This document provides an overview of CONABIO and BIOTICA, Mexico's biodiversity databases. CONABIO was established in 1992 to coordinate and promote knowledge and use of Mexico's biodiversity. It is funded primarily through federal funds and external sources. CONABIO operates the National Biodiversity Information System (SNIB) which integrates databases, geographic information, images, and other data from over 5 million specimens. SNIB captures data from major Mexican and international collections. CONABIO also supports biological inventories and data capture through its BIOTICA software. While data becomes publicly available after 5 years, users can request specific databases from CONABIO.

1. The Good, Bad and the Ugly of
CONABIO and BIOTICA: Mexico’s
Biodiversity Database
Robert W. Jones
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales
Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro
Querétaro, México

2. CONABIO
Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la
Biodiversidad
National Comission for the Knowledge and Use of
Biodiversity
• Established during 1992, three months before the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) or “Rio Summit”
• Official decree followed a meeting of experts in biodiversity
and the then president of México, Carlos Salinas de
Gortari, officially adopted on the 16th of March 1992

3. What is CONABIO?
•
An Inter-institutional commission to coordinate and
promote actions related to the knowledge and Use of
Biodiversity in Mexico.
• Headed by the president of the Republic, and Secretariat
(Ministry) of:
– SEMARNAT – Environment and Natural Resources
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
SAGARPA – Agriculture, Rural Development, Fisheries and Nutrition
SEDESOL – Desarrollo Social
SE – Economy
SEP – Public Education
SENER – Energy
SHCP- Finance and Public Credit
SER – Foreign Relations
SS - Health
SECTUR – Tourism

4. Funds for CONABIO
• 60-70% of the budget comes from federal
funds (Fideicomiso)
• Remaining from external sources, including
international sources.
• Funds are deposited in a private trust: “Fondo
para la Biodiversidad”

6. Publications

7. On-Line Book from CONABIO:
Jerzy Rzedowski 1978. Vegetación de México
•
http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/publicaciones/librosDig/pdf/VegetacionMx_Cont.pdf /

8. Sistema Nacional de Información sobre
la Biodiversidad - SNIB
• System that integrates:
– Data bases – Information concerning 5 million
specimens in Mexican and international
collections
– Geographic information
– 180,000 images
– Cartographic, infrastructural and socioeconoomic
information

9. Principal Mexican Collections Captured
in SNIB

10. Principal International Collections
Captured in SNIB

11. These results were generated through:
• A total of 85 grant programs (call for grants)
for capture and updating of data bases and
biological inventories in the last 20 years
• Also, other studies of basic ecology and
genetics have been supported; charasmatic
species primarily.
• Also, grants for determination of potential
distribution of species.

12. Data capture:
BIOTICA Biodiversity software
• With an approved grant, the software is given
with for use on one designated computer
• A week long course is offered in Mexico City to
learn how to use the program.
• Basic product of the grant is the database
information that is sent to CONABIO.
• All data is thoroughly checked and several
revisions are always required.

15. Right Clic

19. GIS

20. Verification of Data is “Rigorous”
• Full time, experienced
data checkersprogramers.
• CONABIO reference
library is fairly
extensive, and what they
don’t have for a
particular project they
will often buy.
• Result: Data base with
high confidence, but lots
of work to finally finish
the project.

21. Products online:
Geographic Information Programs
• Database access (.xml, .xls, .txt)
• Basic data: Longitud and Latitude, altitud,
year of collection, collector, state, locality,
other retlated data (hosplant etc).
• From the portal of geodata of CONABIO, one
can download vector data (shape files, .kml)
• Geodata is free to download.
• Range from 1/50,000 (local scale) up to 1/1
millon (national scale).

22. Products: Lots of nice maps.

23. Products: Nice graphs

24. Scientific Publications by CONABIO

25. • Geoinformation available on the internet
http://www.conabio.gob.mx/informacion/gis/

26. From data of projects of potential distributions of sp
not actual data points

27. Potential Distribution

28. Potential Distribution of
Diamondback rattlesnake

29. Plants:
Potential Distribution of
Hampea nutricia Fryxell (Malvaceae)

30. Toequest for specific data bases
• Free to all who request data:
• Simple request to:
servext@conabio.gob.mx
“Dear CONABIO,
I am conducting research on species of
Aphodius (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of North
America …”

31. Data base comes back as:
• Access file

32. Data Restrictions
• Project leaders have up to 5 years to use
their data before it becomes public.

33. A few words about
Mexican Collection Permits:
Yearly process

34. • Restricted to taxonomic groups that one
chooses to collect
• Related to scientific “projects” requiring
project reports every year.

35. Para 2012

36. • Easiest way to get permission to collect is
through a Mexican contact who has a
collection permit that allows for a “carta de
aval” (letter of endorsement).

37. Thank you