IABIN OVERVIEW

The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network is an Internet-based forum for technical and scientific cooperation that seeks to promote greater coordination among Western Hemisphere countries in the collection, sharing, and use of biodiversity information relevant to decision-making and education. IABIN is an initiative of the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development and was mandated as Initiative 31 of the Action Plan resulting from the December 1996 Summit in Bolivia. The Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) of the Organization of American States endorsed IABIN in a resolution passed in October 1999. Thirty-four countries in the Americas have designated official IABIN Focal Points to coordinate national efforts to implement the network. The U.S. Geological Survey is  the U.S. Focal Point for IABIN. The IABIN Council comprises the official national Focal Points as well as representatives from interested inter-governmental organizations and initiatives. The Executive Committee guides the operations of IABIN and executes the policy decisions of the Council.

USGS-NBII Role

The Biological Informatics Office (BIO) of the USGS Biological Resources Discipline  is the U.S. IABIN Focal Point and is responsible for coordinating U.S. participation in IABIN. The U.S. currently holds the IABIN Council Chair position. As part of its work with BIO, the NBII provides leadership on the development of several core IABIN tools such as the IABIN Catalog and search engine.

The U.S. strongly supports IABIN because we believe that a key to preserving this hemisphere’s incredibly rich biodiversity is an understanding of the factors affecting biodiversity within a regional context. Species do not recognize political boundaries. Therefore, issues such as invasive species, migratory birds, amphibian decline, and the spread of diseases can be addressed effectively only if we share information across borders. Through international information exchange, we can multiply the value of our activities and research, learning from each other what has failed and what has worked.

  Projects

Structure

Poster