International Connections: NBII Partners With International Initiatives

With this issue of Access, we launch a new regular column, "International Connections," to keep readers updated on all the various biodiversity networking initiatives in which the NBII is involved. While Access has included regular reports on activities of the Clearing-House Mechanism ("CHM Connection") and the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network ("Inside IABIN"), the USGS and its NBII partners are also working with a number of other international initiatives, including the Biodiversity Information Table of the Trilateral [Canada-Mexico-U.S.] Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management, the North American Biodiversity Information Network, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, as well as thematic initiatives such as the information system envisioned for the Global Invasive Species Program. Look to "International Connections" for news of all of these efforts.

Copenhagen Selected to Host GBIF Secretariat

At the second Governing Board meeting of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), delegates selected Copenhagen as the location for the GBIF Secretariat, to be established by the end of FY 2001. Eighteen voting members (including the United States) and twelve associate members of GBIF met near Bonn, Germany, in mid-June to consider bids from Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain to host the Secretariat. At the same meeting, Dr. John Curran of
Australia was elected as Chair of the Science Committee. The Science Committee is seeking experts worldwide to serve on four Science subcommittees: Data Access and Data Interoperability; Electronic Catalogue of Names of Known Organisms; Digitization of Natural History Collections Data; and Outreach & Capacity Building. If you are interested in participating in any of these groups, contact the NBII International Biological Informatics Program <barbara_bauldock@usgs.gov>. For more information, visit the GBIF Web site at <http://www.gbif.org>.

The GBIF will be an interoperable network of biodiversity databases and information technology tools that will enable users to navigate and put to use the world's vast quantities of biodiversity information to produce national economic, environmental, and social benefits. The NBII Program is the U.S. node for the GBIF.

Trilingual Web Site Established for Trilateral Committee

A Web site in English, French, and Spanish has been established to support the Trilateral Committee on Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management. The prototype Web site, created by the Biodiversity Information Table of the Trilateral Committee, was approved at a recent meeting of the Committee in Ottawa, and the production site in the three languages of the participating countries was launched in July. Visit the Web site at <http://www.trilat.org>.

The Trilateral Committee facilitates and enhances cooperation and coordination among the wildlife agencies of the United States, Mexico, and Canada in projects and programs for the conservation and management of wildlife, plants, biological diversity, and ecosystems of mutual interest.

IABIN Site Introduced

The United States National IABIN site was recently introduced. You can find it at <www.iabin-us.org>. Stop by at your convenience to see all it offers!

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