The SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network (SCAR-MarBIN) - A Feasibility Study -

Transcription

1 The SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network (SCAR-MarBIN) - A Feasibility Study - By Claude De Broyer & Bruno Danis (with the collaboration of the BIANZO Network and VLIZ) contact: claude.debroyer@naturalsciences.be Final Report for Federal Science Policy contract EV/XX/ March 2004 RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION

2 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE THE GLOBAL CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY ISSUES WHY DEVELOP SCAR-MARBIN? 6 2. PROPOSAL AND TERMS OF REFERENCES DEVELOPMENT OF THE NETWORK: FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY NEEDS AND USERS Biodiversity data types and formats Users SET UP OF SCAR-MARBIN WEB PORTAL AND NETWORK Portal Network of databases Implementation: Data quality assessment and validation Implementation: Technical aspects and constraints Implementation: Resources and collaborations INTEGRATION / COLLABORATION WITH CURRENT INITIATIVES ON BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION FACILITY (GBIF) JOINT COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC DATA MANAGEMENT (SCAR-COMNAP JCADM) CENSUS OF MARINE LIFE (COML) AND OCEAN BIOGEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (OBIS) CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM (CHM) OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) GLOBAL TAXONOMY INITIATIVE (GTI) EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION (ENBI) ANTARCTIC BIODIVERSITY DATABASE OF THE AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF ANTARCTIC MARINE LIVING RESOURCES (CCAMLR) SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT OF ANTARCTIC MARINE BIODIVERSITY SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT THE REFERENCE SITES NETWORK: THE ABBED CASE STUDY EXPECTED DELIVERABLES 30 ANNEX: REFERENCES LINKS 32 Antarctic marine biodiversity 32 Antarctic Organizations and Programmes (selected) 33 Biodiversity Organizations and Programmes (selected) USEFUL BIBLIOGRAPHY 34 2

3 Acknowledgements Grateful thanks are due to Dr Edward Vanden Berghe (VLIZ) and Angelino Meerhaeghe (KBIN/IRScNB-MUMM) for their implication in the project and for fruitful technical advice. Thanks are also due to our partners of the BIANZO project: Prof. Chantal De Ridder (ULB), Prof. Ann Vanreusel (UG), Dr Sandra Vanhove (UG), Dr Patrick Dauby (ULg), Prof. Bruno David (U. Bourgogne), Dr Tim Deprez (UG), Ir Paul-André Duchesne (IRScNB) and to Dr Jan Mees (VLIZ) for their active collaboration in this study. This Feasibility Study was supported by the Belgian Federal Science Policy contract n EV/XX/808. 3

4 Executive summary Due to the increasing recognition of their impacts on various social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of life, the knowledge, sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity are generally considered key issues in sustainable development policies. The Antarctic marine biodiversity has an exclusive value due to its relatively pristine state, its highly adapted character and its presumed sensitivity to environmental changes. Antarctic marine biodiversity is fairly known, but most existing biodiversity information is widely scattered and not easily accessible. The use of this highly needed information may reach its utmost potential, when the required data are available in digitised format through integrated information networks. Through appropriate links and integration, biodiversity data can be correlated to other geospatial, environmental, climatic, oceanographic, ecotoxicological or genetic data to help addressing prevailing environmental and/or scientific (e.g. evolutionary) questions as well as practical conservation issues. This is an extremely complex challenge to face, not only from a technical point of view, but also given the quantity and heterogeneity of data sources and providers which can become involved in the short- and long-term. Aligning efforts to avoid or limit overlapping and duplication will require efficient coordination, which will in turn lead to the deployment of the full potential of such an information network. This feasibility study recommends the establishment and support of a distributed system of interoperable databases, including software and networking tools (i.e. search engines, analytical algorithms, etc...) that will form a coordinated Marine Biodiversity Information Network, under the aegis of SCAR. The terms of reference of the proposed SCAR-MarBIN are: (1) To compile, link, integrate and disseminate Antarctic marine biodiversity information for scientific, management, monitoring and conservation purposes; (2) To help SCAR contributing in a coordinated fashion to global biodiversity information initiatives; (3) To give feedback to marine biodiversity information requirements from the Antarctic Treaty System and SCAR; (4) To contribute to assess the present state of knowledge and to promote further marine biodiversity research in Antarctica. 4

5 One of the primary aims of SCAR-MarBIN is to globalize the availability of Antarctic biodiversity data. In a first step, the SCAR-MarBIN project will restrict itself to species taxonomical and biogeographical databases and to the improvement of accessibility and interoperability of these databases. SCAR-MarBIN will also explore the potential exploitation of data as such, and in combination. SCAR-MarBIN will establish a robust network which will allow efficient management of Antarctic marine biodiversity data, in an integrated fashion. SCAR-MarBIN is expected to rapidly grow into an international consortium with activities ranging from harmonization of a wide variety of databases, optimization of their interoperability, to dissemination of the information at the global level. Belgium has a unique opportunity to play a key role in this development, in particular in the perspective of the International Polar Year For conducting the field research of its Antarctic research programme, Belgium has been entirely relying for years on the SCAR partners logistics. Belgium could now take a timely and welcome initiative to propose coordinating and supporting the development and functioning of SCAR-MarBIN as a highly visible contribution to its commitments to the Antarctic Treaty and to the Antarctic scientific logistics of general interest. 5

6 1. Background and Rationale 1.1 The Global Change and Biodiversity issues Substantial changes in the environment caused by human industrial activities, and their possible climatic impact, have become matters of great concern, because variations in climate can seriously affect many aspects of human life. Already in 1995, the United Nations-affiliated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finalized its second scientific assessment, concluding that the most rapid climatic changes are likely to occur in Polar Regions, which shows that these regions are potential indicators, showing up climate changes before they can be detected elsewhere. The full effects of climate warming and ozone depletion on the Antarctic environment and biodiversity are complex and not yet fully understood. However, they extend well beyond the Antarctic region itself, and may well have dramatic global repercussions. The need to develop the biodiversity knowledge over the world and to make biodiversity data more accessible to science and society was emphasized by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). As a follow-up, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) was sponsored by OECD to organize and promote the use of biodiversity data all over the world. Fauna and flora inventories, taxonomy and classification, processes driving the origin, maintenance and change of biodiversity, role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning, conservation, restoration, sustainable use and monitoring of biodiversity are today world-wide priorities on the biodiversity research agenda. 1.2 Why develop SCAR-MarBIN? In the present context of global environmental change and accelerating loss of biodiversity and in relation with the ongoing efforts to implement sustainable development policies over the world, the accurate assessment of the Antarctic biodiversity, the understanding of its ecofunctional role as well as the requirements for its conservation appear of critical importance. 6

7 Antarctica has a unique marine environment, being nearly pristine and presumably sensitive to change. The Southern Ocean covers 10% of the World Ocean area, and is the habitat of numerous and highly adapted species. A large part of the Southern Ocean biodiversity remains unknown, especially in the deep sea. Except for vertebrates, the Antarctic marine biodiversity information is still largely incomplete, widely scattered and not easily and fully available. Moreover, no coordinated strategy exists within the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR, ICSU) to systematically assess the present state of knowledge of the Antarctic marine biodiversity, to complete the biodiversity inventory and to compile, organise, disseminate and integrate the marine biodiversity information. In the context of Global Change, there is a widely recognized need to establish reliable and comprehensive baseline information about marine biodiversity over the world to provide a reference state against which subsequent changes - due to possible effects of global warming, ozone depletion, exploitation, global pollution or natural causes - may be monitored and compared in the medium and long term. Antarctic research programmes, at international or national level, have generated a large amount of marine biodiversity data. These data constitute our knowledge of species taxonomy, distribution patterns and ecology in the Southern Ocean. Unfortunately, these data are poorly visible or accessible and sometimes vanishing, although the Southern Ocean biodiversity is an important and significant component of the world marine biodiversity. The Rio Convention on Biological Diversity does not directly apply to the Antarctic region south of 60 S, as its provisions are only applicable to sovereign territories. Many of its elements are already implicit or explicit in the Antarctic Treaty instruments, but the provisions for a systematic inventory of biodiversity, for monitoring and for managing and disseminating the biodiversity information (the Clearing House mechanism), among others, remain to be fully implemented within the Antarctic Treaty System. At SCAR XXVI (2000), the Working Group on Biology discussed the needs for reliable and comprehensive Antarctic biodiversity information, noted the Australian initiative to develop an Antarctic «Spatial Information Network Of Fauna and Flora» (SPIN-OFF) and recommended to develop a SCAR Biodiversity Information Network (Rec SCAR XXVI Biol 10, see Annex). The «Antarctic Biodiversity Database» set up by the Australian Antarctic Division deals mostly with terrestrial and freshwater data from 7

8 the SCAR RiSCC programme and with bird data from the SCAR Bird Biology Experts Group. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Resources (CCAMLR) databases manage fish and some top predators data. So the wealth of marine invertebrate biodiversity data is not taken into account so far in the management of the Antarctic biodiversity information. Despite substantial efforts generating large amounts of data and results in terms of Antarctic marine biodiversity survey and understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, there is so far a low visibility of the Antarctic contributions to the World biodiversity assessment. Several important initiatives on Antarctic biodiversity information have been taken independently in recent years, in particular the BAS SOMBASE (Southern Ocean Mollusc database); the NZ BioRoss database and the Belgian-French BIANZO databases. On the other hand, world-wide species databases including Antarctic species - have been built for several important marine taxa (e.g. FishBase, AlgaeBase, Hexacorallia, CephBase ). There will be enormous advantages to co-ordinate, support, complete and optimize such efforts by networking or integrating these databases and other resources in order to give a centralized and easy access to the Antarctic Marine Biodiversity Information for scientific, management, monitoring and conservation purposes. Due to its large international implication, such a project may be proposed in the framework of the coming International Polar Year as a logistic and scientific contribution to two of its leading themes: Understanding Change at the Poles and Decoding Polar Processes. Belgium, as one of the twelve initial signatories of the Antarctic Treaty, contributes actively to the international Antarctic research. Since 1985, the implementation of the Belgian Antarctic Programme sponsored by the Federal Science Policy entirely relies on SCAR partners logistics of ships, aircrafts and stations. Belgium has now the opportunity and the potential to better contribute to the international efforts in Antarctic scientific logistics, following the recommendations of the Evaluation Panel on the Belgian Antarctic Programme Relying on the strong expertise developed within the Belgian GBIF platform (BeBIF), the Clearing House Mechanism of the Belgian CBD Focal Point, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and, principally, the BIANZO project of the Belgian Antarctic Programme, Belgium may propose to support and coordinate a new initiative on Biodiversity information. 8

9 It is worth mentioning here that similar initiatives of general interest have been taken by other SCAR countries. For example, Italy some years ago took in charge for SCAR the establishment of the Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica of great usefulness in terms of geographic information. SCAR has already welcomed the informal Belgian proposal very positively. 9

10 2. Proposal and Terms of References A proposal is made by the BIANZO Network to establish within SCAR an Antarctic Marine Biodiversity Information Network (SCAR-MarBIN) in the form of a distributed system of interoperable databases. It will aim at developing and managing the information about Antarctic marine organisms that is not covered by current initiatives. Its development and functioning should be taken in charge by the Belgian Federal Science Policy through its Antarctic Research Programme as a contribution to the Antarctic scientific logistics of general interest. The Terms of Reference of SCAR-MarBIN are: 1. To contribute to compile, link, integrate and disseminate Antarctic marine biodiversity information for scientific, management, monitoring and conservation purposes 2. To help SCAR contributing in a coordinated way to relevant global biodiversity information initiatives 3. To give feedback to requirements of marine biodiversity information from the Antarctic Treaty System and SCAR 4. To contribute to assess the present state of knowledge and to promote further marine biodiversity research in Antarctica. 10

11 3. Development of the Network: Framework and Strategy The development of SCAR-MarBIN includes three distinct aspects: a. The setup of a Web Portal and a Database Network presenting and linking the existing resources in Antarctic marine biodiversity information. b. The integration of SCAR-MarBIN within current world-wide initiatives on biodiversity information. c. The contribution to the scientific assessment of Antarctic marine biodiversity. Before describing these different aspects, it is necessary, first of all, to analyse in some details the needs of the potential users of SCAR-MarBIN data and metadata. 3.1 Needs and Users International (SCAR) and national Antarctic programmes have provided at least a basic knowledge of Antarctic marine biodiversity and produced a large amount of data related to the different levels of biological organization, from genes to species and communities, in a wide range of Antarctic environments. Considerable biodiversity research is currently being conducted, including for instance new deep sea surveys (ANDEEP), preparation of manuals and interactive keys for taxonomic identification of key groups, use of molecular tools to determine population variability and evolution as well as species phylogeny and phylogeography, mapping of organism distribution to determine areas of richness and description of community and habitat that provides the basis for protection and management. The data produced are of different types and formats, covering a wide range of topics of various interests and differing greatly in terms of availability. An effective biodiversity information system must answer - as precisely as possible - the needs of the different kinds of potential users who can all have their particular requirements. As resources allocated to data management will be limited, careful prioritization of data to collect and disseminate is imperative and should be driven by user demand. 11

12 3.1.1 Biodiversity data types and formats The management and dissemination of Antarctic marine biodiversity data at genetic level seem to be well covered by current, well supported initiatives (GenBank, EMBL, etc...) and there is no need to develop a particular Antarctic initiative for genetic data. On the contrary, for species- and community level data, there is a growing demand to develop biodiversity information systems that allow easier access to widely scattered data and that crosslink and integrate taxonomic, distribution, ecological and environmental information. The species-level information (taxonomy, distribution and autecological data) is generally recognized as a priority (cf GBIF) and species scientific name is a convenient, standardized, common field to link data from different databases. The form in which biodiversity data are required will vary significantly between potential users. Some would need the original raw data (e.g. on species occurrence), other would better use elaborated information (i.e. data that have been organised, integrated and to some extent analysed) Users a. Research Researchers probably represent the most diverse array of current users of biodiversity data. Potential users of the sharp biodiversity data that can be offered by SCAR- MarBIN include specialized scientists (marine biologists, ecologists, taxonomists, biogeographers, evolutionary biologists, biochemists, geneticists, ) looking for precise species-level information such as consistent taxonomy (e.g. nomenclature, synonymy and classification, reference collections), available identification tools (e.g. interactive identification keys and other taxonomic guides), comprehensive geographical and bathymetrical distribution data linked with appropriate marine gazetteers, maps and G.I.S., autecological data, up-to-date selected bibliography, etc. A sound information network of biodiversity databases would appear to be a very useful tool for the development of ongoing and future SCAR research programmes in Life Sciences. For instance, it may be a key-element of the scientific framework needed by the SCAR EVOLANTA programme to address the evolutionary history and biology of Antarctic biota, to develop knowledge concerning aspects such as gene flows, evolutionary responses to global change, life cycles, Arctic-Antarctic comparison, biodiversity or microevolution. Another interesting aspect to be included is the data regarding invasive species which have been very recently reported in the Antarctic. 12

13 The potential of the database network to crosslink biodiversity data to other geospatial, ecosystem, environmental, climatic or genetic data is generally recognised of utmost interest. b. Environmental management Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), as well as management of Antarctic protected areas (ASPA, ASMA, ) require appropriate biodiversity data to ensure efficient implementation of existing environmental policies under the Madrid Protocol. Another recent concern regarding Antarctica may be the need to assess the impact of bioprospection (viz. commercial collection of biochemical and genetic resources), which is suspected to increase significantly in the future. In the field of environmental management in particular, biodiversity data linked to GIS applications would be of primary use to environmental officers and scientists in charge. SCAR-MarBIN should also respond to the potential biodiversity information requirements for the future Antarctic State of the Environment Report (Madrid Protocol: CEP) and facilitate the preparation of Antarctic regional or sub-regional State of the Environment reports. c. Conservation SCAR, through its specialized Standing Committee (formerly the Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation, GOSEAC) advises ATCM on matters relating to conservation, endangered species, designation of protected areas and their management plans, use of natural resources, human impact on the environment, pollution and tourism. All these conservation matters require the use of comprehensive and accurate speciesand community level biodiversity information. d. Biomonitoring There is a widely recognized need to establish reliable and comprehensive baseline information about marine biodiversity over the world to provide a reference state against which subsequent changes (due to possible effects of climate change, increasing UVB radiation or other anthropogenic or natural impacts) may be monitored and compared. 13

14 Data on historical variations of marine biodiversity in Antarctic will provide information useful for a monitoring applications, which could be developped within the framework of the State of the Antarctic Environment Report (SAER). Some particular areas and sites around the Southern Ocean have been subjected to intense studies over the years and may serve as reference sites within a designated network for monitoring changes in biodiversity. For these reference localities, there is an obvious need to compile in interactive databases the widely scattered (and sometimes vanishing) data on species (biodiversity) occurrence and abundance. e. Capacity building In addition to obtaining accurate and comprehensive biodiversity data from SCAR- MarBIN, contributing scientists or potential contributors may be looking for expertisesharing in database administration and data exchange as well as in mapping and GIS applications. There is a need to stimulate building of biodiversity database where lacking (e.g. for particular taxa or reference sites), to promote the use of IT programmes to facilitate and accelerate taxonomic work and create interactive identification keys (i.e. by organizing specialised workshops for scientists and environmental managers) SCAR-MarBIN should look for complementing the resources offered by GBIF, OBIS or GTI in terms of capacity building for answering specific needs. Contributing institutions, labs or scientists may also require technical assistance to build required databases and/or guarantee the continuity of provision of data. Financial assistance may also be needed but appears out of the scope of SCAR-MarBIN. f. Services In addition to providing data and metadata, SCAR-MarBIN may offer particular services, according to the user demand, such as: - PDF files of useful documents - Integrated gazetteer for marine features of the Southern Ocean at large (including Antarctic and sub-antarctic regions) - Antarctic expeditions and stations lists and interactive maps (in co-op with Hexacorallia Kansas Univ. - OBIS) 14

15 - Selection of maps for different purposes (in co-op with Antarctic Digital Database, SCAR- UK) - Practical information and offer of useful software - Information about available biological material for study. 3.2 Set up of SCAR-MarBIN Web Portal and Network Portal A web portal specifically devoted to Antarctic marine biodiversity is intended to be developed in the framework of the SCAR-MarBIN project. In a first step, the portal will compile the existing species-level taxonomic and distribution information for all marine groups and link to existing online resources. For efficiency, the information compilation (data and metadata) will start primarily with the very diverse benthic organisms and will be completed with pelagic organisms. It will take into account the information requirements from GBIF and OBIS. The information to compile includes: a. Taxonomy - A list of all Southern Ocean species per taxonomic group, with up-to-date classification, nomenclature and synonymies, type localities, type specimen locations, - Taxonomic and biogeographic Antarctic databases (and world-wide biodiversity databases containing Antarctic data). - Registers, check-lists and catalogues of Antarctic marine species (and world-wide species lists containing Antarctic taxa). - Identification guides and other tools (e.g. photographic atlases) for Antarctic species (including world-wide or regional guides containing Antarctic taxa). - Interactive keys for Antarctic species. - A register of the existing expertise: Antarctic marine taxonomists and biodiversity experts. A register of Antarctic Marine Species may be established (similar to the European Register of Marine Species) as a searchable list of species with distribution information, bibliographic references, etc making use, where possible and relevant, of the resources identified by the above proves. Great care should be taken to avoid 15

16 duplication of effort, and to build as much as possible on existing efforts. For example, the benthos species database may be built with the collaboration of BAS on the basis of the recent synthesis by Clarke & Johnston (2003). b. Collection data and collecting cruises and stations - Location and content of reference specimen collections. - Collecting cruises and stations: lists of geo-referenced stations of the important Southern Ocean collecting cruises may be compiled (in collaboration with Kansas Univ. under OBIS). - Links to metadata information on cruises and stations. - Information on biological material available for study. c. Distribution Distribution data should include at least geographic, bathymetric, station and expedition information. d. Ecological data Available autecological data i.e. species records with ecological information (viz. habitat, abundance, trophic type, life style, predators, size, reproduction) may be included, after prioritisation by user demand (e.g. species-level abundance data are required by the Census of Marine Life programme). For the synecological/community level data and for ecophysiological data, careful prioritisation is required, driven by user needs. Pertinent data such as for benthos: substrate description, bottom images, disturbance (e.g. ice scouring), development of assemblages (communities) with time, overlying patterns of primary productivity, hydrography and currents, will be considered. Metadata information may be given in a first step. e. Bibliographical references - Pertinent, selected bibliography on Antarctic marine biodiversity (primarily benthos). A searchable common bibliographic database (possibly with keywords) seems to be a useful option for SCAR-MarBIN, provided no such resource exists elsewhere. The database may contain taxa-specific references and references of common interest for Antarctic marine biologists as well as links to existing bibliographical resources. 16

17 f. GIS and distribution maps A Geographic Information System is an efficient way to manage, analyze and display spatial data. Data from a variety of different sources can be rapidly overlaid for viewing and analyzing. Hence a GIS is a significant resource for the SCAR-MarBIN project as it can be considered as an interface for the databases. The SCAR-MarBIN GIS can be used to support a wide array of environmental, scientific and operational activities. Synergy with the GIG group of the Geosciences Standing Group of SCAR within the CyberCartographic Atlas project, a key vehicle in the future for the display of spatial Antarctic information, should be seeked. An extensive gazetteer of the georeferenced marine features of the Southern Ocean (s.l.) will be compiled to complement the existing resources. h. Geographic scope The considered geographic area will be the Antarctic marine region south to the Polar Front (i.e. the Southern Ocean s.s.) but may include the sub-antarctic region (Sub- Antarctic islands and Magellan region) as the project proceeds Network of databases It is obvious that gathering biodiversity information into a single centralized database is not only impractical but also antithetical to scientific advance. Rather, the computer servers required to house and provide data should be maintained by the institutions and scientists who own and provide the data. Two complementary database networks could finally be built up, respectively based on taxonomical groups and on the other hand on geographic reference sites or zones around the Southern Ocean. The Portal will be implemented to be able to interrogate the different biodiversity databases linked, to retrieve and integrate data for analytical, mapping or other purposes Implementation: Data quality assessment and validation Monitoring data quality will be an essential aspect in the development of SCAR- MarBIN. In this respect, data to be added to the Network will have to be reviewed through appropriate procedures, after a first approval by the editor (viz. the scientific coordinator of the Network) and according to the guidelines provided by GBIF and OBIS. 17

18 It is important that the scientific quality of data is identified and assessed by generally accepted procedures in scientific research. Quality description and validation should be applied not only to data, but also to software systems used for data storage and validation. Another possibility would be to flag controlled data. The biological sciences have lagged behind other fields in the adoption of standardized methods for data validation, and this tardiness should be corrected Implementation: Technical aspects and constraints As a general principle, the technical implementation of SCAR-MarBIN will rely as widely as possible on the available experience and guidelines provided by relevant initiatives with similar purposes, such as world-wide networks (GBIF, OBIS, ), EU biodiversity initiatives (BIOMARE, ERMS, Fauna Europea, ENBI, MARBEF ), Marine taxa databases (FishBase, CephBase, Hexacorallia, ) or Antarctic initiatives (Australian Antarctic Biodiversity Database) Implementation: Resources and collaborations a. The BIANZO databases and portal The integration of the Belgian BIANZO databases into a common portal will serve as a pilot study and kernel for the development of SCAR-MarBIN. In the framework of the BIANZO project three comprehensive biodiversity databases have been developed for some key and speciose groups of the Antarctic benthos: Ant Phipoda for amphipod crustaceans, NEMYS for nematodes and Antarctic Echinoids for sea urchins. These databases built in different systems have been cross linked by the VLIZ and IRScNB partners to allow common Internet access and optimized combination of data for analytical, mapping or other applications. b. Network of contributors In the course of the project, a network of contributors at taxonomical and geographical levels should be created. Some positive contacts have already been established during the JCADM meeting in Brussels, and excellent opportunities for creating such a network have been met at the IBMANT/ANDEEP Symposium (Ushuaia, October 2003). Several potential contributors have proposed to provide data to the network, among which the most significant are: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine 18

19 Research, Bremerhaven, Germany (S. Thatje: Southern Ocean Decapoda, D. Gerdes: Biodiversity macrobenthos Weddell Sea), British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, U.K. (K. Linse: SOMBASE; A. Clarke et al.: Biodiversity macrobenthos Southern Ocean), Italian Antarctic Programme (M. Chiantore - Univ. Genova: Biodiversity Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea), Brazilian Antarctic Programme (A. Echeverria Univ. Rio de Janeiro: Biodiversity King George Island), Polish Antarctic Programme (K. Jazdzewski et al. Univ. Lodz: Biodiversity of Admiralty Bay). Other potential contributors have declared their interested in the project: Australian Antarctic Programme (L. Belbin: Antarctic Biodiversity Database), French Antarctic Programme (J.C. Hureau, P. Arnaud, P. Koubbi: Terre Adélie & Kerguelen Macrobenthos and GIS), New Zealand Antarctic Programme (G. Fenwick: BioRoss), USA (P. Berkman, Ohio State Univ.: Latitudinal Gradients in Victoria Land, Ross Sea; D. Fautin Kansas Univ.: Hexacorallia-OBIS for collecting cruises information), At Belgian level, a collaboration may be sought with the Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Model (MUMM- IRScNB/KBIN), which has a great expertise in physico-chemical marine database management, and may contribute to some applications such as the analysis of the correlations between species occurrence and ecological parameters, and prediction of change in species occurrence based on environmental change. c. Other existing and potential resources A (nearly exhaustive) list of existing on-line resources on Antarctic marine biodiversity is given in Annex 1. Other primary printed resources include the still sparse identification guides for Antarctic marine organisms, in particular the series Synopses on Antarctic Benthos. d. Organise the collaboration: data collection and transfer To ensure efficiency, a great attention should be given to the sound organisation of the contributing system and operations: clear definition of the data requested, accurate analysis of the types, formats and volume of proposed data, validation and standardisation and integration in the network. This last step would require investigating the most appropriate technology to bring data in the system, and deciding where to host data. Data may be kept at the provider server (depending on the reliability of its web server, of the good connectivity, and the possibility to install DiGIR and run 19

20 PHP) and may be hosted at the portal (which requires agreement on the format acceptable to both systems and uploading the data to the central database). 20

21 4. Integration / collaboration with current initiatives on biodiversity information A number of key initiatives on biodiversity information have been set up in recent years often following the CBD recommendations. To cite just a few: the Convention on Biological Diversity Clearing House Mechanism (CBD-CHM), GBIF, Diversitas, Species 2000, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), the International Organization for Plant Information, the World Micro-organism Data Centre, CoML- OBIS, Critical information processing capabilities and tools are now available or are near realization. Information management techniques (software developed to enable interoperability, analysis and synthesis of multiple data sets) are evolving to facilitate scientific conceptualization that includes knowledge from many information domains or scientific disciplines. The main projects the SCAR-MarBIN is likely to integrate/collaborate with are listed below: 4.1 The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) The purpose of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is to make the world's biodiversity data freely and universally available via the Internet, by encouraging, coordinating and supporting the development of world-wide capacity to access the vast amount of biodiversity data held in natural history museum collections, libraries and databanks. As its work programs progress, GBIF will enable users to navigate and put to use the world's vast quantities of biodiversity information. Belgium joined GBIF in February SCAR-MarBIN strategy. SCAR-MarBIN could either become an associate participant, (as it will be prepared to share Antarctic biodiversity data and to develop a computing gateway or node for accessing such data) or could perhaps more realistically - contribute to GBIF through OBIS. 21

22 4.2. Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCAR- COMNAP JCADM) JCADM has been established by SCAR and COMNAP, and comprises representatives of the National Antarctic Data Centres (NADCs). JCADM is responsible for the Antarctic Master Directory (AMD), which is a large metadata database containing metadata records from the NADCs of each of the Antarctic Treaty nations. SCAR-MarBIN strategy. The SCAR-MarBIN could become an integrated JCADM project, and also a major metadata contributor to AMD. 4.3 Census of Marine Life (CoML) and Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) The CoML is a global network of researchers engaged in an initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of ocean life. One of its main projects is OBIS. OBIS is a web-based provider of global geo-referenced information on accurately identified marine species. It contain expert species level and habitat level databases and provide a variety of spatial query tools for visualizing relationships among species and their environment. OBIS strives to assess and integrate biological, physical, and chemical oceanographic data from multiple sources. Users of OBIS, including researchers, students, and environmental managers, will gain a dynamic view of the multi-dimensional oceanic world. OBIS is the marine component of GBIF. SCAR-MarBIN strategy: SCAR-MarBIN should become a major data contributor to OBIS. With the support of the European OBIS data node (managed by VLIZ), it could in the short-term become the Antarctic data node to OBIS. 4.4 Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is one of the two Conventions signed by the international community during the Earth Summit, at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in Its three objectives are (i) the conservation of biological diversity, (ii) the sustainable use of its components, (iii) the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. 22

23 The Clearing-House Mechanism seeks to support the Convention's thematic and crosscutting programmes of work by promoting cooperation in six key areas: tools for decision-making, training and capacity-building, research, funding, technology transfer, and the repatriation of information. SCAR-MarBIN strategy: SCAR-MarBIN can participate in establishing the Internetbased system aimed at by the CHM. The main objective of this system is to facilitate greater collaboration among countries through research cooperation, access to and transfer of technology, and repatriation of information. 4.5 Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) Governments, through the Convention on Biological Diversity, have acknowledged the existence of a "taxonomic impediment" to the sound management of biodiversity. The purpose of the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) is to remove or reduce this taxonomic impediment - in other words, the knowledge gaps in our taxonomic system (including those associated with genetic systems), the shortage of trained taxonomists and curators, and the impact these deficiencies have on our ability to conserve, use and share the benefits of our biological diversity. The GTI has been established by the Conference of the Parties to address the lack of taxonomic information and expertise available in many parts of the world, and thereby to improve decision-making in conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from genetic resources. The GTI is specifically intended to support implementation of the work programmes of the Convention on thematic and cross cutting issues. SCAR-MarBIN strategy: Given the many competing demands for capacity building in taxonomy, activities under the GTI may be linked to the implementation of SCAR- MarBIN, especially if countries such as Brazil and Chile become data providers. 4.6 European Network for Biodiversity Information (ENBI) The major objective of ENBI is to establish a strong European network for this purpose. This network pools the relevant technical resources and human expertise in Europe and will identify the biodiversity information priorities to be managed at the European level. Other objectives are the establishment of communication platforms to inquire the needs 23

24 of the users of biodiversity information and to disseminate biodiversity expertise to professionals and policy makers. SCAR-MarBIN strategy: SCAR-MarBIN is not directly within the scope of ENBI, but will be facing similar challenges at the Antarctic scale and has much to learn from ENBI developments. Collaboration should therefore be sought with ENBI to benefit from its experience and avoid duplicated efforts (e.g. in some issues such as data quality assessment, copyright issues regarding data/data use, etc ). 4.7 Antarctic Biodiversity Database of the Australian Antarctic Division The Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC) was established as a repository for scientific data resulting from the Australian Antarctic Science Program. In the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty, the Australian government has made these data publicly available after two years from the date of collection. The AAD Antarctic Biodiversity Database, mostly deals with Antarctic and sub-antarctic terrestrial and freshwater organisms collated by the SCAR Regional Sensitivity to Climate Change (RiSCC); the database was initially designed to ensure that it could be a repository of all 'biological diversity' data from the Australian program or any other program as required, eg New Zealand's LGP project,. SCAR-MarBIN strategy: As the marine counterpart and complement to the AAD Antarctic Biodiversity Database dealing mostly with terrestrial and freshwater data, SCAR-MarBIN must be developed in close technical and conceptual co-operation with the Australian initiative, in order to bring a co-ordinated Antarctic contribution to GBIF. 4.8 Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) The CCAMLR came into force in 1982 as part of the Antarctic Treaty System, and was established mainly in response to concerns that an increase in krill catches in the Southern Ocean could have a serious effect on populations of krill and other marine life; particularly on birds, seals and fish, which mainly depend on krill for food. CCAMLR is responsible for the acquisition, compilation, analysis and dissemination of data from all the fisheries it regulates as well as from research activities on harvested, 24

25 dependent and related species within the Convention Area. Its Data Centre has thus archived huge amounts of information about krill and Antarctic top predators, and may respond to requests for data from scientists and institutions in member countries. Data, however, may be released only under clearly defined protocols and in support to CCAMLR programmes. SCAR-MarBIN strategy: SCAR-MarBIN should develop a close cooperation with CCAMLR to ensure an efficient exploitation of existing data, and to avoid duplication of work. 25

26 SCAR-MarBIN organization chart: nternational framework proposal 26

27 5. Scientific assessment of Antarctic marine 5.1 Scientific assessment biodiversity Relying on the analysis of the compiled information, the project will contribute, in terms of science, to establish the state-of-the-art of the marine biodiversity knowledge in Antarctica. For the benthos, this should rely on and update the recent comprehensive synthesis made by Clarke & Johnston (2003). On this basis, proposals may be made to SCAR (and other pertinent bodies) to develop further science plans for marine biodiversity, such as a coherent and efficient strategy for surveying, assessing and monitoring the Antarctic marine (benthic) biodiversity. Measuring biodiversity can help understanding its driving factors and the potential effects of its variations on ecosystem. For the purpose of biodiversity assessment, a first step is to consider the framework and the strategy. This assessment may be an element of the future CEP-State of Environment Report, as well as a part of OBIS and of the future SCAR EBA umbrella programme A strategy for surveying and assessing the Antarctic marine biodiversity at taxonomic and geographic levels may be to develop a double network of databases: - A taxonomic databases network managing species-level data per taxonomic groups occurring in the whole Antarctic/Southern Ocean in the perspective to establish a comprehensive inventory. In addition to the BIANZO databases, the starting nucleus may include the benthos database built by A. Clarke & N. Johnston at BAS, Cambridge, compiling species lists of all the major groups of benthic invertebrates (but without distribution data). The inventory should be permanently updated by linking to existing specialised databases and should be extended to pelagic taxa. - A geographic databases network managing species- and community-level data at local (e.g. EASIZ reference sites, ) or regional level (e.g. Ross Sea by NZ BioRoss) around the Southern Ocean. For this geographic network in particular, the development of the Belgian-Polish Admiralty Bay Benthos Biodiversity Database (ABBED) will serve as a pilot project (see 6.2). These geographic/sites databases may primarily provide a reference state for future biomonitoring purposes and may be linked to other local environmental and biological data resources. In the context of 27

28 conservation, an optimized knowledge and integration of data is needed over species richness of Antarctic marine ecosystems as well as distribution and abundance of individuals. A comprehensive inventory of marine (benthic) biodiversity at a selection of reference sites can provide a time 0 state, which is the logical basis for comparing and assessing future changes. In addition, the systematic compilation of published and unpublished biodiversity data in dedicated reference site databases may contribute to consolidate biodiversity information by rescuing in appropriate formats useful but sometimes vanishing data. Finally, the scientific assessment exercise will also certainly stimulate further research and exploration. 5.2 The reference sites network: the ABBED case study ABBED (Admiralty Bay Benthos Biodiversity Database) is a Belgian-Polish initiative. The project aims at developing an interactive database on the biodiversity of benthic communities of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, for scientific, monitoring, management and conservation purposes through the co-operation between IRScNB, Department of Invertebrates (Laboratory of Carcinology), Belgium, and University of Lodz, Laboratory of Polar Biology & Oceanobiology, Poland. Regarding bottom-living organisms, Admiralty Bay is one of the best studied sites in maritime Antarctica. The first benthos data dated back to 1906 and input of new data can be assured by the existence of several research stations, of which the Polish Arctowski Station (operating since 1977), and the Brazilian Ferraz Station (operating since 1984) are the permanent ones. Admiralty Bay is a protected area within the Antarctic Treaty System under the status of Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA). It is considered a reference site of the SCAR EASIZ programme, and is investigated (often independently) by several national Antarctic programmes (Polish, Brazilian, US, Peruvian, German, Dutch, Belgian ). The main objectives of the project are to compile the scattered, poorly available and sometimes vanishing information on benthos biodiversity and ecology, to detect gaps in knowledge and additional data requirements, to link pertinent biodiversity and environmental datasets, to produce synthetic tools (e.g. distribution maps, Admiralty Bay G.I.S.), to prepare for marine (benthos) biomonitoring, to contribute to measure the 28

29 local human impacts (e.g. ecotourism), to contribute to detect and monitor biodiversity changes and to develop conservation strategies. The main constraints that will be encountered in integrating ABBED in the SCAR- MarBIN will range from bioinformatics aspects, to manpower and scheduling of work. Regarding the bioinformatics aspects, most data still needs to be encoded. These data includes: benthic macrofauna and macroflora composition (list of species and occurrence/distribution/habitat), benthos sampling operations (list of stations/gears), abundance and biomass data (scaled for the Bay), trophic data, sediment data including organic matter flux, hydrological data including year-round ice conditions, phyto-, and zooplankton composition, phyto-, and zooplankton density and biomass, distribution of mammals and bird colonies, bibliographical references and images of species and assemblages/communities. Data should be encoded using the SCAR-MarBIN standards and according to clearlyestablished priorities. The manpower and work load issues will require full time people for encoding and punctual technical assistance, for example by bioinformaticians from SCAR-MarBIN. Specifically, the integration of ABBED in SCAR-MarBIN will bring very interesting outputs to the network, such as composition and distribution of marine fauna in Admiralty Bay, temporal and spatial evaluation of distribution, trophic web analysis, links between environmental parameters and species distribution, collection management, and comprehensive information on sampling efforts. 29

30 6. Expected deliverables Once it is mature, the SCAR-Marine Biodiversity Information Network is expected to provide a series of outputs, including: (i) A functional structured system for managing, linking, and integrating Southern Ocean biodiversity data, (ii) A single on-line access to persistent data store for Antarctic marine species- and specimen- level data via a highly visible web portal, (iii) A comprehensive, global, electronic index to scientific names, scientific literature and data dealing with Antarctic marine biodiversity, (iv) Elements for developping tools for linking and integrating distributed sources (species, specimen, observation and ecosystem data) to answer complex environmental and scientific questions, (v) Key resource for providing policy makers and environmental managers with pertinent and tailored scientific information on Antarctic marine biodiversity. (vi) A comprehensive assessment of the Antarctic marine biodiversity (coordinated in the IPY timeframe). These outputs will bring concrete benefits, among which the most obvious will be: (i) a better ability to biomonitoring and to detect and understand the effects of environmental changes on biodiversity (e.g. on species distribution and abundance); (ii) a better prediction of areas most suitable for conservation purposes such as biodiversity hotspots; (iii) a quicker identification (due to more efficient identification tools) of marine taxa in general; and invasive species in particular; (iv) the prediction of pattern of spread of possible new diseases The network will also provide pivotal information for applications such as biodiversity modelling. Parameters which will follow from this include: (i) current species occurrence, (ii) correlation between species occurrence and ecological parameters, (iii) potential localities for species believed to be rare (cf IUCN red list), (iv) prediction of change in species occurrence based on environmental change and (v) prediction of spread of invasive species. 30