II. Management of Biodiversity
A. CONABIO Established
It is at this point that I would like to touch on the second part of my talk. I will do so by exemplifying the interplay between research and the way in which it can influence conservation policy in my country, Mexico, to develop research and information that can be used by many people to understand what's going on with the biological region. On the other hand, it contributes information that can be used for policing by those people responsible for these actions.
The example in question derives from the work of an organism called the National Commission of Biodiversity (Comisi n Nacional para el Estudio y la Conservacion de la Biodiversidad- CONABIO for short-of Mexico). The English translation would be the one you see on the screen. It has the participation of several Government Secretaries, and resides under the Secretary of the Environment, which heads the Commission.
CONABIO was established in 1992. It is a small group of less than 70 people all together including secretary and janitors who work on a budget of about $3 million a year. It does this by interaction with all the taxonomists, systematists, ecologists, etc. working in Mexican institutions on this topic and by establishing agreements with many Institutions (Herbaria, Museums, etc.) around the World, which house important collections of Mexican plant and animal organisms.
CONABIO was created to promote and coordinate efforts with local institutions and I'll go into that very briefly in a moment. Institutions working on the knowledge of flora and fauna and of microorganisms in different countries, also do research we will use. Sort of put together the knowledge of the countries' diversity, stimulate projects on sustainable use of resources and extend the knowledge on biodiversity to all members of society.
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