. By making petabytes of data accessible on-line, we will dramatically improve decision-making for the benefit of society," said Jose Achache, Director of the GEO Secretariat.

The Washington meeting will review emerging monitoring and information systems, web portals and data-sharing principles.

Read the full article

Inclusão digital prevê 3 mil telecentros em todo Brasil

A experiência implantada na primeira reserva extrativista homologada do País, poderá ser estendida a mais 300 localidades em 56 unidades de conservação. Elas fazem parte de um projeto do Governo Federal que prevê a instalação de mais três mil telecentros em vários estados. Recursos da ordem de R$ 250 milhões serão liberados para os ministérios envolvidos no programa de inclusão digital.

Além do atendimento às populações isoladas e que dependem de atividades econômicas nas UCs e suas proximidades, os telecentros funcionam como ponto de apoio, facilitando a comunicação estratégica com as unidades. A proposta do MMA inclui uma plataforma de comunicação estratégica para auxiliar tanto os gestores dos parques quanto os agentes ambientais, parceiros na fiscalização e preservação dos parques e reservas extrativistas. O ICMBio está finalizando a lista de UCs prioritárias para receber os novos telecentros.

O GTI deverá articular as ações para a instalação dos três mil telecentros previstos, mas o MMA instituirá, também, um comitê de caráter permanente formado por representantes da Saic, da Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Rural Sustentável, da Secretaria de Biodiversidade e Florestas, da Secretaria de Recursos Hídricos e Ambiente Urbano e do Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade. O comitê será responsável pela gestão dos telecentros em atividade e pela otimização do uso dos telecentros para o fortalecimento das ações do MMA, como gerenciamento de recursos hídricos, educação ambiental, conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade.

Siga a noticia.

Primer Taller de Políticas de Información Forestal de Centro América

El Primer Taller de Políticas de Información de Centro América, organizado por la FAO, tuvo lugar en Valle de Ángeles, Honduras 10-12 Octubre de 2007.

El informe en español resume los debates y resultados del Taller; todas las presentaciones están disponibles en la página Web de la FAO.

Darwin Core - a standard to share biodiversity information

Similar to the 'Dublin Core' metadata standard, a 'Darwin Core' is a body of standards to facilitate the sharing of information about biological diversity.

TDWG is pleased to announce the commencement of the Public Review of Darwin Core. To participate, visit the Darwin Core Progress site for the latest background information on the process and critical links to content.

e-Knowledge about biodiversity and agriculture

From 9-13 November 2009, Montpellier hosts the annual TDWG conference. Co-organized with Agropolis International and Bioversity International, it will gather experts in biodiversity informatics from leading museums of natural history, botanical gardens and major agricultural research institutions and universities.

The conference is open to anyone working with biodiversity information and informatics wishing to discuss and define the most recent informatics tools and standards applying to taxonomy, imaging, biodiversity data exchange, specimen observations, and diversity analysis.

TDWG - Biodiversity Information Standards - is an international not-for-profit group that develops standards and protocols for sharing biodiversity data.

Bienes Comunes para la Conservación : Compartien do recursos de conocimiento para avanzar en la conservación

El Patrimonio de Conservación es la expresión de un esfuerzo cooperativo para mejorar el libre acceso a los datos, información y conocimientos relacionados con la conservación de la biodiversidad, y permitir la utilización de estos recursos sin restricciones, con la creencia de que con ello contribuirá a mejorar los resultados de la acción en apoyo de la conservación.

Al nivel más sencillo, estimula tanto a las organizaciones como a los individuos a asegurar el libre acceso a los datos, información, experticia y conocimientos relacionados con la conservación de la biodiversidad.

Patrimoine de connaissances sur la nature : promouvoir un partage des connaissances pour faire avancer la conservation

Le Patrimoine de connaissances sur la nature est le résultat d’une coopération qui vise à améliorer le libre accès aux données, informations et connaissances sur la conservation sans limiter leur utilisation. Tout simplement, il encourage les organisations aussi bien que les particuliers à assurer le libre accès aux données, informations, expertises et connaissances relatives à la conservation de la biodiversité.

Conservation commons: Sharing of knowledge resources to advance conservation

The Conservation Commons is the expression of a cooperative effort of non-governmental organizations, international and multi-lateral organizations, governments, academia, and the private sector, to improve open access to and unrestricted use of, data, information and knowledge related to the conservation of biodiversity with the belief that this will contribute to improving conservation outcomes.

At its simplest, it encourages organizations and individuals alike to ensure open access to data, information, expertise and knowledge related to the conservation of biodiversity.

Digitizing biodiversity literature

Major natural history museum libraries, botanical libraries, and research institutions have joined forced in the Biodiversity Heritage Library. The plan is to digitize their holdings of published literature, making it available through a global 'biodiversity commons.'

"For the first time in history, the core of our natural history and herbaria library collections will be available to a truly global audience. Web-based access to these collections will provide a substantial benefit to people living and working in the developing world -- whether scientists or policymakers."

Making the content open access is an important element of the project. In a presentation on the project, this is described as "all content can be reused, repurposed, reformatted, sliced, diced, scraped, harvested, integrated."

"This material will be available for open access and responsible use as a part of a global Biodiversity Commons. We will work with the global taxonomic community, rights holders, and other interested parties to ensure that this legacy literature is available to all."

Track progress through the project blog and slide presentations.

Content from the library will be shared with the just-launched Encyclopedia of Life

Tags: biodiversity

Encyclopedia of Life: a website for each species

Researchers in the biological sciences will soon have a comprehensive reference source, an encyclopedia of all the species ever named. The Encyclopedia of Life aims to set up a website for every species on the planet.