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Namibian National Biodiversity
Programme
Linked Databases and Sites |
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Details within the
programme:
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Biodiversity
information
in Namibia
is
decentralised
at a
number of
the
National
Biodiversity
Programme's
partner
institutions,
as well as
held by
individuals
and
others. In
1995, the
National
Biodiversity
Task Force
took an
in-principle
decision
to
facilitate
the
computerisation
and
linking of
these
databases,
rather
than to
centralise
them in a
national
biodiversity
data
center.
Partner institutions have therefore been supported financially or
otherwise encouraged to update, computerise,
and
analyse
this
information
themselves
and, where
possible,
post
summary
details on
their own
websites.
The
Biodiversity
Programme's
small
Biodiversity
Information
System
Unit,
by
contrast,
manages
databases
held by
the DEA
(such as
the
Avifaunal
Database),
holds
copies of
others
provided
to it for
analytical
purposes,
and
conducts
GIS-based
analytical
and
synthesis
work
relating
to
Namibian
biodiversity.
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Financial support from the Federal
Republic of Germany has supported database construction and
maintenance at these institutions:
|
Institution |
Project
short
name |
Comments |
|
MET/DEA |
Avifaunal
Database
Project |
Database
constructed
in
Phase
I,
updated
in
Phase
II |
|
MET
Research
Division |
Biogeography
and
Systematics
of
Reptiles,
Amphibians,
Mammals |
Phase
II
databasing
in
support
of
national
checklists
and
red
data
lists |
|
National
Museum
of
Namibia
(NMN) |
Biogeography
and
Systematics
of
Spiders
and
Solifuges |
Phase
II
databasing
of
priority
arachnid
taxa
in
support
of
national
checklists
and
museum
needs |
| |
Biodiversity
Inventory
(insects) |
Phase
II
databasing
of
priority
insect
taxa
in
support
of
national
checklists
and
museum
information |
|
National
Botanical
Research
Institute
(NBRI) |
Tree
Atlas
Project |
Phase
I
to
Phase
III,
public
participation
project |
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Small-scale
support
to
Southern
African
Botanical
Diversity
Network
(SABONET)
activities
at
NBRI |
Purchase
of
computer
with
residual
funds
and
data
typing
services
to
support
herbarium
computerization
targets |
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Department
of
Water
Affairs
(DWA) |
Wetlands
Database
Project |
Advance
planning
and
design
undertaken
by
Wetlands
Working
Group,
to
be
developed
in
Phase
III |
The
Biodiversity
Information
System
Unit has
encouraged
development
of
databases
in
MS-Access
compatible
formats,
in order
to
facilitate
national
information
syntheses.
Access to
most
databases
has
improved
significantly
by the
provision
of
web-based
summaries,
public-access
terminals
and email
enquiry
systems at
MET/DEA
and
partner
organisations.
The
Namibian
Tree Atlas
Project
database
(Phases I
and II)
should be
web-accessible
in summary
form and
support
user
queries by
12/2001.
Click
here
to
download
atlas data
sheets
(680 Kb).
The
Namibian
National
Biodiversity
Programme
has an
extensive
reference
collection
of over
1000
journal
articles,
magazine
articles
and other
documents
in the
fields of
biodiversity,
biotechnology,
trade in
biological
resources,
scientific
conservation
biology
and
evolutionary
ecology.
Most
of these
documents
are
available
from the
National
Biodiversity
Programme
Coordination
Unit in
DEA, or on
request
from
Database
Manager,
Letitia
Britz
letitia@dea.met.gov.na
at tel.
+264-(0)61-24-9015
or fax
+264-(0)61-24-0339.
Main
institutional
partners
of the
NNBP with
websites
include:
Desert
Research
Foundation
of Namibia
Long-Term
Ecological
Research
website
(hosted by
DRFN's
Netwise
networking
project)
National
Museum of
Namibia
(the only
searchable
web
biodiversity
database
of any
African
museum)
Namibia
Nature
Foundation
Geological
Survey of
Namibia
(downloadable
base maps,
palaeobiology
literature,
other
data)
Ministry
of
Agriculture,
Water and
Rural
Development
(not yet
available).
Currently
only
available
on
institutional
intranet.
See also
www.agrinamibia.com.
Will
contain
data on
two key
NNBP
partners -
NBRI and
DWA.
Ministry
of
Fisheries
and Marine
Resources
Benguela
Environment
Fisheries
Interaction
and
Training
Programme
University
of Namibia
(Science
Faculty)
- no
databases
Ministry
of Higher
Education,
Training
and
Employment
Creation
(formerly
Higher
Education,
Vocational
Training,
Science
&
Technology)
-
competent
authority
for
biosafety
regulation.
The future
Namibian
biosafety
Clearinghouse
Mechanism
will
probably
be housed
on an
independent
website
linked to
this site.
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