Objectives of Talk

• Example of a Coordinating Institution that Manages a Thematic Network: How the Protected Areas Thematic Network Functions

• IABIN Co-financing with Coordinating and Matching Grant Institutions

IABIN PA TN Objectives

• The objective of the Protected Areas Thematic Network will be to promote the more effective sharing of information on protected areas within and between the countries of the region,

• build on existing global experience through close collaboration with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Inter relationships between TNsIABIN

Interoperability & Data Creation

Value Added Info

Thematic Network Coordinating Institutions

Species

Specimen

Ecosystems

Invasive Species

Network Capabilities

Protected Areas

Establish TWG

Create Tool kits

Incorporate Data

Network Capabilities

Maintenance

New Thematic AreasCoral Reefs

Baseline

Tool developmentTraining core

XML SCHEMA DesignXSD

XML

XSL/XSLT SOAP

RDBMSXM DB

HTMLWML

PDF

?

Remote Process

?

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY

FOR

DATA SHARING

AND

INTEROPERABILITY

Procurement process for choosing the Coordinating

Institution• The Secretariat with IEC input prepares TORs for the

activities of a CI as approved in the PIP (9/04).• TORs posted on DGMarket and iabin.net and note sent to

IABINfriends that TORs posted with closing date• Expression of Interest (letter) date given with closing date• A Technical Selection Committee convened by the

Secretariat, acceptable to the IEC and the Executing Agency will evaluate detailed proposals.  The Technical Selection Committee will be made up of 2 members of the executing agency, one technical and one procurement expert, up to two members of the IABIN Secretariat, a member of the IEC, and an outside expert.

Procurement process for choosing the Coordinating

Institution

• Short list based on experience and quality of the consortium -- all about partnerships.

• Invite proposals• Similar evaluation committee process reviews technical

and financial quality of full proposal • Cost sharing at $1 GEF $2 CONSORTIUM• Experience, depth of the consortium, (next slide)• The procurement process and final selection of a CI is

subject to World Bank no-objection, as defined in the legal agreement.

• ACTIONS- Policies

• KNOWLEDGE– Prediction tools

• INFORMATION– Decision making tools, indicators.

• METADATA – Reference to datasets and knowledge objects (quality, availability, property,etc)

• DATA – observations or measurements recorded and reported in a standard way

Data

Information

Knowledge

Actions

MetaData

Experience of the Consortium

LEARNING

Does the Consortium understand Thematic Networks

A thematic network will contain data and information on a specific theme or topic.

The data and information could be physically centralized or distributed depending on efficiency, existing infrastructure and sustainability issues.

In either case a “Coordinating Institution” will administer the thematic network.

How well will the Consortium achieve the Thematic Network

1. How will it assemble a Technical Advisory Group to evaluate protected area information.

2. Methodology: Host workshop to analyze and prioritize protected areas information requirements from national protected areas systems.

3.What will be process to disseminate tools for analyses (e.g. compile baseline info, protected areas management effectiveness, support taxonomic programming within Pas?

How well will the Consortium achieve the Protected Areas

Thematic Network3. Process on how Internet databases will disseminate information and allow for specific queries.

4. How to achieve consensus on standards, protocols, information use policies

5. Will they develop Web services and user interfaces for integrated searches of protected areas information?

6. How will the Consortium coordinate communications with Network participants regarding advances and changes in protocols and tools

7. Method to create and maintain a protected areas expert database and directory

Evaluation to Award Grants Procedure to evaluate Proposals

• 1.37m in Matching Grants will be awarded to institutions with high quality data, to support their efforts to improve the availability of critical data and metadata through the network.

• Institutions with the highest scores will qualify to receive grants (next slide).

• subregional balance • Grants will be in the range of 10-15k/year and

may be multi-year to a maximum of 45k.  But can be smaller and only for one year.

Criteria to Receive Matching Grants

• Commitment to IABIN standards and protocols

• Commitment to public access• Relevance to multiple countries and

Hemispheric IABIN initiatives • Impact of filling data gaps• Linkage to IABIN thematic priorities• Availability of co-financing (beyond 1:1)• Assignation of qualified personnel

DESIGN OF co-financing VIRTUAL QUESTIONNAIRE

• Statement with instructions: (example: please provide information about the activities and expenses that your institution has funded as part of your co-financing commitment to the network.

• Country (drop-down list of 34 countries)• Institution (drop down list of 75 institutions)• Component (select one of the four project

components) (Note: at the end user will be able to return to this screen to provide information for additional components or to end session)

Type of Co-financing (drop-down list)

• Personnel Costs (drop-down list for each one; see chart of accounts)

• Travel• Documents• Equipment & Supplies• Building & Maintenance• External Service Contracts• Other Costs

TRACKING OF COUNTERPART FUNDING FOR EACH OF THE COORDINATING INSTITUTIONS

AND THE MATCHING GRANTS

• Institutions will have access to an Internet based questionnaire

• Most answers will be available as a drop-down list

• Users will submit form via the Internet directly to GS/OAS and IABIN Secretariat for review and input into an Access Database designed specifically to track co financing for the Project.

Co-financing InstitutionsData providers in North America• CANADA• Canadian Botanical Conservation Network• Fowler Herbarium North America Database• Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre• Canadian Museum of Nature• Royal Ontario Museum• MEXICO• Asociación Mexicana de Jardines Botánicos• Herbarium of the Institute of Ecology• Herbarium de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas• Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo• UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE NUEVO LEÓN• Instituto de Ecologia de la UNAM • El Colegio de la Frontera Sur

Data providers in North America• North Carolina Botanical Garden• The Morton Arboretum• Fairchild Tropical Garden Botanical Resource Center (FSU)• Florida Museum of Natural History• Marion Ownbey Herbarium (Washington State Univ.)• Oregon State University Herbarium• University of California Museum of Paleontology• University of Tennessee Herbarium• University of Kansas Natural History Museum• Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County• The Illinois State Museum• UC Davis Herbarium Database• Texas A&M University• University of Michigan Herbarium

Data providers in Central America

• Belize• Herbarium,BRH (Ministry of National Resources)• Guatemala• FAUSAC/CEDIA (Centro de Investigaciones Agronómicas) U San Carlos. Herbario

AGUAT• Museo de Historia Natural, USAC• Herbario UVAL, U del Valle• El Salvador• Universidad de El Salvador Escuela de Biología (UES)• Asociación Jardín Botánico La Laguna (JBLL)• Honduras• Escuela Agrícola Panamericana. Herbario Paul C. Standley.• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Herbario TEFH

Data providers in Central America

• Nicaragua• Herbario Nacional de Nicaragua,HNMN - UCA (Universidad C.A)• Centro de Malacología – UCA• Museo Entomológico de León• Costa Rica• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad-INBio• Herbario USJ, Escuela de Biología-UCR• Museo de Zoología-Escuela Biología Universidad de Costa Rica-UCR• Museo Nacional de Costa Rica• Herbario Juvenal Valerio Rodríguez. Escuela Ciencias Ambientales-UNA• Panamá• Herbario PMA Universidad de Panamá. Departamento de Botánica• Herbario Instituto Smithsonian – SCZ

Andean Countries+Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad/Tobago

• Bolivia• CBF – Colleción Boliviana de Fauna• LPB – Herbario Nacional de Bolivia• MHNNKM – Museo de Historia Natural-Noel Kempf Mercado• Colombia• ICN – Instituto de Ciencias Naturales• Ecuador• EPN - • PUCE – Museo de Historia Natural de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador• QCNE – Herbario Nacional del Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales• Perú• MHSN - • MHNURP – Museo de Historia Natural Universidad Ricardo Palma

Andean Countries+Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad/Tobago

• Venezuela• Vertebrate Collection Information Network,• Phelps Ornithological Collection,• Universidad Central Zoological Collections, • La Salle Natural History Museum, • Biocentro Fresh Water Fish Database,• ONBIDIO- Rancho Grande Mammalian collection,• Insect Collection at MIZA,• Mammalian Collection Universidad de los Andes,• National Herbarium, • Herpetological Collection Universidad de los Andes

Guyana• Centre for Study of Biological Diversity and U.G Herbarium • Suriname• Zoological Collection, Herbarium• Trinidad and Tobago• Insect collection (CARINET), CAB International Arthropod Collection, National

Herbarium, Orchid Society Collection