Workshop: Bases para a Conservação
da Biodiversidade do Estado de São Paulo
Comments by Barry Chernoff
Field Museum, Dept. of Zoology
Roosevelt Rd at Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60603, USA
Tel: (312) 922.9410 Ext: 427
Fax: (312) 663.5397
Email: chernoff@fmppr.fmnh.org
I want to first thank you for inviting me to participate in the
workshop in Campinas and Serra Negra. It was both an honor and
a pleasure to meet and interact with the participants. I learned
much during the week that I hope to apply here in the US.
I was extremely impressed at the process, the organization and,
especially, the cooperation of the participants. All that I witnessed
were working cooperatively towards a common goal. This is rare
because often scientists are a fractious group. I was very impressed
by the inclusion of scientists with policy makers and personnel
from funding agencies. That is the critical step in the process
to implement a major biodiversity initiative and I applaud your
vision. What will end up to be a key for the success of the process
that was initiated by this workshop, is that you are taking a comprehensive
approach. My overall impression was most favorable. Your immediate
challenge is going to be to keep up the enthusiasm and the energy
that was generated during the workshop.
I would like to make my comments in two groups: those related
to the workshop and those as possible future steps.
- Mapping current data
: it seemed here that there was
a bit of confusion about the style and level of data that was
needed to make the biodiversity maps for the geographical groups.
I hope the participants will pursue this in the coming weeks or
months. Those maps that you are seeking, regardless of how preliminary,
are an important step in developing a large-scale strategy for
the State of São Paulo. It will be critical to remind policy
makers, however, just how preliminary those maps are. Nonetheless
they point to important regions for which knowledge is lacking.
I have found in guiding such workshops or groups, that follow-up
letters expressing again the nature of the data that are required
worked pretty well.
- Collections and Infrastructure
: the group developed
an important document that outlines needs and perspectives. I
think that it is critical that the objectives be listed with the
wish list. For example, critical care, conservation and maintenance
of collections requires the following types of infrastructure
support ... I believe that a tension will develop between those
needs for collections maintenance and those needs for computerization
of databases. It is important that administrators do not view
these as alternatives. Furthermore, we have had problems in the
US with support for collections infrastructure, once databases
have been established. That is, many administrators believe that
the database, maps, etc. are really the end product - the collections
becoming superfluous. Thus, I recommend that goals for databasing
become tied to the collections as a living product. Through time
as the quality of the information associated with the collections
(e.g., identifications, vouchers, etc.) increases then the quality
of the database increases. In such a fashion the collections and
the computer databases are forever linked.
- Collections and Infrastructure
: I think that it will
become important for priorities to be established regarding the
infrastructure needs of the collections, as well as the computer
support. Perhaps an important follow-up to the workshop will be
for each of the disciplinary areas (ichthyology, birds, botany,
etc.) to develop a strategy within the State of São Paulo
and perhaps even nationally. By this I mean to identify the collections
as critical resources and with their objectives. Some collections
may take a regional perspective and expertise and others may focus
on the entire state. With this planning the future growth and
development of the collections should be estimated. In this way,
coherent arguments can be made for infrastructural support and
development. For example, it would be a shame if some collection
received state funding only to discover that their plans had not
accounted for growth over the next decade or 20 years. We have
done this in the US and have ranked the various fish collections
along with their strategies for future growth. When we seek funding
from NSF, they can immediately understand the importance of the
collection in relation to the national resource of fish collections.
This strategy of delineating our focus and collection strengths
has allowed us to argue for more money, more forcefully because
the funding agencies realize that their monies will be invested
in relation to a national plan developed by the scientific communities.
- Database:
An important consideration in your plans to
implement the database project will be to identify critical resources
to place in the database. That is, a strategy will be needed to
ensure success for the conservation end. Thus, particular collections
or even pieces of collections that contain critical organisms
relevant to conservation needs will need to be targeted as priorities
for data entry. My experience with database projects has shown
that early success is critical. Therefore, we have always put
the best data into the computer first and left the most difficult
material for last (usually the oldest records).
I feel almost embarrassed at making these comments because your
workshop was so well planned and executed. Again, I was honored
to be included and if I can provide any help at all with future
steps in the process, please do not hesitate to ask. I much admire
the process that you have initiated.
With all best regards, I am
Sincerely yours,
Barry Chernoff
Chairman
Dept. of Zoology
and
Chairman
US National Committee for International Union of Biological Sciences
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