External Relationships and Partnerships

From its beginnings, IABIN was envisioned as building upon other biodiversity information networking initiatives, including the CHM, the Man in the Biosphere Network, and the Biodiversity Conservation Information System. Through close cooperation with ongoing CHM activities, IABIN has been discussed as a model for a regional implementation of the CHM. IABIN is represented on the CHM Informal Advisory Committee, and the CHM Secretariat is invited to IABIN discussions.

At the IABIN meeting in Brasilia (April 1999), a working group on partnerships developed criteria for the identification of possible collaborators and recommended a systematic evaluation and prioritization of possibilities to optimize collaborative outreach efforts. It was also suggested that collaboration with initiatives in related fields, particularly those related to priority global environmental concerns such as energy and water, be investigated. It was also suggested that IABIN needs to set priorities by defining its target audiences and constituencies and by determining their requirements for biodiversity information.

The IABIN web site, hosted by the OAS, provides information on network activities. Links to and from the IABIN web site and individual national web sites will be established for each nation that wishes to participate. The U.S. already has such a link established with the site and can serve as a model of the decentralized but cooperative manner in which content can be developed.