Biodiversity data will be shared in the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO). The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on October 29.
The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and the Global Biodiversity Information System (GBIF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in sharing data on biodiversity. With the subscription, ACTO becomes part of GBIF as a participating member. The data will be shared at the Amazon Regional Observatory (ORA), a reference center for information about the Amazon Region in the areas of Biodiversity, Species Listed in the CITES Convention, Forests, Water Resources and Indigenous Peoples, launched by ACTO on November 10th.
GBIF is an international network and data infrastructure funded by governments around the world, with the goal of giving anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all life on Earth. The GBIF network uses common standards and open source tools to share information about where and when species have been registered. The Darwin Core standard forms the basis of the GBIF.org index of hundreds of millions of species occurrence records. Publishers provide open access to their datasets using machine-readable Creative Commons license definitions, allowing scientists, researchers and others to apply the data to hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and decision support documents each year.
“Signing the GBIF Memorandum of Understanding reflects ACTO’s concordance of views on the need to join efforts, financial resources, capacities and technologies,” said Alexandra Moreira, ACTO General Secretary. “By providing those who want access to data on Amazonian biodiversity through both the ARO and GBIF platforms, our collaboration will promote the development of scientific research and the generation of new knowledge and biotechnologies in keeping with sustainable development objectives for the Amazon Region.”
“Having ACTO join as a GBIF participant offers a promising opportunity to expand the network and build capacity within the region,” said Joe Miller, GBIF executive secretary. “Increased participation and collaboration in the Amazon—one of the planet’s most valuable and megadiverse regions—is critical to mobilizing the data we need both to understand and to protect its biodiversity.”
With information from GBIF
