Projects proposed but not funded at the 1999 Technical Conference for implementation of IABIN (Brazil):

Information Management Model for Protected Areas in the Americas

Management of protected areas provides one of the most concrete opportunities to show the positive impact of the application of scientific knowledge on the ground. In many instances, these sites represent the last bastions for the conservation of biodiversity. Their success is ultimately dependent on the quality of information and resources available, and yet much of the information available is off-site and not readily accessible to managers of protected areas. Identification of the information needs of protected areas is critical for implementation of biodiversity conservation strategies on the ground. Organization and harmonization of available information and connectivity to remote data sources would provide local managers with the necessary tools to address resource management problems.

Funds are requested to develop a model for managing and utilizing biodiversity information at protected areas in the Americas, with the goal of organizing data and information into a common format that can be easily used and shared. The project will provide an overall survey of information resources currently available to protected areas in the Americas, while framing the results within the context of needs in information management at selected protected areas. Biosphere reserves will be used as test sites for the project as these are sites recognized by UNESCO for their inherent biological diversity, their scientific value and their usefulness as demonstration areas. The project will consist of:

1. A survey of scientific, social, economic and regulatory resources available for protected areas in the Americas.
2. Development of a protected areas resource database/on-line document from the resources identified in the survey.
3. A survey to assess the status of biodiversity information at or related to selected biosphere reserves in three different countries, including examination of data management and networking capabilities.
4. A workshop of reserve managers and scientists to: determine questions of common interest; examine the reserves needs in terms of biodiversity information; identify common barriers to information access, exchange of experiences, and technology transfer; evaluate the usefulness of available resources identified in database/on-line document; and identify issues not being addressed by these resources.
5. A summary report on the evaluations, findings and recommendations from the workshop.
6. Demonstration of resource database/on-line document and evaluation at the Barbados meeting of Ministers.
7. Development of a strategy for managing and using biodiversity information at participating reserves.