BioNET-INTERNATIONAL Update for IV IABIN Council Meeting Panamá City, April 2005

BioNET basics Founded in 1993…to promote taxonomic capacity building for less industrialized countries Strategy: tying taxonomy to development, conservation and policy processes for the long-term strengthening of the taxonomic sector Assists countries with establishment and facilitation of local partnerships for capacity building (LOOPs) Individual members in 153 countries 10 LOOPs, formally endorsed by over 100 countries Global and regional partnerships via participation / membership of IUCN, GBIF, IFS, Ecoagriculture, IABIN, GISP, GPPC/GSPC, etc.…and the Global Taxonomy Initiative.

BioNET external review 2004 Swiss government commissioned a Review in 2004 (IUCN, UNEP, others) Conclusions: Significant contributions to capacity building Very good value for money Important advocate for taxonomy among policy makers and funders Secretariat should continue LOOPs show sustainability is possible Potential for growth and diversification

BioNET objectives LOOPs – Locally Owned and Operated Partnerships Collections - biological and literature Information and information sharing Training – taxonomists / parataxonomists / curators etc. Development and dissemination of technology Sustainability of network, lasting impact of new capacity A UK/USA based Secretariat: Building partnerships, donor relations for LOOPs Advocacy for capacity building in taxonomy Coordination of global network

Project implementation partnerships LOOP leadership and coordination roles in wide range of programmes: International Pollinator Initiative (African coordination) Botanical and Zoological network (GEF, E Africa) ASEAN Plant Health Network (SE Asia) SP-IPM (CGIAR, world-wide) GISIN (Steering Committee) CariPestNet (Hosting Pestnet in the Caribbean)

BioNET, the CBD and the Global Taxonomy Intiative GTI: depends on capacity building (CBD Decision VI/8) Parties to the CBD have identified the following GTI roles BioNET can support: Needs identification Capacity building Collaboration Regional cooperation GTI Coordination Mechanism BioNET – CBD Secretariat, Memorandum of Cooperation, 2004: GTI, CHM, Biosafety and Technology Transfer

BioNET and IABIN An IABIN participant: LOOPs as technical partners Secretariat membership of I3N TWG Biodiversity informatics and the taxonomic sector are interdependent BioNET wants to see solutions to the taxonomic impediment, not to build empires IABIN, as GBIF, is a very welcome initiative, one that didn’t exist when BioNET was conceived Informatics needs and potential for action are immense – BioNET wants IABIN to succeed! Sustainability of LOOPs is a critical challenge – experiences to share with IABIN Invite Focal Points to call on LOOP coordinators to assist with IABIN activities

BioNET Status in Americas and Caribbean CARINET: established (Regional Coordinator: Ronald Barrow, Trinidad and Tobago) AndinoNET: established (Regional Coordinator: José Clavijo, Venezuela) MesoAmeriNET: proposal under consideration Southern Cone (LATINET): preparing for founding workshop in 2005 CARINET / Caribbean: FAO pest ID sheets Training courses Fungi maps of Cuba Computers to Cuba Database project

AndinoNET 1 Founding workshop 2002; Operational since 2003 Proposal endorsed by: Bolivia: Viceministro de Recursos Naturales y Medio Ambiente Colombia: Viceministro de Ambiente Perú: Jefa de la unidad de Biodiversidod y Bioseguridod (CONAM) Venezuela: Ministro de Ciencias y Tecnologia

AndinoNET 2 Coordinating Committee – Coordinators from: Bolivia: Dra Mónica Moraes, Herbario Nacional, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés Colombia: Dr Gonzalo Andrade / Dra Gloria Galeano, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional Peru: Dr Jose Santisteban, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina Venezuela: Prof José (Pepe) Clavijo (national and regional coordinator), Museo del Instituto de Zoologia Agricola Francisco Fernandez, Universidad Central de Venezuela http://www.miza-fpolar.info.ve/andinonet/

AndinoNET 3 Work plan for BioNET-SDC seed funding ($80K) approved 2004 Some 2004-5 activities supported by seed funding and other sources: Training workshop - Taxonomy of Neotropical Tabanidae Participants from 13 entomology / public health institutions in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Partners: Consejo de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (CDCH) and the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) Palm group - 1st meeting at World Palm Symposium in London this week Online keys - Lepidoptera Technical contributions to CariPestNet Training of Colombian in taxonomy of Odonata Represented BioNET at Barcoding of Life Conference.

AndinoNET 4 Some plans for 2005: Training workshops: 1) Taxonomy of Neotropical Muscidae (Insecta: Diptera) 2) Taxonomy of Palms of economic importance in the Andes Region. Barcoding of Life: pest moths of Solanacae. AndinoNET invites experts and institutions to become members, especially those interested coordinating new thematic working groups.

CARINET 1 Established 1993 by endorsement of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community. Received $150K of BioNET-SDC seed funding. Members: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago and other Windward and Leeward Islands Coordinating Committee: National coordinators from each country. Regional coordination from Trinidad & Tobago by Ron Barrow. http://carinet.ecoport.org

CARINET 2 Some activities in 2004: Training workshops: arthropod pest identification for Plant quarantine personnel of Trinidad & Tobago Invasive alien species: Malacology survey and training with to address Giant African Snail. USDA/APHIS. Integrated Pest Management: The Enhancement of the Diagnostic Capabilities in the Identification of pests and their natural enemies. European Union. Identification and diagnostics: Launched CariPestNet, online provider of free pest identification and crop protection information. CTA supported. Identification service: more than 30 requests from member countries, mainly for insects, including 7 first time records from the sub-region. Supported by Florida State Collections of Arthropods. http://carinet.ecoport.org

CARINET 3 Coordination now self-sustaining Some key partners: CTA, IICA, FAO Early thematic focus has been on agriculture and insects, now also invasives and invertebrate biodiversity surveys. Interested in seeing CARINET diversify now that there is much wider recognition (GTI) of taxonomic needs for IAS, etc. http://carinet.ecoport.org

http://carinet.ecoport.org

MesoAmeriNET Founding workshop hosted by Government of Guatemala, November 2003 Agreed proposal, priorities and strategy for submission to governments Endorsed by governments of El Salvador. Coordinator: Enrique Barraza, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales Costa Rica. Coordinator: Lic. Cecilia Pineda C., Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. Active consideration of proposal by Guatemala Regional Coordinator: Alvaro Herrero, INBio

“LATINET” – a LOOP for the Southern Cone? Workshop planned for 2005 Organising committee chaired by Dra Mercedes Lizarralde de Grosso, Presidente, Sociedad Entomologica, Argentina Hosting and co-organisation: Ministry of Exterior Affairs, Exterior Commerce and Culture, Republic of Argentina UNESCO have offered technical and some financial support Seeking other sponsors / event to hold in conjunction

Why taxonomy matters

Why Taxonomy Matters case studies – the sectors Agriculture fisheries aquaculture forestry pest management biocontrol invasive alien species pollinators tourism trade biodiversity conservation forensics transportation engineering construction food safety health (human and animal) herbal medicine horticulture…