UNEP Islands

Access to information on islands and small island developing States (SIDS) especially from within the United Nations system

Ant Map

The goal of antmaps.org is to provide an intuitive and efficient framework for professional and amateur myrmecologists to visualize the known distribution of ant species or higher taxon, and to access the underlying records for those data.

Antmaps.org is not a database per se, but rather a client-end tool for visualizing and interacting with the GABI database. The Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics (GABI) project (Guénard et al. In Review) is an attempt to consolidate and curate a comprehensive global database of ant species distributional records, including literature records, museum databases, and online specimen databases. The database includes records from over 8400 publications, most major digitized museum collections, and specimen databases such as Antweb. In total, the database now has over 1.6 million records including around 15000 described ant species and subspecies. The GABI data are currently housed in a PostgreSQLdatabase that syncronizes once per week with antmaps.org.

Azorean Biodiversity Portal

The Azorean Biodiversity Portal is a unique resource for fundamental research in systematics, biodiversity, education and conservation management in the Azores (Portugal). It also provides an original platform for biogeographical and macroecological research on islands. 

The species database (ATLANTIS) is comprised of spatial grid-based (500x500 m) presence-absence information for ca. 5000 species, drawing on a thorough literature survey (dating back to the 19th Century) as well as on unpublished records from recent intensive field surveys in the Azores. Many species are also accompanied by images from collections and/or live specimen

Azores ATLANTIS Biodiversity Database

Based on project ATLANTISMAR, we have already in this database the list of terrestrial and marine Azorean species and their distribution.

BIOTA Canarias

The complete list and spatial data for the terrestrial biota of Canary Islands

Ibero Diversidad Entomologica

A database for the Iberian Arthropod biodiversity,including Macaronesia.

It has certainly been very laborious commissioning project, based on a figure of between 50 and 60,000 species of arthropods, and the first phase consists of 104 manuals, over 1492 pages, including an introduction to the project, overall guidance and key arthropods and several specific chapters on Iberian biodiversity and each considered Macaronesian archipelagos (Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira ), plus dedicated to the conservation of arthropods, exotic and invasive species and the own taxonomy as a tool (crisis ?) knowledge. The following four sections, each dedicated to a specific subphylum (Chelicerata , Myriapoda , Hexapoda and ' Crustacea ') including 95 manuals on one or several orders of arthropods, to complete the range of 108 orders cited in our territory and waters.

Photo Gallery Biodiversity in Azores

Here you can find many resources about Azores biodiversity

REDMIC -Marine Biodiversity Resources - Canary Islands

Obtaining marine data is economically very costly process, and efficiency must prevail to get the data once and use it many times. Therefore, the purpose of the OAG is to create a repository of marine data where any data on it is deposited, it becomes the maximum potential use , always respecting the authorship and source of the data. This approach involves enabling processes of homogenization and integration of data and metadata and to devise appropriate protocols for collaboration between producers and users of data organisms.

The Spiders of Azores

The aim of this webpage is to provide information about the spider fauna of the Azores. In time this site is planned to contain images and species descriptions of all species occurring on the archipelago. Images of alcohol preserved specimen will be used until images of live specimens are available. It is hoped to supplement habitus images with images of female epigynes and male palps to enhance the ability of anyone wanting to successfully identify spiders collected on the archipelago. Images shown on this page may not be based on Azorean specimens but spiders collected or observed elsewhere in their distributional range. Many of these images together with the detailed distribution of species on the nine Azorean islands could be accessed in the Azorean Biodiversity Portal. The images taken by Enésima Mendonça were taken under the Project Interreg IIIB Bionatura and a Grant of CITA-A (University of Azores)

Global Island Partnership (GLISPA)

The Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) assists islands in addressing one of the world’s greatest challenges — to conserve and sustainably utilize invaluable island natural resources that support people, cultures and livelihoods in their island homes around the world.

It is a partnership for all islands, regardless of size or political status, to take bold steps towards greater sustainability. It provides a global platform that enables islands to work together to develop solutions to common problems and to take high-level commitments and actions that address these global challenges.

Mission - The Global Island Partnership promotes actions for island conservation and sustainable livelihoods by inspiring leadership, catalyzing commitments, and facilitating collaboration.

Focus - All Islands

GLISPA is recognized as…

• a mechanism for advancing the conservation of island biodiversity (decision IX/21, CBD COP9 & decision XI/15, CBD COP11)
• a best practice partnership by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)
• a success factor in preparations for the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 –Synthesis Report)

More information

• GLISPA website
• Or contact Jessica Robbins, Islands Communications Manager, GLISPA

ISLAND CONSERVATION ONG

The mission of Island Conservation is to prevent extinctions by removing invasive species from islands.

Atlas of Living Australia

This is  fantastic Biodiversity Database that will inspire the new Azorean Biodiversity Portal

EOL - Encyclopedia of Life

Our knowledge of the many life-forms on Earth - of animals, plants, fungi, protists and bacteria - is scattered around the world in books, journals, databases, websites, specimen collections, and in the minds of people everywhere. Imagine what it would mean if this information could be gathered together and made available to everyone – anywhere – at a moment’s notice.

This dream is becoming a reality through the Encyclopedia of Life. 

FAUNA EUROPAEA

What is Fauna Europaea?

The Fauna Europaea project (EVR1-1999-20001) has been funded by the European Commission for a period of four years (1 March 2000 - 1 March 2004) within the Fifth Framework Programme (5FP). Fauna Europaea has assembled a database of the scientific names and distribution of all living multicellular European land and fresh-water animals.

Experts in taxonomy have provided data of all species currently known in Europe. Together these data have formed a huge database, which will be accessible to everyone. The University of Amsterdam has coordinated the project, assisted by the University of Copenhagen and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.The Fauna Europaea database will provide a unique reference for many groups such as scientists, governments, industries, conservation communities and educational programs.

Why Fauna Europaea?

The European Commission has published the Community Biodiversity Strategy to provide the framework for development of Community policies and instruments in order to comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Strategy recognises the current incomplete state of knowledge at all levels concerning biodiversity, which is a constraint on the successful implementation of the Convention.

Fauna Europaea contributes to the European Community Biodiversity Strategy by supporting one of the main themes of the Strategy: to identify and catalogue the components of European biodiversity into a database to serve as a basic tool for science and conservation policies. In Europe such a taxonomic index did not exist as yet. Partial overviews were scattered around Europe in different scientific institutes, while only some countries are working on national information systems. In regard to biodiversity in Europe, science and policies depend on knowledge of its components. The assessment of biodiversity, monitoring changes, sustainable exploitation of biodiversity, and much legislative work depends upon a validated overview of taxonomic biodiversity, in which Fauna Europaea plays a major role.

Geographic scope of Fauna Europaea?

What does FaEu define as its external geographical boundaries? The FaEu contract states that the species and subspecies names should be registered at least at a country level, meaning political countries. The FaEu geographical system will follow basically the ISO - TDWG standards; the covered area will be the same as European mainland, plus the Macaronesian islands (exl. Cape Verder Is.), Cyprus, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, the Western Kazakhstan excluded.

GBIF - Global Biodiversity Information Initiative

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international open data infrastructure, funded by governments.

It allows anyone, anywhere to access data about all types of life on Earth, shared across national boundaries via the Internet.

By encouraging and helping institutions to publish data according to common standards, GBIF enables research not possible before, and informs better decisions to conserve and sustainably use the biological resources of the planet.

GBIF operates through a network of nodes, coordinating the biodiversity information facilities of Participant countries and organizations, collaborating with each other and the Secretariat to share skills, experiences and technical capacity.

GBIF's vision: "A world in which biodiversity information is freely and universally available for science, society and a sustainable future."

MOL - Map of Life

Map of Life Steering Committee

The Map of Life Steering Committee provides technical, managerial and scientific advice to Map of Life and key outreach to allied communities in biodiversity, informatics, and conservation. The committee is currently composed of:

Katrin Boehning-Gaese (Senckenberg, Frankfurt, Germany), Simon Ferrier (GEO BON and CSIRO, Canberra Australia, Donald Hobern (GBIF, Copenhagen, Denmark), Jon Hoekstra (WWF. Seattle, Washington USA), Steve Kelling (eBird, Ithaca, New York USA), Georgina Mace (DIVERSITAS, Imperial College London, UK ), and Henrique Pereira (GEO BON, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)

Species 2000

Species 2000 is an autonomous federation of taxonomic database custodians, involving taxonomists throughout the world. Our goal is to collate a uniform and validated index to the world's known species (plants, animals, fungi and microbes). Species 2000 is registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (registered in England No. 3479405)

Species 2000 began as a joint programme between CODATA(link is external) (International Council for Science: Committee on Data for Science and Technology), IUBS(link is external) (International Union of Biological Sciences) and the IUMS(link is external) (International Union of Microbiological Societies) in the early 1990's. In 1996 eighteen taxonomic database organisations agreed to convert Species 2000 into a legal entity as the vehicle for developing the global Species 2000 programme. It is an associate participant in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility ( GBIF(link is external) ); a data provider to ECLifeWatch(link is external) ; and is recognised by the United Nations Environment Program ( UNEP(link is external) ) and the Convention on Biological Diversity ( CBD(link is external) ).

TDEG - Biodiversity Information Standards

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists and nature enthusiasts from around the world. On more than 10,000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about biodiversity, the characteristics of different groups of organisms, and their evolutionary history (phylogeny).

Each page contains information about a particular group, e.g., salamanders, segmented worms, phlox flowers,tyrannosaurs, euglenids, Heliconius butterflies, club fungi, or the vampire squid. ToL pages are linked one to another hierarchically, in the form of the evolutionary tree of life. Starting with the root of all Life on Earth and moving out along diverging branches to individual species, the structure of the ToL project thus illustrates the genetic connections between all living things.

BIODIVERSA

The BiodivERsA partners aim to further integrate pan-European biodiversity research by:

- Better covering European biodiversity research both thematically and geographically (enlarged network to new countries, and Overseas Countries and Territories and Overseas Regions)

- Mapping the research landscape, and developing and implementing a shared, strategic roadmap among BiodivERsA partners

- Further cooperating with key Joint Programming Initiatives and international initiatives to promote research at the crossroad between ‘biodiversity & ecosystem services’ issues and other grand challenges

- Supporting new research through joint calls, sometimes with co-funding by the European Commission

- Working towards the alignment of national research programmes on biodiversity and ecosystem services

- Interfacing of science-society and science-policy during the whole research process and disseminating research results

DIVERSITAS

DIVERSITAS mission

Biodiversity underpins the life-support system of our planet. Both natural and managed ecosystems deliver important ecological services such as the production of food and fibre, carbon storage, climate regulation and recreation opportunities.

DIVERSITAS (the Latin word for “diversity”) was established to address the complex scientific questions posed by the loss in biodiversity and ecosystem services and to offer science based solutions to this crisis.

DIVERSITAS is an international programme of biodiversity science with a dual mission:

• Promoting, facilitating and conducting integrative biodiversity science, that links biological, ecological
  and social disciplines; and

• Providing the sound scientific basis for decisionmaking to secure the planet’s variety of life, while
  contributing to human well-being and poverty eradication.

DIVERSITAS achieves its mission by:

• Fostering an integrated network of the world’s leading biodiversity scientists to address critical biodiversity issues;
• Producing new knowledge by catalysing exchanges between scientists across nations and disciplines;
• Synthesising new biodiversity knowledge to address the global science priorities;
• Ensuring an effective engagement of the biodiversity science community globally with policy and decision makers, especially with relevant international conventions;
• Developing biodiversity science capacity by nurturing younger scientists around the world.

GEO BON - Essential Biodiversity Variables

GEO BON’s mission is:
To improve the acquisition, coordination and delivery of biodiversity information and services to users, particularly decision-makers.

GEO BON’s vision is:
By 2025, GEO BON is a robust, extensive and interoperable biodiversity observation network covering the major biomes of the globe. The observations derived from this network is contributing to effective and timely conservation, sustainable use, and mitigation and adaptation decisions regarding the world’s ecosystems, the biodiversity they support, and the services provided.

IPBES - The Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

IPBES was established in April 2012, as an independent intergovernmental body open to all member countries of the United Nations. The members are committed to building IPBES as the leading intergovernmental body for assessing the state of the planet's biodiversity, its ecosystems and the essential services they provide to society.

IPBES provides a mechanism recognised by both the scientific and policy communities to synthesise, review, assess and critically evaluate relevant information and knowledge generated worldwide by governments, academia, scientific organisations, non-governmental organisations and indigenous communities. This involves a credible group of experts in conducting assessments of such information and knowledge in a transparent way. IPBES is unique in that it will aim at strengthening capacity for the effective use of science in decision-making at all levels. IPBES will also aim at addressing the needs of Multilateral Environmental Agreements that are related to biodiversity and ecosystem services, and building on existing processes ensuring synergy and complementarities in each other's work