Mediterranean Plant Collections: The computerised way forward

Herbarium as a facilty Basis for the taxonomic work Resut of the taxonomic work

This is the key difference between herbaria and other information sources: check-lists, observations, taxon-level databases Information available to be re-assessed

Information kept in herbaria people (...) habitat / ecologic molecular studies historic / phenologic taxonomic locality / distribution

Herbaria and IT one database  multiple indexing  multiple uses one (card) index  n-1 difficult tasks

Results in management Labels Exchanges Loans Requests Specimen location  Better control  more efficient

Results in knowledge Information on the collection: collectors types, composition, etc, Collection use n Availability

Herbaria as a biodiversity information resource is a distributed one The Spanish case: 4,500,000 specimens 34 collections

Herbaria as a distributed resource, an example However, when specimens kept in the remaining herbaria are plotted, important gaps are revealed.Conclusion: not ever the best herbariun is as good as all of them combined. Nearly half of the specimens (c. 6,000) are kept in MA (Real Jardín Botánico, Madrid), which is considered the reference herbarium for these fungus groups The case: fungi specimens kept in Iberian herbaria and belonging to Aphyllophorales, Gasteromycetes s.l. and Myxomycetes: specimens geo- referenced

The political momentum Global Biodiversity Information Facility ENBI (European Network on Biodiversity Information) Australian Virtual Herbarium

The political momentum OECD’s initiative originated in 1996, started in 2001 Be a distributed facility, global in scale, though implemented nationally and regionally Aiming to make biodiversity information universally available 21 country members + associate participants Requierements: MoU + fee Global Biodiversity Information Facility ENBI (European Network on Biodiversity Information) Australian Virtual Herbarium

The political momentum Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIF thematic program areas: 1.Data Access and Database Interoperability (US$3 million). 2.Electronic Catalogue of Names of Known Organisms (US$17 million). 3.Digitization of Natural History Collections Data (US$20 million). 4.“Species Bank” (US$0.5 million) 5.Digital Biodiversity Literature Resources (US$0.5 million) 6.Training (US$1 million) 7.Outreach (US$1 million) ENBI (European Network on Biodiversity Information) Australian Virtual Herbarium

The political momentum Global Biodiversity Information Facility ENBI (European Network on Biodiversity Information) EU project, call in OJEC , 3 years, 3 million  A tematic network to provide infrastructure for biodiversity information recording and access One proposal is underway with 13 work packages and over 50 members Australian Virtual Herbarium

The political momentum Global Biodiversity Information Facility ENBI (European Network on Biodiversity Information) Australian Virtual Herbarium Australia's herbaria will be entirely computerised and put online AU$10 million project [  6 M], 6 million specimens (40% already databased) Cooperative project: AU Commonwealth AU$4M, State governments AU$4M, Private sector AU$2M

The new scenario: Biodiversity Information is needed and requested Opportunities Technology availability Z39.59, XML, ASP, Internet 2, data standars, massive data storage systems,... Opportunities Political momentun ($$) GBIF, ENBI, AVH, ITIS, GEF,... Data available to be unlock and accesible Collections, etc. and Data to be collected

AHIM 1992: first working group meeting (Portuguese & Spanish herbaria) 1994: formally constituted 2001: members: 45 institutions plus 25 individuals

AHIM activities Bulletin Internet forum Annual General Meeting Exsiccata Collecting trips Web site Database computer application

AHIM’s computerization tool: HERBAR Milestones: 1989 first operative version (dBase III): labels, loans, queries 1995 adopted as standard collection databasing tool by the AHIM. Other iberian herbaria start databasing 1996 Windows /Access version 1998 Web pages; available by Internet 2000 MA (cryptogams) database online

Databasing today in AHIM herbaria; 11 databasing (+3 planning) 5,800,000 specimens in total; 1,200,000 (+ 600,000) spp. being databased

Current and future developments To make available online other collection databases Subscription to TSA (or stabilising a mirror site as the base for the Spanish GBIF node) Subscription to the REMIB network of the Mexican collection kept in MA (Sessé & Mociño’s Flora de Nueva España)

Final remarks Each collection, big or small, is an important piece for the understanding of biodiversity on Earth Databasing is the way to make each collection part of the global picture Good taxonomy is still the basis for understanding Biodiversity