Earthwatch Institute weighs in on open access to biodiversity data at Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Brazil
Earthwatch Institute, Maynard, MA, 28 March 2006-The future of global biodiversity is in the hands of scientists, NGOs, and government delegates meeting in Brazil during the last two weeks of March 2006. Among them is herpetologist Ellen Wang, reporting on important advances in biodiversity knowledge from Earthwatch-supported research in Brazil's Pantanal.
The 8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity, in Curitiba Brazil, marks 14 years since world leaders adopted the convention at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Wang, field director of Earthwatch's Pantanal Conservation Research Initiative (CRI), contributed to the session titled Networking for the Advance of Biodiversity Research in Wetlands, on March 28. The session was sponsored by the Pantanal Research Center (CPP) and Pantanal Regional Environmental Program of the United Nations University.
"Although 80 percent of the Pantanal is considered wilderness, recent trends such as hydrological development projects and intensive ranching practices threaten local biodiversity," said Wang. "The status and ecology of many of the species and environments affected by these threats are poorly known. That's something the Pantanal CRI and its partners address directly through research and education."
Wang and George Camargo, a researcher with Conservation International(CI)-Brazil and former principal investigator of the Earthwatch Pantanal CRI bat ecology project, shared with participants how the CRI supports regional advances in biodiversity knowledge. The Pantanal CRI was launched in 2000 at Fazenda Rio Negro, in partnership with CI-Brazil, part of a network of four CRIs in areas of high biodiversity around the world.
The Pantanal CRI supports 20 scientists in 9 multidisciplinary research projects and monitoring efforts, from wetland ecology to grassland carnivores, and has engaged 844 volunteer field assistants from around the world, including 407 on full fellowships. In addition to collecting vital biodiversity data, the CRI has provided valuable capacity development and professional development opportunities for conservation professionals, local community members, teachers, students, and corporate employees.
"Our education and capacity-building effort targets groups that have the greatest potential to impact conservation now and to sustain the conservation effort into the future," said Wang. "The projects increase participants' awareness of environmental issues and develop a supportive network for taking action."
Applications of the research at the Pantanal CRI include a management plan for sustainable use at Fazenda Rio Negro, a private reserve. For instance, the plan restricts access to areas where rare and migratory birds occur and in important habitat for giant river otters. Nearby ranch owners are encouraged by the plan to create their own reserves and develop biodiversity research activities.
Also at the 8th Conference of Parties, Earthwatch Institute was a signatory to the Joint Statement to the Convention on Biological Diversity regarding open access to biodiversity data and information. Based on the principle that comprehensive knowledge is essential to successful conservation of biodiversity, the statement, signed by 30 organizations and presented on March 21, urges that all publicly funded research results on biodiversity are made freely and openly accessible to everyone.
"We cannot expect decision-makers and practitioners to act in the interest of biodiversity if the relevant data is fragmented, difficult to find, or simply inaccessible," said Dr. Marie Studer, chief science officer at Earthwatch Institute. "That's why Earthwatch has endorsed the Joint Statement and has worked in partnership with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre to make our field reports from around the world available to any interested parties."
Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. The year 2006 marks Earthwatch's 35th anniversary.
More information on how to volunteer on the Pantanal Conservation Research Initiative.
A copy of the Joint Statement to the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity: Open Access to Biodiversity Data and Information
More about the Convention on Biological Diversity.