PROGRESS REPORT

Consultancy:

“Definition of the products and providers

for the consultancy to develop the

platform for the monitoring and

evaluation system of the biodiversity of

Central America: software and acquisition

of hardware to operate the Biodiversity

Thematic Node.”

Presented as a product of the consultancy for the PROMEBIO-BID-CCAD-Zamorano Project.

MSc. Suyapa Triminio Meyer, PROMEBIO-BID Project Coordinator, smeyer@zamorano.edu

Responsible for the report: MSc. Boris Ramírez

August 31st, 2010

LIST OF ACRONYMS

BID Inter American Development Bank

CCAD Central American Commission for the Environment and Development

COP/CBD Conference of the Parties – Convention on Biological Diversity

DwC Darwin Core Standard.

http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/DarwinCore/DarwinCoreDraftStandard

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility. www.gbif.org (administrative).

www.gbif.net (data).

IABIN: Inter American Biodiversity Information Network. www.iabin.net

INBio National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica

IRBIO Regional Biodiversity Institute

NGOs Non-Government Organizations

PARCA Environmental Plan of the Central American Region

PROMEBIO Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Program

REMIB Global Biodiversity Information Network

SIAM Meso-American Environmental Information System

SICA Central American Integration System

SINIA National Environmental Information System

TAPIR TDWG Access Protocol for Information Retrieval

TDWG: Biodiversity Information Standards (initiative). www.tdwg.org

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

1. Background: The CCAD has received a donation from the Inter American Development Bank (BID) in

the framework of the Regional Public Goods Initiative, to develop the regional platform for

the monitoring and evaluation of biodiversity in Central America. The main objective of this

platform is to make operational the Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Program

(PROMEBIO), articulated with the Biodiversity Thematic Node, eliminating asymmetries

regarding the generation and availability of biodiversity information of Central America.

The project’s Central Implementing Unit is the Regional Biodiversity Institute (IRBIO) which

is located in the Pan-American Agriculture School. This strategic program (PROMEBIO)

complements other projects with a hemispheric and global scope. Among them we can

highlight the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN), the Global

Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and the Global Biodiversity Information Network

(REMIB), as a computerized system of “biological information, whose databases of

curatorial, taxonomic, ecological, cartographic, bibliographic, ethno-graphic, of use and

natural resources catalogues and other themes, that articulates the collections and

museums of diverse organizations.”

IRBIO will make operational the biodiversity thematic node of the SIAM. IRBIO and SIAM

are tools of the CCAD. IRBIO will partner with GBIF, and will establish cooperation links

with other programs such as INBio of Costa Rica and others that aare necessary to work

in synergy with this information system.1

2. Activities Developed in the first month of the consultancy: This is a two-month consultancy. This document is the first progress report of the

consultancy, prepared at the end of one month after initiating it.

Meeting with the project’s directors: From August 1 -21, the consultant held several

meetings with the project’s directors. These meetings had as their objective to better

understand the project and the proposed objectives in order to determine the scope of

the consultancy as well as the products expected from the other consultancies, to be

able to determine how these products could be integrated in the estimated time.

1 Terms of Reference for the consultancy “Definition of products and providers for the consultancy to develop the platform for the Central American biodiversity monitoring and evaluation system: software and acquisition of the hardware for the operation of the Biodiversity Thematic Node”, Page 1

During this period the consultant was able to evaluate the technical capacities and

needs of the Zamorano Institute to ascertain whether it would be able to house and

maintain the System.

Meeting with the Biodiversity Technical Committees and SIAM: On August 5-6,

2010, the consultant participated in the work meeting of the Biodiversity Technical

Committees and SIAM, in Belize City, sponsored by the project PROMEBIO-BID. The

objectives of this meeting were the following:

o To present the progress of PROMEBIO: presentation and discussion of the

protocols for the monitoring and evaluation of the biodiversity in the Region and

the Design of the Platform for the regional node of biodiversity information.

o Future of the modeling of biodiversity GLOBIO3

o Discuss issues related to future global and regional meetings COP10/CBD

such as the one on climate change.

o Present the progress of the public-private alliance Meso-American Biodiversity

Partnership and its intersection in the regional environmental processes.

The conceptual model proposed for the Biodiversity Node was presented at this

meeting.

Meeting with CCAD: On August5 12-13, 2010 the consultant met with the CCAD in

San Salvador. The objective of this meeting was to identify how the implementation of

the Biodiversity Node will be incorporated into the new PARCA 2010-2014 proposed

by the SICA.

Contacts with other networks: During the first month contacts with the following

networks and/or organizations were established with the aim of determining the way

PROMEBIO may be able to cooperate with them. E-mail and/or Skype

communications were carried out with the following organizations:

o IABIN, Ms. Gladys Cotter, IABIN’s Chairperson and her assistant, Mr. Ben

Wheeler, USGS, USA

o IABIN Species and Specimens Thematic Network. Mr. Erick Mata, INBio, Costa

Rica

o GBIF, Mr. Juan Bello, Denmark

GLOBIO training: On August 26-27, the consultant participated in the training of

GLOBIO3 which took place in Panamá, at the offices of the National Environmental

Authority–ANAM. This training was carried out by Miss Dennis McLean, a consultant of

PROMEBIO for this activity.

3. CONCEPTUAL MODEL

The objective of the conceptual model is to develop a preliminary design for all the aspects

of the system, including sub-systems, databases to be integrated and how to carry out the

exchange of information with other networks.

PROMEBIO is planned as a system whose main objective would be to “Generate and

provide harmonized and systematized information, of regional interest, about the state of

the biodiversity, that would allow to evaluate the changes in its prioritized components and

that would contribute to decision making ”2

In order to reach this objective, the information system of PROMEBIO must be a union of

several sub-systems, which would be integrated into a central system. As a goal of the

development and implementation phase of PROMEBIO it is proposed to generate in an

automatic manner the nine (9) regional biodiversity indicators for the Central American

region, into a system that would have the following characteristics:

It utilizes the web platform and the internet as its main elements.

It uses as much as possible open-source technology that can be implemented

at the regional level with a minimal implementation cost.

It allows the storage of new biodiversity data and allows the integration of these

into existing databases as well as their retrieval.

It is based on open, broadly-supported, non-proprietary standards.

It integrates with existing networks at the national and regional level such as

IABIN, GBIF and CBD-CHM

2 Operational Plan, Regional Platform for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Biodiversity in Central America – PROMEBIO, Page 2

It allows the strengthening of national biodiversity information networks

(Biodiversity Nodes).

It provides access to biodiversity information useful to decision makers.

It strengthens the existing systems of the CCAD and integrates with them in a

transparent manner.

3.1. Basis of the Biodiversity Thematic Node

The Biodiversity thematic node is based on the concept of distributed information

networks. A distributed network is one in which the information is not stored exclusively in

just one place, but it is stored in a distributed manner in several places at the same time.

In this way the total of the information in the network is the sum of each of its parts..

In order to understand the reason why the Biodiversity thematic node must be a distributed

network, we first have to identify where the basic elements of this network are: the user

and the data.

In the biodiversity information networks we have two kinds of users which are clearly

defined: a) the decision making user, and b) the general public. The first group of users

requires highly dependable and updated information, and in general they are users who

work for government institutions like the national environmental ministries and whose

responsibility is the management of the country’s natural resources. In the case of

PROMEBIO, these will be the main users of the system. The general public will be users

who access the system occasionally. For these users the quality of the information and

how updated it is will depend largely on what they will use it for.

The second element of these networks is the data. In the particular case of biodiversity,

this information is captured, analyzed and managed by different data providers. In most

cases, the large biodiversity databases are located in environmental NGOs, museums and

herbaria, and in very few cases in government institutions.

This gap between the place where the main users of the system and the data are makes it

difficult to make timely and dependable decisions, since the main users of the information

are not the same who possess the information.

Illustration 1: Basic concept of network

The function of the Biodiversity Thematic Node is to close this gap and ensure that the

biodiversity databases can be accessed by the decision makers, in real time, and that the

information provided by the data owners is of high quality and dependability.

In order to achieve this, the system proposed by PROMEBIO must guarantee the

following:

Identification of the existing data providers

That the data be in digitized form and can be interpreted in a common language,

called standard, and that they can be accessed.

Knowing the exact location of each data, as well as its quality and dependability.

Protecting the intellectual property of the owner of the information.

The final result of this will be a network as shown in the following graphics, in which

several data providers share their information for a common use.

Illustration 2: Parts of the Network

The Biodiversity Node of PROMEBIO will be a network that will have the following parts:

A digitizing tool that will allow the digitization of the data which are not in a

standardized digital form..

Providers of Databases: These are organizations that are willing to share their data

in the Internet with PROMEBIO. The data providers have ownership of their data

and have the intellectual property rights over them. The data providers must have

the freedom to decide which data they share with the network and to what level, as

well as to make a commitment about the quality and dependability of the data they

provide.

Web Services: Web services are protocols for the exchange of information that

allow the connection of the data provider with the network. These web services

allow:

o To listen to and interpret the search requests made by the users and send

them to PROMEBIO through the portal.

o To Search for the requested information in the provider’s database.

o To Provide the requested information in the standard established by the

network.

In the case of web services for biodiversity networks it is recommended to follow

the same standards and protocols established by GBIF and IABIN. Both networks

use TAPIR (TDWG Access Protocol for Information Retrival),

http://www.tdwg.org/activities/tapir. This protocol is maintained by the Biodiversity

Information Standards group (formerly known as TDWG Taxonomic Database

Working Group). TAPIR is a protocol to access data that evolved from the project

known as DiGIR. DIGIR was designed to allow for the sharing of biological data

under the Darwin Core standard for Specimens.

Data structure standard: To ensure that the data stored by all the data providers

can be integrated, it is necessary to establish a standard for the exchange of

information. The function of this standard is to interpret the information stored in the

data provider’s database and translate it into a format that can be understood by

PROMEBIO. In the case of the standards for specimens, it is recommended to

follow the standards established by GBIF and IABIN. These two networks are using

the Darwin Core and ABDC standards,

http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/DarwinCore/WebHome, as the standards for

exchanging Biodiversity information.

Internet: This is the element through which the data travel in the network.

Search Portal: The search portal is the portal in charge of looking for, finding and

indexing the information supplied by the data providers in a system that allows the

users to consult this information regardless of where it is located. It is important to

stress that the search portal is the heart of the Biodiversity Node of PROMEBIO

and, at the same time, it is the element on which all the pressure of the system

falls.

Users. The people or systems that use the data provided by the network.

3.2. Proposed Model for the implementation of the Biodiversity Thematic Node

Since the Biodiversity Thematic Node is a distributed data network, it must guarantee that

the different elements can be integrated at the lowest possible cost and facilitate the

operation of the National Biodiversity Nodes.

The point where all the information will be articulated and that will be the heart of the

Biodiversity Thematic Node is the Search Portal. The organization that will implement the

Search Portal will have the following responsibilities:

o Provide support to the data providers, indexed through the portal.

o Index the information supplied by the data providers.

o Receive and respond to the queries made by the users.

o Integrate the information of the Biodiversity Node with other external information

such as maps, socio-economic information, etc.

o Work jointly with the data providers to guarantee the quality and dependability of

the information.

o Coordinate with the other networks, IABIN and GBIF, the exchange of information

and the synchronization of the indexes with the aim of avoiding duplication of data.

o Ensure the implementation of the standards and protocols.

o Ensure that the intellectual property rights will be respected and guarantee them.

o Incorporate new data providers to the network.

The Search Portal needs to have qualified staff to carry out the work described above,

since this site will guarantee the growth and usefulness of the network

At present it is possible to identify two potential ways to implement the Biodiversity Node of

PROMEBIO. The main difference between these two models lies in the location of the

search system, since this will be the responsible to index the data supplied by the data

providers in the first place, and will have the greatest operational load. The two models

are:

1 – Search System managed and installed in the countries.

2 – Search System managed and installed in PROMEBIO.

1- Search System managed and installed in the countries. In this model each country is

responsible for the implementation and management of the Search System, as is

shown in the following graphic:

Illustration 3: System installed in the countries

Under this scheme the function of PROMEBIO will be limited to coordinating at the

regional level among the different countries and coordinating the activities with other

networks at the regional and global level.

o Advantages:

- It facilitates the creation of the National Biodiversity Systems and can be

integrated with the SINIAs.

- Each country is the custodian of its own information.

- It facilitates collaboration among the different data providers at the national

level.

- It facilitates the creation of national policies on the use and generation of

biodiversity data.

- The regional cost of the regional implementation of the network is taken on

by each country.

- Support to users is carried out with local resources.

o Disadvantages:

- It is foreseen that the Search System will be installed and managed by the

organization with responsibility for protecting the conservation of

biodiversity at the national level, which means the organization will have to

appoint human and technical resources to carry out this work and take on

their cost.

2- Search System managed and installed in PROMEBIO: In this model PROMEBIO is the

responsible for installing and managing the System, as is shown in the following

graphic:

Illustration 4: System installed in PROMEBIO

Under this scheme the existence of PROMEBIO is vital for the sustainability and

operation of the network.

o Advantages:

- Since the work of managing the network is centralized, it is possible to

have a team of technicians that would provide support to the network at

the regional level.

- It facilitates the coordination with regional and global networks such as

IABIN and GBIF

o Disadvantages:

- The operational load and costs of the whole region are taken on in their

totality by PROMEBIO.

- The work of connecting new data providers to the network is taken on

by PROMEBIO. This means a greater coordination with the countries is

needed.

- It does not facilitate the creation of the National Biodiversity System and

consequently it does not support the creation and implementation of the

SINIAs.

- At the country level, the control over the data is lost.

- The management of the Search System will require PROMEBIO to have

the capacity to obtain its own human and economic resources, or that

the System is managed by an organization with that capacity.

As can be seen, both models have advantages and disadvantages. However, the main

recommendation of the consultant is that each country installs and manages its own

Search System since this will guarantee a greater sustainability in the long term and will

give each country total control over its data, thus strengthening the National Biodiversity

Information Systems.

However, in order to implement this first phase of PROMEBIO, it is recommended to

choose an intermediate solution. This solution must guarantee that the countries that have

the necessary human and technical resources to operate the Search System can do it.

The solution proposed is shown in the following graphic:

Illustration 5: Intermediate Solution Proposed for PROMEBIO

In this proposed intermediate solution PROMEBIO is responsible for the initial

implementation of the Biodiversity Node at the Regional Level, by implementing the

Search System and little by little delegating the responsibilities of the Search System to

the National Nodes that have the capacity and desire to implement it. Under this scenario

the Regional Biodiversity Node would become a facilitator and coordinator.

3.3. Implementation of the Model Proposed by this Consultancy

In order to carry out the implementation of the Model proposed it is necessary to identify

the place and the organization that will be responsible for the installation and management

of the Biodiversity Thematic Node of PROMEBIO. For this analysis, additional

considerations were taken such as the integration with other systems at the regional level

like the SIAM and the economic and human resources capacity to continue managing the

Node once the PROMEBIO-BID project ends.

It is important to stress that the needs for Software and Hardware are not relevant at this

point since the PROMEBIO-BID Project has resources to finance them. For this reason

this section will focus on analyzing which organization will be suitable to house the node.

The following parameters have been taken into consideration:

The need to integrate with other systems at the regional level.

Technical capacity and support without needing to hire additional staff that will

mean an additional cost. However it is foreseen that it will be necessary that the

technical staff for PROMEBIO will have to specialize in the theme.

Capacity of the Systems Department to manage an implementation of this kind

without having to incur cost overruns in its present operation.

Capacity to provide the stable broadband that will support the operation as well as

having the capacity to grow.

Economic capacity to continue with the operation once the PROMEBIO-BID Project

ends in May 2011.

For the implementation of the Biodiversity Node of PROMEBIO two possible organizations

have been considered as potential HOST of the systems. These are the Zamorano

Institute and the SICS offices in the CCAD. See Annex 2: Report on Meeting with the

CCAD.

According to the PARCA 2010-2014, it is expected that the Biodiversity Node of

PROMEBIO becomes part of the proposed Environmental Observatory and thus that it will

be implemented as the Biodiversity Node of the Meso American Environmental Information

System –SIAM and be integrated to it.

Installation in the Zamorano Institute:

o Advantages:

- Institute responsible for IRBIO

- It has the necessary human resources to guarantee the minimum

management.

- If necessary it can increase the broadband.

- It has the physical space to install the new servers.

o Disadvantages:

- The budget for the operation of the Biodiversity Node would have to be

covered by the Zamorano Institute. Up to now the Zamorano Institute has

expressed that it has no intention of housing the Node in the long term, thus

the continuity of the Node’s operation cannot be guaranteed.

- The connection to Internet and the operation of the broadband are neither

stable nor constant.

- The Systems Department only operates servers under the Windows

technology. The technical staff have no experience managing Linux servers

or in installing and managing Map Servers.

- The integration of the Node’s data with the information of SIAM would

depend to a great extent on the capacity of the broadband of Internet and

the response of the servers.

- The costs to hire staff for the Biodiversity Node and hiring consultants are

high, due to the physical location of the Zamorano Institute.

Installation in the CCAD

- Advantages:

- The CCAD is responsible for the Environmental Observatory.

- The CCAD could take on the costs of operating the Biodiversity Node in the

long term.

- It would facilitate the integration of the Node’s data with the Environmental

Observatory.

- All the systems of the CCAD that are vital for the success of the

environmental observatory would work under the same technology.

- The support staff for the other systems of the CCAD could provide support

to the Biodiversity Node.

- It has experience managing map servers.

- Disadvantages:

- No schedule for the implementation of the Environmental Observatory has

been developed up to now.

- It is foreseen that the hiring of the technical staff and the purchase of the

hardware and software for the environmental observatory will be done in

the second semester of 2011. The PROMEBIO-BID Project ends in May

2011 which means a lag of over 6 months between the end of the project

and the implementation of the environmental observatory.

PROPOSED SOLUTION:

After reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of the potential HOST organizations for

the installation and management of the Biodiversity Node, the consultant recommends that

the CCAD becomes the HOST. This recommendation is made taking into consideration

two important aspects that will guarantee the future of the network: 1- The possibility of

financing the operation once the PROMEBIO-BID project has ended. 2 – The need for

integration with the other systems of the CCAD and particularly with the SIAM.

Since there is a lag of over 6 months between the ending of the PROMEBIO-BID Project

and the implementation of the Environmental Observatory of the CCAD, it is

recommended to proceed in the following manner:

a. Implement initially the system at the Zamorano Institute in order to meet the

implementation schedule of the PROMEBIO-BID Project.

b. The PROMEBIO-BID Project covers the operation of the Biodiversity Node for a

minimum period of one (1) year, starting in March 2011 in order to guarantee

the time needed for the implementation of the Environmental Observatory of

the CCAD.

c. Once the Environmental Observatory is implemented, the Biodiversity Node of

PROMEBIO is moved to the CCAD and integrated to SIAM.

ANNEX 1: General Comments about the Consultancy “Generation of

Protocols” and the Indicator Methodological Sheets.

WARNING: These comments are general comments and do not take into consideration

the time and budget limitations.

The consulting “Generation of harmonized protocols and scientific advice in the

development of the model for the evaluation and monitoring of the biodiversity in Central

America” has the following objectives:

- Develop a monitoring procedures and protocols manual

- Carry out a general analysis of the nine (9) indicators of PROMEBIO

Among the products to be presented we have the following:

- Manual of the protocols and procedures of the indicators of PROMEBIO

- Technical report about the biodiversity monitoring and evaluation systems in

Central America and the analysis of the nine (9) indicators of PROMEBIO.

- Definition of monitoring sites among the countries (watersheds)

- Report about the training workshop on the protocols of the indicators

General Comments:

1- The baseline for the nine (9) indicators is not among the products to be produced

by the consultancy. According to the project proposal, several consultants will be

hired to carry out the monitoring in six (6) border watersheds in the region. These

consultancies will serve to create a common baseline for two (2) indicators related

to species: Presence of indicator species and Presence of Invasive Species.

The indicator Species in Danger of Extinction, according to the indicator

methodological sheet, will not be calculated with these monitoring consultancies.

The indicators related to Ecosystems and Eco-regions are not indicators of

geographical analyses supported by table data. The project does not indicate how

the baseline for the indicators will be developed or how the monitoring of the

indicators will continue after the baseline. In e-mails exchanged among the

consultants of the protocols consultancy, it is mentioned that they will develop

some baselines, but it is important to know whether it will be possible to download

these baselines and maps at the country level or if they will only be at the regional

level. The following table can be used to identify what the indicator methodological

sheets requests and what will be provided by the consultants of the Generation of

Protocols consultancy.

Indicator Outcome Consultant will

provide What is lacking

Surface covered in the region by ecosystem type

Tables Maps

Statistical table Map

Surface of established government and private coastal-marine and terrestrial (Under legal protection)

Tables Maps

Statistical table Map

Forested Area of the Territory Tables Maps

Statistical table Map

Distance among patches of the target ecosystem

Tables Graphics

Statistical table Graphics Map*

Size of the patches of the target ecosystem

Table Map

Statistical table Map*

Shape of the patches (length of the edge) of the target ecosystem

Table Map

Statistical table Map*

* It is important to clarify whether the ecosystems map generated by the indicator “Surface covered in the region by ecosystem type” will serve as map of the indicators related to fragmentation, since according to the methodology, the source of the statistical tables is this map.

2- One of the objectives of the protocols consultancy is to develop a general analysis

of the nine (9) indicators of PROMEBIO. I am concerned that up to now the

consultants have not presented improvements or adjustments to the indicators

proposed in 2005, and about how these indicators can be measured, particularly

the indicators related to Species. It is important to present these adjustments as

soon as possible in order to validate these changes with CT-BIO, CT-SIAM in order

to be able to define the possible sources of data and the designs of the databases

that will guarantee as much as possible the automatization of the collection of

these indicators. This product is the BASIS of the implementation of PROMEBIO,

thus we cannot wait until the end to see the final methodological sheets for the

indicators.

The consultant has found the following deficiencies in the indicators:

a. The indicators do not include who will be the real responsible people or

organization that will measure the indicator at the national and regional

levels. Some indicators mention the responsibility of certain institutions to

measure the indicator. It is important to start working on developing

agreements with these institutions responsible of the indicators in order to

involve them in the development of the baseline and to be able to work with

them in generating these indicators in an ongoing basis once the

implementation is finished.

b. The regional indicators should be the product of the sum or average of the

national indicators. It is important to ensure that the indicators can be

disaggregated at the national level.

c. The way the indicator is presented does not make it clear what type of

graphics will better represent the indicator.

d. The scale of the maps is not specified. This is very important in order to

know whether the map developed at the regional level can be used at the

national level. Maps of very high scale cannot be used by the small

countries, such as El Salvador and Belize, or they cannot be used to carry

out regional analysis within the countries. It is recommended that as much

as possible the maps generated be at minimum at a scale of 1:250,000 (the

ideal would be 1:100,000 or smaller).

It has to be stressed that in the development of any map it is necessary to

have the participation of the technical staff and the use of information tools

that would allow the manipulation of satellite images. Thus it is important to

identify as soon as possible the staff who needs to be trained in each

country and who will continue generating and managing these maps.

As a reference it can be mentioned the forest cover map presented at the

Belize meeting with a resolution of 30m (Sensor Landsat), 1:100,000, which

is a reasonable scale for a small country like Belize. The consultants of

protocols propose to use the Sensor Modis which has a resolution of 250m,

which is 8 times smaller than the resolution of Landsat. It is recommended

that they make the necessary arrangements with CATHALAC in order to be

able to work with Landsat images.

Aster (15m x 15m) Landsat (30m x 30m) Modis (250m

x 250m)

e. Indicator “Species in Danger of Extinction”: The source of this indicator is

the “Red Book of the Flora and Fauna of Central America and Mexico

(UICN)”. This indicator must also include the red lists of each country and

whose species are not included in the IUCN regional book. The formula for

this indicator at the regional level should be the sum or the average of the

species in each country. Example:

In the project structure it has not been established who will develop the

baseline for this indicator. As mentioned above, it will not be possible to

measure this indicator through the monitoring consultancies.

This indicator could be measured in an automatic way if PROMEBIO

creates a database that contains the “Red Book of the Flora and Fauna of

Central America and Mexico (UICN)” plus the National Red Lists. This

database could be kept updated by the countries on an annual basis.

f. Indicator “Presence of indicator species”: The Concept of the Continuous

Riverside will be used for this indicator. However the indicator is limited to

determining the presence/absence of indicator species. By measuring

ONLY the presence or absence of indicator species we really do not get

significant information for the evaluation of the state of an ecosystem. This

simplification puts at the same level the fact that we may find one (1)

specimen of the same species with the fact that we find one hundred (100)

specimens of the same species. This indicator should be complemented

with information about:

Number of indicator species in the ecosystem

Population of the indicator species in the ecosystem

With information related to number of species and population of each

species the loss or gain in biodiversity in the ecosystem really can be

determined through time.

This indicator could be calculated automatically taking as the source the

data in the existing Monitoring databases in the region, or from the

databases created from the 6 proposed consultancies in the bordering

watersheds.

g. Indicator “Presence of Invasive Species”: Similarly to the previous indicator,

this indicator does not have a formula to measure it. The indicator states

that the unit is the number of introduced species and their distribution. This

indicator in reality does not measure the increase or decrease in the

population of invasive species. Measuring the increase or decrease of

invasive species would allow for the evaluation of whether the measures

taken by the governments to control these species are being effective or

not. In addition, this information could be associated to the economic cost of

controlling these species and compare it to the economic cost of the loss of

native species due to invasive species.

The way the indicator is presented is limited to a list as the means of

representation but it does not include the map of distribution of the invasive

species. This map is important in order to determine what ecosystems are

being threatened by the advancing of invasive species. It is suggested that

due to the high costs of developing species distribution maps, the five (5)

more significant invasive species in the region be selected and that maps of

the regional distribution of them be generated and about those that have

control programs.

This indicator could be calculated automatically taking as source the data in

the existing databases of invasive species or data in the monitoring

database, as long as these contain information indicating whether the

species is invasive in the ecosystem where it was collected or observed.

h. Indicator “Surface of established government and private coastal-marine

and terrestrial protected areas (Under legal regime):

This indicator has as source of information the SICAP (Central American

System of Protected Areas). The data part (tables) of this indicator could be

calculated automatically when the CCDA implements the SICAP. For the

case of PROMEBIO a temporary database could be created which would be

updated annually with information sent by each country. Another source of

data for this indicator could be the WDPA (Word Database on Protected

Areas), http://www.wdpa.org/. The WDPA has web services that facilitate

the reading of these data.

The regional map of this indicator could be created from the national maps

of protected areas. This is an advantage since all the countries member of

SICA have this updated map. The CCAD has a map for 2010 created by

CATHALAC that includes marine and terrestrial protected areas.

i. Indicator “Surface covered in the region by ecosystem type”: The regional

map for this indicator could be produced automatically if all the countries in

the region adopt the same standard for ecosystems classification in each

country. This standardization in the ecosystems maps is critical in order to

facilitate the generation of the indicators associated to ecosystem

fragmentation since these indicators are calculated from the Ecosystems

and Forest Cover Map.

j. Indicator “Distance between patches of target ecosystems.” This indicator

does not have data about its expected outcome nor observations or

documentation related to the indicator.

k. All the indicators that have maps associated or whose information would be

the result of geo-spatial analyses (ecosystems and eco-regions indicators)

CANNOT be produced automatically from satellite images. For this reason it

is important to identify and train the staff that will produce these indicators in

an ongoing basis in each country or at the regional level.

ANNEX 2: Report on the CCAD Meeting, San Salvador, El Salvador

BIODIVERSITY MONITORING AND EVALUATION PROGRAM

Trip report to San Salvador, El Salvador

Meeting location: SG-SIC Building

Participants: Margarita Salazar, CCAD -SICA

Luis Córdova, PREVDA - SICA

Boris Ramirez, Consultant for PROMEBIO-CCAD-BID

Objective of the Meeting: Getting acquainted with the implementation of the proposal for

PROMEBIO and identifying ways to integrate this implementation in the Environmental

Observatory as response to PARCA 2010-2014

AGENDA

Meeting initiated on Thursday August 12th at 2:30 PM -- end at 4:30PM

Proposed System to initiate operations of PROMEBIO and the Biodiversity Node of

PROMEBIO

o Data to be managed

o Technologies

o Standards

Regional Environmental Observatory

o Data to be managed

o Technologies

o Standards

Integration of PROMEBIO with the Regional Environmental Observatory:

o Data that can be integrated and shared: all the data

o Possibility of making data and maps compatible

Start of meeting on Friday August 13th at 8:30 AM – end at 12:00PM (Continuation

of Agenda)

Sustainability of PROMEBIO

o Definition of the site where the PROMEBIO System will be installed

o Technological conditions of the site

o Definition of the minimum needs to keep the Biodiversity Node and the

PROMEBIO site operational.

o How to continue with the monitoring

Support to the National Biodiversity Nodes (PROMEBIO-Observatory and

PREVDA)

o Possibility of creating the national nodes

o Possibility of supporting the national nodes

MEETINGS’ NOTES

After the presentations and discussions on each proposed agenda item the following

conclusions were reached:

PROMEBIO is a program with set funds until March 2011. Up to now no new

funding has been identified that would guarantee the continuity of the program

All the products developed by PROMEBIO will be integrated as follows:

o The Biodiversity Node will be part of the Biodiversity Node of the SIAM

o The Monitoring System and Tools such as GLOBIO will be part of the

Environmental Observatory.

The training component of PROMEBIO is based on the GLOBIO trainings and a

final training on the system. It is possible to carry out trainings using Dutch funds

for the SIAM, under the biodiversity node, but this option has to be explored in

order to ascertain its feasibility.

Under PARCA 2010 – 2014 it is planned to host SIAM at the SICA premises in El

Salvador. At this time the CCAD is negotiating with DSI (Direction of Information

Systems of the SICA) in order to determine the procedure to move all the systems

developed by the CCAD to the SICA premises. It is foreseen that the SICA needs

to invest in the purchase of equipment to this end and needs to have a team of

technicians to provide support to these systems. It is very likely that PROMEBIO

will have to purchase its own equipment to be installed at the SICA premises.

Under PARCA 2010-2014 the Environmental Subsystem of the SICA is planned to

be made up of

o CEPREDENAC (Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural

Disasters)

o CRRH (Hydrological Resources Regional Commission)

o CCAD (Central American Commission for Environment and Development)

This Environmental Subsystem will have two new financial tools: The Financial and

the Observatory. The Financial will be responsible for raising funds for projects and

the Observatory will seek to generate information to support decision making in the

Environmental Ministries of the region.

At the meeting it was not possible to establish what would be the technical

characteristics of the possible team for PROMEBIO. The reason was that the

CCAD it just defining the final implementation of the Environmental Observatory

and the SIAM. Once these implementations are defined, they have to be approved

by the General Secretariat of the SICA and coordinated by the Direction of

Systems and Informatics (DSI). It should be stressed that with the present

restrictions imposed by the DSI it is impossible for the System Proposed for

PROMEBIO to be implemented, since the DSI does not support the use of Open

source tools in its network. Presently the SICA uses the Microsoft technology in its

servers, but it is not clear whether they will use the same technology for the new

servers.

It is suggested that in order to finalize the implementation of PROMEBIO in March

2011, a server be leased that would allow the necessary configurations, or that

negotiations with the Zamorano Institute be carried out for the permanence of a

server for a minimum period of one (1) year, so that the CCAD may define the final

site and technology to be used to implement the SIAM and the Observatory. In

case a server is leased, this server would be located in a location other than SICA

or Zamorano.

The CCAD foresees that the Monitoring System will continue functioning through

agreements in the area of influence of the following projects: Corazon Project,

Mangrove Corridor and Trifinio Project. Other projects are in the process of being

identified that would be able to continue monitoring the other three (3) sites

proposed.

The CCAD foresees that one of the nodes of SIAM will be related to CITES.

Luis Córdova will travel to Panama the week of August 16-20, 2010 in order to

meet with CATHALAC and redefine the SIAM that is presently installed in

CATHALAC. Similarly the way in which SERVIR will continue collaborating with the

CCAD.

At present CATHALAC has contracted a consultancy with Dutch funding to carry

out a diagnostic of the SIAM. This consultancy is being carried out by Carolina

Coronado from Nicaragua. Luis Córdova was informed that PROMEBIO carried out

a similar consultancy this year for which INBio was hired. Luis Cordova received a

copy of the final report of the consultancy “Diagnostic of the capacity, gaps and

mechanisms to operate PROMEBIO”

Luis Cordova was asked to negotiate with CATHALAC the development of a forest

cover map for all the countries in the region, using the methodology used for

Belize. This map would be part of the environmental indicator number “Forest

cover of the Territory” of PROMEBIO.

Margarita Salazar points out that this year CATHALAC made a map of the

Protected Areas (Terrestrial and Marine). This digital map could be part of the

environmental indicator number 5 “Surface of declared government and private

coastal-marine and terrestrial protected areas” of PROMEBIO

PREVDA: Regional Program for the Reduction of Vulnerability and Environmental

Degradation.

http://www.sica.int/prevda, Luis Córdova.

CCAD: Central American Commission for Environment and Development.

http://www.sica.int/ccad

PARCA 2010-2014: Environmental Plan for the Central American Region 2010-

2014

ANNEX 1: Technical Specifications for the ToRs for the

consultancy “Development of information for the monitoring and

evaluation of biodiversity in Central America, PROMEBIO: Design

of applications that would facilitate the interoperability among the

systems IABIN, GBIF and PROMEBIO and Development of on line

database applications and web tools to operationalize

PROMEBIO. Linking with other sources of information.

The System of Monitoring and Evaluation of the Biodiversity in Central America will be

made up of the following subsystems:

Search System for Biodiversity Information subsystem: The system must have a

search system that allows the discovery of data and the creation of indexes of the data

contained in the databases of the PROMEBIO data providers. These databases would be

accessed in a distributed manner through web services and must be compatible with the

standards used by GBIF and IABIN for specimen and species data. The system must have

a mechanism that allows the harmonization of the information contained in GBIF and

IABIN and the database of the biodiversity node of PROMEBIO.

Among the data providers are the databases generated by the System of Monitoring of

Indicators of PROMEBIO.

The search system must be capable of searching for specimens for several variables such

as name of the species, country, provider, common name, geographic location, etc. In

addition it must allow carrying out sub searches (refined searches).

It should be possible to visualize the results of the searches in several formats such as

tables, maps and graphics. In addition it should be possible to integrate these with the

information contained in the Map Library of the Biodiversity Node or with external Map

Services like Google or SERVIR. Similarly it should be possible to print the information and

export the results of the searches.

Indicators Subsystem: The indicator subsystem will allow the storing and automatic

estimation of the nine (9) regional indicators related to Central American biodiversity.

These indicators should be deployed at the national or regional levels. The sources to

estimate the nine (9) indicators will be the following:

Indicator Source for estimating it

Species in danger of extinction.

The system should store the list of species in danger of extinction of the “Red Book of the Flora and Fauna of Central America and Mexico IUCN”, plus the Red List of each country. The system must be capable of recognizing whether the species listed belongs to the IUCN list or to the list of a country, and state the species country.

The indicator will be calculated automatically from this list.

Presence of Indicator Species

This indicator will be calculated from the information collected through the databases of the monitoring program of PRMEBIO (7 pilots), and from the indexed information from the Data Providers of Central America

Presence of Invasive Species

This indicator will be calculated from information collected through the databases of the monitoring program of PPRMEBIO (7 pilots), and from the information indexed from the Data Providers of Central America

Surface covered in the region by ecosystem type

This indicator will be deployed from the ecosystems map stored in the Map Library of PROMEBIO.

Surface of declared terrestrial and coastal-marine protected areas (including private areas)

This information should be obtained and stored locally, in an automatic manner, from the information available in the WDPA –World Database on Protected Areas- using their web services.

The system must have a mechanism to update this information.

Forest cover of the Territory

This indicator should be deployed from the forest cover map stored in the Map Library of PROMEBIO

Distance between patches of the target ecosystem

This indicator should be deployed in the form of a table of the information stored in the database

Shape of the patches of the target ecosystem

This indicator should be deployed in the form of a table of the information stored in the database.

Size of the patches of the target ecosystem

This indicator should be deployed in the form of a table of the information stored in the database.

Map Library Subsystem: The map library subsystem would allow to store and visualize

the maps generated by PROMEBIO in real time and through the web. The map library

must consider all the basic operations contained in a standard map visualizer, such as

zoom, measuring, addition of layers (polygons, points, lines), etc.

The map library must allow the uploading of new maps through interfaces of easy use, and

with access through a password.

Operations Specific to the System:

The system must have the following operations as a minimum:

A web site for PROMEBIO, such as the portal to access the information of

monitoring of the biodiversity.

A portal for indicators that allows the automatic calculation of the nine indicators of

biodiversity. The information for the calculation of the indicators related to species

will be taken from the databases of monitoring and the information for the

calculation of the indicators of ecosystems, eco-regions and fragmentation will be

taken from the maps stored in the map library of the biodiversity node. The portal

must facilitate the comparison of indicators in periods of time or by geographical

area.

A search system that facilitates the interoperability among the systems of IABIN,

GBIF and PROMEBIO, that can be integrated to the map library.

An indexing system that will generate indexes from the data made available

through the data providers registered in PROMEBIO.

A map library with a visualizer integrated to the search system.

A system for the security of the information. Establishing protocols for information

entry that should be accompanied by security levels.

Production of on demand reports with graphics, maps, statistics that support the

reports needed by the countries to comply with the responsibilities acquired with

the regional and global conventions.

Platform of the system. This platform must have the following characteristics:

It should contemplate that the users of this service manage different protocols and

platforms in their own systems, seeking their interoperability and harmonization

As much as possible, it should use open source programs of easy access to the

users, in order to foster the use and access to the system of more users. In case

open source programs cannot be used, the licenses of the programs utilized must

be transferred to the CCAD without any cost, and for the exclusive use of the

CCAD and its partners.

The solution proposed must be capable of being implemented independently of the

Operating System: Windows Server or Linux Servers.

The System for the Monitoring and Evaluation of the Biodiversity of Central

America will be installed in the servers of the Zamorano Institute.

The Source Code of the System implemented must be provided and/or the

licenses used if applicable.

A printed and digital manual about the system in which all the helps of the system

should appear, identifying platforms, programs, protocols, procedures and any

other information necessary for the implementation and use of the system.

A printed and digital manual about the installation of the system, so that other

countries can install it.