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| Brazilian Biodiversity Information System | |
|---|---|
| Name | Brazilian Biodiversity Information System |
| Native name | Sistema de Informação sobre a Biodiversidade Brasileira |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Headquarters | Brasília |
| Type | National biodiversity data network |
Brazilian Biodiversity Information System
The Brazilian Biodiversity Information System is a national initiative coordinating biodiversity data for Brazil, integrating occurrence records, taxonomic treatments, and conservation assessments to support Ministry of the Environment policy, IBAMA operations, and international reporting to Convention on Biological Diversity and IPBES. Partner institutions include academic centers such as the University of São Paulo, research institutes like the Embrapa network and the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, and museum collections such as the Museu Nacional (UFRJ), enabling linkage with global infrastructures like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Atlas of Living Australia.
The system aggregates specimen data from institutions such as the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Butantan, and the Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, alongside observational records from projects coordinated by Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. It interoperates with standards promulgated by the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) community and aligns with reporting obligations to the CITES and the United Nations Environment Programme. Integration supports conservation planning for jurisdictions including the Amazonas (Brazilian state), Mato Grosso, and Bahia (Brazilian state), and informs restoration programs linked to the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact.
Origins trace to specimen cataloguing at colonial-era institutions like the Museu Nacional (UFRJ) and nineteenth-century explorations by figures associated with the Amazônia Expedition and collectors who contributed to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew holdings. Late twentieth-century digitization efforts were influenced by collaborations among CAPES, FAPESP, and international projects led by the Smithsonian Institution. The early twenty-first century saw consolidation through networks such as the Rede Nacional de Coleções Biológicas and technical alignment with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility during Brazil’s participation in multilateral science initiatives hosted by the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme.
Architecturally, the system comprises national nodes hosted at institutions like Embrapa Informática Agropecuária, distributed databases at the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, and specialised repositories for groups curated by the LSBI. Components include taxonomic backbones referencing authorities such as the Flora do Brasil 2020 project and faunal checklists curated with input from the Associação Brasileira de Taxonomia. Technical layers implement TDWG schemas, linking georeferenced occurrence data to policy tools used by the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações and mapping platforms provided by the IBGE.
Data originate from specimen records in collections like the Coleção de Referência de Herbário at Universidade Estadual de Campinas, citizen science programmes partnered with iNaturalist and WikiAves, and long-term monitoring by research groups at the INPA and the Fiocruz. Standards adopted include Darwin Core terms endorsed by Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) and protocols consistent with ISO 19115 metadata practices used by spatial data infrastructures such as Sistema de Informações Geográficas do Brasil. Taxonomic validation leverages authorities including the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List specialists and regional checklists maintained by the CRIA.
Applications span biodiversity assessments for Brazilian national action plans, impact assessments for infrastructure projects overseen by ANTAQ and IPHAN, and scientific research published in journals such as Biota Neotropica and Brazilian Journal of Biology. Data support conservation decisions in protected areas including the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, inform sustainable use managed under SICAR components related to the Cadastro Ambiental Rural, and underpin environmental education initiatives run by the ICMBio.
Governance involves partnerships among federal bodies like the Ministry of the Environment, research funders such as CNPq and FINEP, and university consortia led by Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and Universidade de São Paulo. Funding streams mix direct public grants from agencies including Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações, project-specific support from foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and multinational agreements brokered with the World Bank and Global Environment Facility. Oversight committees often include representatives from the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and technical advisory inputs from International Union for Conservation of Nature specialist groups.
Challenges include data gaps in remote regions such as the Xingu River basin, specimen loss events exemplified by the 2018 fire at the Museu Nacional (UFRJ), and legal complexities arising from Nagoya Protocol implementation and access-and-benefit sharing linked to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Future directions emphasize interoperability with global platforms like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, capacity building through programmes by CAPES and FAPESP, enhanced integration with geospatial services from INPE, and expanded citizen science partnerships with iNaturalist and regional initiatives led by the SBPC to improve taxonomic coverage for threatened taxa such as Brazilian primates and Atlantic Forest endemics.
Category:Biota of Brazil Category:Databases in Brazil Category:Biodiversity databases