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COORDINATING COMMITTEE | contacts
Dr Alvaro Herrera, Costa Rica;
Lic Cecilia Pineda, Costa Rica;
Dr José Enrique Barraza, El Salvador.
Status The proposal to establish MESOAMERINET was developed at a workshop
hosted by Guatemala in October 2003. The BioNET-LOOP has been endorsed by the governments of
El Salvador and Costa Rica and is awaiting one further
endorsement before becoming formally established according to UNDP
guidelines for technical co-operation networks.
Member countries
2: Costa Rica, El Salvador; subject to endorsement
6: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá.
Context There are several
important national and regional collections in the region but these
need support to ensure their ongoing development, maintenance and
accessibility in appropriate forms to various users, the majority of
whom are not taxonomists. As well as lack of human resources with
taxonomic expertise, there is also a lack of access to a range of
tools and services. Libraries and literature are often unavailable,
communication and transportation are unreliable, costly or
non-existent to some areas, and many potential users do not have
access to, nor expertise in, up-to-date computer hardware, software
and skills. Within the context of these problems, the countries strive to improve upon the current paucity of taxonomic capabilities through the MESOAMERINET network.
Goals and Priorities
- Strengthening and enhancement of information services and communication.
- Training of taxonomists and technicians.
- Support of the development of collections.
- Development and application of appropriate tools and technologies in taxonomy.
- Establishment and sustainability of the LOOP.
Current Activities
- Promotion of MESOAMERINET in regional forums.
- Following up on post-formulation-workshop activities.
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