Global
CHM - The Convention on Biological Diversity's Clearing House Mechanism provides a forum for exchange of
information and relevant information linkages to national focal points, related conventions, institutions and
programs, data and information resources, and capacity building in support of global biological diversity issues.
(http://www.biodiv.org/chm/)
OECD - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Megascience Forum works to strengthen and
encourage international cooperation on very large scientific projects and programs. The Biodiversity Informatics
Subgroup (created in 1996) promotes development and implementation of federated, interoperable databases and
other informatics resources relating to biological diversity, and to foster the rapid development and general
distribution of informatics tools for the field of biological systematics.
(http://www.oecd.org/dsti/sti/s_t/ms/)
IUCN - The World Conservation Union program's goal is to support environmentally sound decision making and
actions affecting the status of biological diversity and landscapes at the local, national, regional, and global levels
through cooperative provision of data, information, advice and related services.
(http://www.iucn.org/)
BCIS - Biodiversity Conservation Information System is a cooperative electronic information management
structure and consolidated information base, now under development, involving 9 programs and partners of the
World Conservation Union (BirdLife International, Botantical Gardens Conservation International, TRAFFIC,
Wetlands International, IUCN's World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 3 IUCN Commissions, and the IUCN
Environmental Law Centre).
(http://biodiversity.org/)
UNESCO-MABNet - The Man and the Biosphere Program is an interdisciplinary program of research and training
intended to develop the basis, within the natural and social sciences, for the sustainable use and conservation of the
resources of the biosphere, and for the improvement of the global relationship between people and the
environment.
(http://www.unesco.org/mab/)
G7ENRM - The G7 Environment and Natural Resources Management Project expands existing efforts to design a
global information locator service that will interconnect and facilitate access to catalogs and directories from
around the world and facilitate the exchange and integration of data and information for a variety of applications.
The project focuses on 3 major topics: 1) Climate Change; 2) Meta Information; and 3) Biological Diversity.
(http://ceo.gelos.org/)
Regional-
IGDN - Inter-American Geospatial Data Network project promotes the implementation of Internet capabilities
throughout the Western Hemisphere for electronic access to information describing the existence and availability
of geospatial data as called for by the Summit of the Americas in December 1994.
(http://edcsnw4.cr.usgs.gov/igdn)
IABIN -The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network will increase the amount of information shared
among the nations of the Americas. Guided by an intergovernmental working group, and in concert with many
ongoing initiatives, the network will work for consensus among all relevant parties on how to communicate and
share all biological information.
(http://www.nbii.gov/iabin/)
MABNet - The Man and the Biosphere Program: Regional Networks and BRIM,
is an network of natural resource sites, primarily bioshpere reserves, around the world connected
through the Internet, which share comparable scientific information through a registry of metadata
sets of faunal and floral species lists.
(http://www.mabnet.org/)
CYTED - "Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnologia para el Desarrollo"
(Science and Technology for Development) was organized in
May 1984 when 21 Spanish and Portuguese speaking nations signed an agreement to share information between
countries. Technology and Biodiversity are two important sub-programs facilitating communication and
information among these nations.
(http://www.cicyt.es/ivpm/cyted.htm)
NABIN - The North American Biodiversity Information Network is a regional initiative being developed under the
NAFTA Environmental Side Agreements coordinated by the North American Commission on Environmental
Cooperation (CEC). The goal is to improve access to biodiversity data and provide a forum for cooperation among
Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
National-
NBII - The National Biological Information Infrastructure initiative facilitates the widest possible access and
dissemination of biological (natural resources) data and information from federal, state, local, and non-governmental sources.
(http://www.nbii.gov/)
GILS - Government Information Locator Service identifies public information resources throughout the U.S.
Federal Government, describes the information available in those resources and provides assistance in obtaining
information.
(http://info.er.usgs.gov/gils/)
NSDI - National Spatial Data Infrastructure is conceived to be an umbrella of policies, standards, and procedures
under which organizations and technologies interact to foster more efficient use, management and production of
geospatial data.
(http://www.fgdc.gov/nsdi/nsdi.html)
CONABIO - Mexico Commission on Biodiversity's fundamental task is to promote and coordinate the efforts that
are currently being made by numerous institutions and groups in Mexico along three main lines: 1) knowledge of
the country's biodiversity through inventories, databases and networking; 2) sustainable use; and 3) diffusion of
knowledge about biodiversity to the society.
(http://www.conabio.gob.mx)
INBio - Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Costa Rica) is based on a partnership of cooperative support and
guidance with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines, has agreed to carry out the processes of
inventory, biodiversity prospecting and information management and dissemination on Costa Rica's biodiversity in
accordance with existing legal framework.
(http://www.inbio.ac.cr/)
ERIN - Environmental Resources Information Network was established in 1989 with a broad mission of providing
environmental information of an extent, quality and availability required for
planning and decision making in Australia.
(http://www.environment.gov.au/epcg/erin/)
Local -
TNC -The Nature Conservancy Natural Heritage Program manages standardized information on endangered
plants, animals and ecological communities. It provides key information on biodiversity to developers,
corporations, conservationists, government agencies and researchers.
(http://www.heritage.tnc.org)