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1. The Good, Bad and the Ugly of
CONABIO and BIOTICA: Mexico’s
Biodiversity Database
Robert W. Jones
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales
Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro
Querétaro, México
2. CONABIO
Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la
Biodiversidad
National Comission for the Knowledge and Use of
Biodiversity
• Established during 1992, three months before the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) or “Rio Summit”
• Official decree followed a meeting of experts in biodiversity
and the then president of México, Carlos Salinas de
Gortari, officially adopted on the 16th of March 1992
3. What is CONABIO?
•
An Inter-institutional commission to coordinate and
promote actions related to the knowledge and Use of
Biodiversity in Mexico.
• Headed by the president of the Republic, and Secretariat
(Ministry) of:
– SEMARNAT – Environment and Natural Resources
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SAGARPA – Agriculture, Rural Development, Fisheries and Nutrition
SEDESOL – Desarrollo Social
SE – Economy
SEP – Public Education
SENER – Energy
SHCP- Finance and Public Credit
SER – Foreign Relations
SS - Health
SECTUR – Tourism
4. Funds for CONABIO
• 60-70% of the budget comes from federal
funds (Fideicomiso)
• Remaining from external sources, including
international sources.
• Funds are deposited in a private trust: “Fondo
para la Biodiversidad”
7. On-Line Book from CONABIO:
Jerzy Rzedowski 1978. Vegetación de México
•
http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/publicaciones/librosDig/pdf/VegetacionMx_Cont.pdf /
8. Sistema Nacional de Información sobre
la Biodiversidad - SNIB
• System that integrates:
– Data bases – Information concerning 5 million
specimens in Mexican and international
collections
– Geographic information
– 180,000 images
– Cartographic, infrastructural and socioeconoomic
information
11. These results were generated through:
• A total of 85 grant programs (call for grants)
for capture and updating of data bases and
biological inventories in the last 20 years
• Also, other studies of basic ecology and
genetics have been supported; charasmatic
species primarily.
• Also, grants for determination of potential
distribution of species.
12. Data capture:
BIOTICA Biodiversity software
• With an approved grant, the software is given
with for use on one designated computer
• A week long course is offered in Mexico City to
learn how to use the program.
• Basic product of the grant is the database
information that is sent to CONABIO.
• All data is thoroughly checked and several
revisions are always required.
20. Verification of Data is “Rigorous”
• Full time, experienced
data checkersprogramers.
• CONABIO reference
library is fairly
extensive, and what they
don’t have for a
particular project they
will often buy.
• Result: Data base with
high confidence, but lots
of work to finally finish
the project.
21. Products online:
Geographic Information Programs
• Database access (.xml, .xls, .txt)
• Basic data: Longitud and Latitude, altitud,
year of collection, collector, state, locality,
other retlated data (hosplant etc).
• From the portal of geodata of CONABIO, one
can download vector data (shape files, .kml)
• Geodata is free to download.
• Range from 1/50,000 (local scale) up to 1/1
millon (national scale).
30. Toequest for specific data bases
• Free to all who request data:
• Simple request to:
servext@conabio.gob.mx
“Dear CONABIO,
I am conducting research on species of
Aphodius (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of North
America …”
36. • Easiest way to get permission to collect is
through a Mexican contact who has a
collection permit that allows for a “carta de
aval” (letter of endorsement).
