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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. AndinoNET 3 Work plan for BioNET-SDC seed funding ($80K) approved 2004
Some 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

18. 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

19. “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

20. Why taxonomy matters

21. 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…