The correlation among data of species occurrence in biological collections, their pattern of distribution over time, associated with various techniques of ecological niche modeling, allow the understanding of the possible spatial dispersion of these species (Elith et al., 2006). These analyzes allow the preparation of distribution maps, definition of dispersion routes, as well as other tools that can support the decision making on the management and preservation of threatened species, establishment of new conservation units and measures to recover impacted areas, forest corridors or protection of forest cover areas associated with water resources. Through the monitoring of ecosystems and relying on historical records of collection specimens, it is found whether a species would have disappeared from previously registered distribution areas, or its abundance would have changed significantly.
The Colombian Amazonian Herbarium (COAH) of the SINCHI Amazon Scientific Research Institute has a reference stock with 105,480 specimens and 8,343 species from the Amazon region, including vascular and non-vascular plants. It is estimated that in this collection, about 75% of the diversity of plants in the Colombian Amazon region is recorded.
The Sinchi Institute also has collections of amphibians, reptiles and fish, with about 10,500 specimens and 720 species. All collections are increased annually as a result of the biological inventories carried out by Sinchi Institute researchers.
According to Schatz (2002), the main knowledge of biological diversity emanates from the study of natural history collections carried out by taxonomists. As depositories of the testimonies of that richness, collections play a unique and critical role for global efforts to mitigate the loss of biodiversity. Therefore, as basic and essential infrastructures for scientific and technological development, collections must be adequately preserved and modernized.
A biological collection is not a static entity that only serves to visit and admire. It is, above all, the tool of the scientist, the database that will allow the development of innumerable strategic research for the country. The biological collections, in general, have fundamental information for the management that allows the countries to comply with the regulations and with the ratified international commitments and treaties, generating information for decision making.
With the objective of strengthening the management of information and knowledge that serves as support for decision-making regarding the conservation of biodiversity and in particular of CITES species, the Regional Project for the management, monitoring and control of species of wild fauna and flora threatened by trade, implemented by the Permanent Secretariat of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (PS/ACTO) and the CITES Authorities of the Member Countries will support the strengthening of the biological collections of the Sinchi Institute through investments in infrastructure and equipment, including the adaptation of new spaces for the storage of plant collections (Herbal COAH) in Bogotá and the herpetological and ichthyological collections in Leticia. In addition, the KfW Project will support the release of information through the Biodiversity Information System (SIB) and through the web through the acquisition of equipment with good information processing capacity, so that it will support the online posting of photographs of the totality of the specimens that rest in the collection through acquisition of a photographic station and of digitalization of biological specimens of species with high resolution that will allow to make accessible all the especimens of the Colombian Amazonian Herbarium and in particular the species CITES.
Source: https://www.sinchi.org.co/coah
References:
Aranda, A.T. 2014. Coleções Biológicas: Conceitos básicos, curadoria e gestão, interface com a biodiversidade e saúde pública. pp. 45-56. In: III Simpósio sobre a Biodiversidade da Mata Atlântica.
Elith, J., Graham, C. H. et al. 2006. Novel methods improve prediction of species distributions from occurrence data. Ecogeography, 29: 129-151.
Schatz, G.E. 2002. Taxonomy and herbaria in service of plant conserrvation: lessons from madagascar’s endemicfamilies. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 89: 145-152.
