National Biodiversity Information System of Mexico
Original (non-English) name
Sistema Nacional de Información sobre Biodiversidad de México
Acronym
SNIB
Citation
For the nomenclatural data downloaded from the snib.mx site, the following citation should be used:
CONABIO (comp.) 2020. Catalog of taxonomic authorities of flora and fauna species with distribution in Mexico. SNIB-CONABIO database, Mexico.
For the data of copies downloaded from the snib.mx site, the following quote should be used:
CONABIO. 2020. National Information System on Biodiversity. Records of copies. National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity. Mexico City, Mexico. Each downloaded record has its own way of citing (see how to cite field in the downloaded file).
Abstract
Decision-making regarding natural capital requires knowledge of species, ecosystems, genes, and other environmental and even socioeconomic data, among others. One of the main objectives of CONABIO since its creation has been to obtain, manage, analyze and disseminate information on our biological diversity. To compile, organize, and distribute this information, Mexico's National Biodiversity Information System (SNIB) was established.
The SNIB is of strategic importance in a country of megadiversity like Mexico, making it clear for CONABIO from the beginning that the SNIB should rely on the work of the multiplicity of institutions and national and foreign experts who for years have dedicated themselves to the study of the biodiversity of Mexico. The creation of this system was expressed as a mandate for CONABIO, in the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA Art. 80 section V).
There are many ways to build an information system, the CONABIO adopted as an initial model a structure based on primary data in which the specimens, that is, the specimens protected in a biological scientific collection and the observations, constitute the backbone of the system.
So the main integrating concept is the unit 'individual - scientific name - georeference - date'. By having hundreds of thousands of these data, it is possible to move information at different scales, through georeference (latitude, longitude) and through the taxonomic reference (location and scientific name), which acts as an index to access to information a kind.
The participation of specialists in the generation of data and information for the SNIB is one of the various ways in which they collaborate with this system. In reality, having an information system that allows the country to make informed decisions regarding its biodiversity requires that it be made up of data and information backed by a wide network of experts.
The following figure indicates how the system has been conceptualized, in layers which consist of:
1. Species data that are represented mainly by:
Specimens (records of specimens and observations),
Taxonomic authority catalogs,
Biological data of the species.
2. Geomatic data that is represented mainly by:
Digital cartography,
Remote sensing,
3. Tools for data and information management, and scientific synthesis of information.
4. A wide network of experts who participate in the study of biodiversity.