TDWG

I3N Database and Tools to Prevent Biological Invasions

Joel RotundaLionfish

Inter-American Biodiversity Inter-American Biodiversity Information NetworkInformation Network

• GEF grant-funded project with 34 member countries

• Promote access to information useful to decision makers to improve biodiversity conservation

• Improve regional cooperation for biodiversity management through sharing of experience and expertise

• Helps members address critical issues at a regional level

• Five Networks – Ecosystems– Invasive Species– Pollinators– Protected Areas– Species and Specimens

The I3N and ParticipantsThe I3N and Participants

• 19 active countries• Focal Points in each country• Capacity building through grants and training for sharing data• Provides informatics tools, training on tool use, and direct online access to standardized IAS data• Coordinated by the US Geological Survey (USGS)/NBII.

• 19 governments supporting national I3N leads

• BioNET• Convention on Biological Diversity

(CBD)• GEKKO/Universidad del Sur

(Argentina)• Global Invasive Species Information

Network (GISIN) – (Denmark, Argentina, Great Britain,

Malaysia, China, Morocco, Zambia, New Zealand, Germany, USA)

• Guyra Paraguay (Paraguay)• InBio (Costa Rica)• Institute of Jamaica (Jamaica)

The CBD “… The CBD “… welcomes the ‘I3N’welcomes the ‘I3N’ … and calls on the … and calls on the Global Environment Facility, Parties, Governments, and Global Environment Facility, Parties, Governments, and

relevant organizations to support and participate in relevant organizations to support and participate in these initiatives” (Decision VI/23)these initiatives” (Decision VI/23)

Collaboration/SupportCollaboration/Support• Instituto Horus, CRIA (Brazil) • Integrated Taxonomic

Information System (ITIS)• IUCN Invasive Species

Specialist Group (ISSG)– Global Invasive Species

Database (New Zealand)• National Biological Information

Infrastructure, U.S. Geological Survey, USAID, US State Department (USA)

• NatureServe• TNC South America Invasive

Species Program

• Tools for creating/exporting/displaying standardized databases– invasive species lists, characteristics, experts,

projects, bibliography• Information standards and guidance• Bilingual search tool for national inventories

– Cross-country search and display• Internet hosting of national inventories and

publications at no charge• Content-rich bilingual web site• Listserv• Concepts/informatics training module

– Spanish, English, Portuguese

Tools and ServicesTools and Services

• Microsoft Access 2000 or Web interface (templates for countries), being redesigned open source.

• Spanish, Portuguese, and English versions

• Detailed tri-lingual user manuals• Controlled vocabulary (GISIN, GISD)• Integrated Taxonomic Information

System (ITIS) as taxonomic authority• Dublin Core Metadata Standard• XML export function for exporting data

to other databases• Add Marine fields and terminology

Database CharacteristicsDatabase Characteristics

© Finding Species

I3N DatabaseI3N Database

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•Cause, place and date of introduction•References and description•There may be several introduction records for one

species

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Species Characteristics

DispersalDispersal PathwaysPathways VectorsVectors DietDiet ReproductionReproduction Biological formBiological form Economic use and descriptionEconomic use and description Habitats invadedHabitats invaded Invasion in other countriesInvasion in other countries

Sea LampreyM. Theklan

Imp

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On other species

Ecological impacts

Economic impacts

Social/cultural impacts

Impacts on health

Con

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Mechanical control

Chemical control

Biological control

Prevention measures

Risk assessment information

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Possible reports• Species list for an area• Profile (description) for

a species• XML reports that are

machine readable for sharing across the Web

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Information Input and Information Input and Sharing Sharing

The online database system contains three main utilities:

1- A web portal - public2- An intranet system3- An administration

level

Perna viridisPhoto courtesy of Dayne Buddo

Searching

Search using one or more criteria:Species: • Scientific name• Common name• Type and cause of introduction• Place of introduction• Means of propagation• Pathways• Vectors• Diet• Reproduction• Habit• State/province (occurrences), municipality

(occurrences) • And other options.

House SparrowM. Patterson

• I3N Coordinator– Christine Fournier cfournier@usgs.gov

• I3N Tools Representatives– Silvia Ziller sziller@institutohorus.org.br– Sergio Zalba szalba@criba.edu.ar

• I3N-US Lead Annie Simpson asimpson@usgs.gov

http://i3n.iabin.nethttp://i3n.iabin.net

Purple LoosestrifeJ. Forman Orth