Objectives Advancements in the political and technical considerations in improving databases, metadata, tracking tools, geoportals, and with hemispheric networks to create a user-friendly, decentralized system for storing, managing and reporting on trends in coverage for all biophysical and socio- economic aspects of PA's and biological corridors.

Specific Objectives 1. advancements in the political and technical considerations in improving the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) 2. and reference to other database systems (e.g. Andes Amazon PA database, AZE, GBIF, REMIB, INBio, Humboldt, IABIN databases on PAs, Invasives, pollinators, ecosystems, ICE Biological Inventories of the World's Protected Areas, etc.) 3. and metadata cataloguers (e.g,. Biobot, ATTA, Humboldt’s system) 4. and value added tools (e.g. GEOSS, GITAN, Conservation Geoportal project, Proteus, Servir, etc) 5. and improving coverage with hemispheric networks of players e.g. RAMSAR CREHO, IABIN, WHMSI, BioNet, CATHALAC 6. and ways to evaluate progress -- e.g. Biodiversity 2010, targets, scorecards and evaluation tools all with the view to further develop a user-friendly, decentralized system for storing, managing and reporting on trends in coverage for all biophysical and socio-economic aspects of PA's and biological corridors.

Speakers Frank Biasi -- Geoportal and WCMC WDPA redevelopment -- NGS Andrea Grosse – I3N – IABIN Invasive Species Thematic Network Jack Hill -- Biobot, World Data Center for Biodiversity and Ecology and GITAN/GEOSS Richard Huber OAS IABIN – advancements in the 5 Thematic Networks John Waugh -- IUCN – Bariloche Workshop Diane Davies, Department of Geography, University of Maryland Fire Kristin Barker NatureServe activities and NS Vista. Leo Sotomayor -- TNC ecosystem and threat assessment -- classification and mapping methodology Daan Vreugdenhil -- Ecosystems Maps as Baselines for Protected Areas Systems Monitoring.

Connection between hemispheric networks… Based on National Initiatives CHM

Thematic Networks IABIN 1. Specimens 2. Species 3. Ecosystems 4. Invasive Species 5. Pollinators 6. Protected Areas

Status of Thematic Networks (Species and Specimens, Protected Areas, Ecosystems, Invasive Species, and Pollinators) and the Catalogue Service:

Inter relationships between TNs Baseline Tool development Training core

Uso de los mismos estándares y protocolos desarrollados por IABIN & GBIF Protocolos de comunicación Herramienta de búsqueda compartida para el usuario con capacidad de acceder a todas las bases de dato En Línea Species database Invasive species database Protected areas database Geospatial database Pollinators database INFRAESTRUCTURAS NACIONALES IABIN RED DISTRIBUIDA Interoperabilidad entre Infraestructuras Nacionales de Información sobre Biodiversidad e IABIN Ecosystems IABIN Rede Virt. de información sobre Biod. Ecosistemas Áreas Protegidas database Polinizadores database Especies database Especies Invasoras database Geo-espatial database Otros Sistemas Inf. Biod. (e.g., GBIF)

XML SCHEMA Design XSD XML XSL/XSLT SOAP RDBMS XM DB HTML WML PDF ? Remote Process ? INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR DATA SHARING AND INTEROPERABILITY

ACTIONS- Policies KNOWLEDGE– Prediction tools INFORMATION– Decision making tools, indicators. METADATA – Reference to datasets and knowledge objects (quality, availability, property,etc) DATA – observations or measurements recorded and reported in a standard way Data Information Knowledge Actions MetaData Levels in the Information Process LEARNINGLEARNING

Thematic Networks  A thematic network will contain data and information on a specific theme or topic.  The data and information could be physically centralized or distributed depending on efficiency, existing infrastructure and sustainability issues.  In either case a “Coordinating Institution” will administer the thematic network.

Thematic Networks (TNs) 1. Assemble a Technical Advisory Group to evaluate protected area information. 2. Host workshop to analyze and prioritize protected areas information requirements from national protected areas systems. 3. Disseminate tools for analyses (e.g. compile baseline info, protected areas management effectiveness, support taxonomic programming within PAs 4. Assist with data Content Grants of about 15k each (1.3m or about 18 data content grants/TN)

Example Specimens Thematic Networks DATA Content Grant Applications Institution/Country Fundación Miguel Lillo/Argentina Museo Nacional/Costa Rica Belice Tropical Forest Studies/Belice ANCON/ Panama Museo NKempffM/Bolivia Universidad Mayor/Bolivia Finding Species/ USANYBG/USA Herbario Nacional/Bolivia Circulo Herpetologico /Panama Red Obs Aves/Colombia INVERMAR/Colombia Inst Ciencias Nat/Colombia Univ. San Marcos/Peru Museo Entom/Nicaragua

Protected Areas Thematic Network Internet databases to disseminate information and to allow for specific queries. Achieve consensus on standards, protocols, information use policies Develop Web services and user interfaces for integrated searches of protected areas information Coordinate communications with Network participants regarding advances and changes in protocols and tools Create and maintain a protected areas expert database and directory

Evaluation to Award Grants Procedure to evaluate Proposals 1.37m in Matching Grants will be awarded to institutions with high quality data, to support their efforts to improve the availability of critical data and metadata through the network. Institutions with the highest scores will qualify to receive grants (next slide). subregional balance Grants will be in the range of 10-15k/year and may be multi-year to a maximum of 45k. But can be smaller and only for one year.

Criteria to Receive Matching Grants Commitment to IABIN standards and protocols Commitment to public access Relevance to multiple countries and Hemispheric IABIN initiatives Impact of filling data gaps Linkage to IABIN thematic priorities Availability of co-financing (beyond 1:1) Assignation of qualified personnel

Data providers in Central America Belize Herbarium,BRH (Ministry of National Resources) Guatemala FAUSAC/CEDIA (Centro de Investigaciones Agronómicas) U San Carlos. Herbario AGUAT Museo de Historia Natural, USAC Herbario UVAL, U del Valle El Salvador Universidad de El Salvador Escuela de Biología (UES) Asociación Jardín Botánico La Laguna (JBLL) Honduras Escuela Agrícola Panamericana. Herbario Paul C. Standley. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Herbario TEFH

Data providers in Central America Nicaragua Herbario Nacional de Nicaragua,HNMN - UCA (Universidad C.A) Centro de Malacología – UCA Museo Entomológico de León Costa Rica Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad-INBio Herbario USJ, Escuela de Biología-UCR Museo de Zoología-Escuela Biología Universidad de Costa Rica-UCR Museo Nacional de Costa Rica Herbario Juvenal Valerio Rodríguez. Escuela Ciencias Ambientales-UNA Panamá Herbario PMA Universidad de Panamá. Departamento de Botánica Herbario Instituto Smithsonian – SCZ

Andean Countries+Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad/Tobago Bolivia CBF – Colleción Boliviana de Fauna LPB – Herbario Nacional de Bolivia MHNNKM – Museo de Historia Natural-Noel Kempf Mercado Colombia ICN – Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Ecuador EPN - PUCE – Museo de Historia Natural de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador QCNE – Herbario Nacional del Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales Perú MHSN - MHNURP – Museo de Historia Natural Universidad Ricardo Palma

Andean Countries+Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad/Tobago Venezuela Vertebrate Collection Information Network, Phelps Ornithological Collection, Universidad Central Zoological Collections, La Salle Natural History Museum, Biocentro Fresh Water Fish Database, ONBIDIO- Rancho Grande Mammalian collection, Insect Collection at MIZA, Mammalian Collection Universidad de los Andes, National Herbarium, Herpetological Collection Universidad de los Andes Guyana Centre for Study of Biological Diversity and U.G Herbarium Suriname Zoological Collection, Herbarium Trinidad and Tobago Insect collection (CARINET), CAB International Arthropod Collection, National Herbarium, Orchid Society Collection

ICE Biological Inventory Databases Served in Microsoft SQL Server Possess all elements of Darwin Core + extensions Existing structure does not allow remote query Funding sought for re-engineering: Open-source software Use Semantic Web and derivative technologies Full compliance with Conservation Commons Data to be made available through GBIF, other international protected area and data-sharing initiatives Contact

Components of ICE Biological Inventories of the World’s Protected Areas 1. Technical Expertise database management, programming, taxonomic reconciliations apply to existing, or “legacy”, electronic data 2. Custom data input device BioInventory Builder - used to input new data 3. Collaborations taxonomists, taxonomic institutions data providers (protected area agencies, staff, individuals) 4. Data dissemination via Internet l

 Document sources of information  Document data entry person(s)  Standardize associated data (e.g., abundance, origin, residence and breeding status, etc.) in vocabularies (e.g., abundance categories) and formats  > 492,000 records from > 1,400 protected areas in 133 countries  Currently vertebrate animals, non-vascular + vascular plants  Data freely available via internet and free BioInventory Builder software on CD ICE Biological Inventory Databases

Collaborators Include: