AfriBES/AfriSEB is an information sharing and networking mechanism for biodiversity and ecosystem services in Africa. Supported by the French CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement).
A barcode for fungi has been published in PNAS - part of the activity of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBoL). Schoch, C.L. et al. (2012) Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as a universal DNA barcode marker for Fungi PNAS 2012 109 (16) 6241-6246; published ahead of print March 27, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.1117018109
Paper in Nature on increasing fungal disease impacts on biodiversity. Fisher, M. C. et al. (2012) Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health. Nature 484 186-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10947
The second plenary of IPBES (the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services) is being held 16-21 April 2012 in Panama. The available papers sketch out options on work plans and the nature of the secretariat, among other things. Also a fair number of background papers from the various exploratory meetings that have taken place between the plenaries on issues such as assessments and capacity building.
GBIF has announced progress towards integrating biodiversity and genomic data as a result of modifications to the Darwin Core, the data standard for biodiversity. A number of pilots have been announced. Further details on the GBIF press release, with links out to collaborating initiatives, and on a GBIF community site for the Genomic Biodiversity Data Group.
There is active development and discussion on how the Nagoya protocol to the CBD will operate when it comes into force. A recent meeting on compliance procedures and mechanisms took place in Montreal 28 Feb-1 Mar 2012.
Couple of websites of interest on science policy/biodiversity interfaces and networks: SPIRAL and BiodiversityKnowledge
Germany has set up a national focus for IPBES, the German science-policy platform of biodiversity research (NEFO). It hosted an international expert workshop on tools and methodologies for IPBES in December 2011 - scoping paper and other materials on the website.
There is a loose UK network of organisations collecting and communicating data. A key focus is the UK Defra Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS)
Recording Invasive Species Counts (RISC) programme. In collaboration with the NERC CEH - Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (the Biological Records Centre) - it provides reporting software that gathers information - with links to the National Biodiversity Network. Species and corresponding organisations collaborating in RISC are: /more.....Animals:
Plants:
And outside the RISC programme, there are other mapping and recording schemes that capture invasive data:
These are the citizen science/mass observation projects. There are many more species listed, research project and eradication initiatives listed on the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat site.
UK invasives monitoring: the Observer newspaper has brought a focus on citizen science in its annual ethical awards initiative, asking members of the public to feed observations on a range of species into corresponding organisations. Guardian article as well.
