Given that Mexico is one of the five megadiverse countries with the highest biological diversity – which means that it is blessed with a very high number of ecosystem types, animal and plant species, and great genetic variation – it is important that such richness is afforded special consideration by government, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, and that the conservation and the sustainable use of the country’s biological diversity is promoted. For this reason, an International Meeting on the Problems of the Knowledge and Conservation of Biodiversity was held on February 13 and 14, 1992. This meeting was convened by the President of Mexico, with the main discussion issues covering the critical aspects of our present knowledge of biodiversity, the current risks to biodiversity and the possible consequences of these risks, as well as the appropriate actions to be taken to safeguard its conservation. As a result of this meeting, the President of Mexico created, on March 16th, 1992, the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO). CONABIO is an Inter-Ministerial Commission mainly dedicated to: develop, maintain and update the National System of Biodiversity Information (SNIB); support projects and studies focused on the knowledge and sustainable use of biodiversity; advise governmental institutions and other sectors; undertake special projects; share knowledge on biological diversity; follow up on international agreements related to biodiversity, and provide services to the public. ... [Information of the supplier]
The web pages about Costa Rican species are electronic publications that provide basic information on the species of different groups of organisms found in Costa Rica. The scientific information is presented in a simple technical language. The resulting publications include photos and illustrations, information about natural history, conservation and demography, distribution, importance for humankind, taxonomy, and references. Almost all the information is written in Spanish. ... [Information of the supplier]
The Azorean Biodiversity Portal is a unique resource for fundamental research in systematics, biodiversity, education and conservation management in the Azores (Portugal). It also provides an original platform for biogeographical and macroecological research on islands. The species database (ATLANTIS) is comprised of spatial grid-based (500x500 m) presence-absence information for ca. 5000 species, drawing on a thorough literature survey (dating back to the 19th Century) as well as on unpublished records from recent intensive field surveys in the Azores. Many species are also accompanied by images from collections and/or live specimen. ... [Information of the supplier]
SIBA is an initiative from the Biodiversity Centre of the Institute for Andorran Studies to merge and allow easy access to the citation data of the flora and fauna distribution of the country. Because of its very own nature this is a dynamic project that grows continuously as new data arrives to our knowledge. This data is compiled from a very wide range of heterogeneous sources including the information generated by our own institutions, local enterprises, specialists or simply interested people that have made Andorran nature their main focus of attention. With this project we also want to provide to any interested individual or institution the access to the Andorran biodiversity data and a point of reference for easy exploration of the large information set currently available in our database. ... [Information of the supplier]
The Humboldt Project aims at an open digital library dealing with a core aspect of the history of science: the role that scientific expeditions played in the discovery of the world. It is concerned with the central documents resulting from European expeditions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, whose investigations focused on the Canarian Archipelago. The name Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859) is intimately linked to this tradition. The project has been initiated in April 2002 by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin and the Fundación Canaria Orotava de Historia de la Ciencia (FCOHC) in Tenerife. Their cooperation aims to combine interdisciplinary investigation and dissemination using new electronic media. The digitized works by Proyecto Humboldt appear in two layouts: LiSe and digilib. The LiSe layout has a general index of the work in its left frame and the images in two sizes. The size of the image can be changed by clicking on it. The digilib layout does not have a general index of the work, but a bigger image size than in the LiSe layout can be obtained using the utilities frame on the right. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. Conceived as a practical tool for translating the principles of Agenda 21 into reality, the Convention recognizes that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems - it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. ... [Information of the supplier]
NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization that provides the scientific information and tools needed to help guide effective conservation action. NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs are the leading source for information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems. [Information of the supplier]
The Census of Marine Life is a growing global network of researchers in more than 70 nations engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans -- past, present, and future. This site is a portal for the Census of Marine Life. The site is designed to provide quick and easy access to all elements of the Census and basic information about each element for the interested public. It is also a central location for news and information about the Census. ... [Information of the supplier]
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments to which States (countries) adhere voluntarily. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). The text of the Convention was finally agreed at a meeting of representatives of 80 countries in Washington DC., United States of America, on 3 March 1973, and on 1 July 1975 CITES entered in force. The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
Biological collections are one of the main sources of information on biological diversity. The large quantity of information they represent and the fact that they are dynamic require, for their consultation and updating, the use of specialized computer tools. Gathering these collections in an information network allows not only for the connection of the main databanks, the updating of information and direct contact with specialists, but also access, exchange and consultation of data open to the public in general throughout the world. The World Biodiversity Information Network (REMIB) is a computerized system of biological information (it includes databases of a curatorial, taxonomic, ecological, cartographic, bibliographic, ethno-biological type, use of catalogues on natural resources and other subject matters), based on an academic inter-institutional decentralized and international organization, formed by research and higher education centers, both public and private, that possess both scientific biological collections and data banks. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
