REGISTRY OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS, PROJECTS AND BIODIVERSITY DATA BASES IN SPAIN.

Version: February 2009

1.- INTRODUCTION

This Report compiles Natural History Colections and Spanish Projects that handle primary information on biodiversity as well as relevant Biodiversity Data Bases that may not belong to any colection.

The information presented here has been obtained from different sources that are listed in section 3 (Credits). One of these sources is the European BioCASE project (Biological Collection Access Service for Europe) that compiles information about European Natural History Colections using questionnaires. These questionnaires after being adapted to the Spanish requirements have been the main source of information of this report. More details about these questionnaires can be found in section 2.

The information presented here is open and updated by the Coordination Unit of the Spanish GBIF Node and is divided in two parts.

1. A general report available in pdf (in Spanish) and online; and
2. A search system where it is possible to find specific information on colections, centres/institutions and data bases.

Collections of livestock and agricultural races or varieties are not included. Palaeontological collections, with 22 centres in Spain - and about 40 collections - are not included in this report due to its particular nature.

2.- QUESTIONNAIRES AND CORRECTIONS REPORT

As it has been mentioned before, questionnaires are one of the main information sources to elaborate this report. There are two kind of questionnaires depending on the origin of data, one for centres and colections and the other for biodiversity data bases not associated to any colection.

Each questionnaire is divided in two parts as centres/projects can contain more that one colection/data base: Part A (data related to centres/projects) y Part B (data from colections/data bases).

• Centres and Natural History Colections Questionnaire
  • Part A
  • Part B
• Biodiversity Data Bases Questionnaire
  • Part A
  • Part B

Please send your corrections and additions by filling the pertinent questionnaires and send them to cuestionarios@gbif.es.

3.- CREDITS

The information presented here is based on data provided by BioCASE (Biological Collection Access Service for Europe): a scientific research project of the European Commission included in the "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development" thematic programme of the Fifth Framework Programme (1998-2002).

Information has been compiled from 4 main sources:

1. An existing database of collection addresses and descriptions provided by BioCISE, BioCASE predecessor.
2. Existing thematic networks, some of which were already collaborating with GBIF Spain, and some other centres who where contacted and identified later.
3. Nationwide workshops.
4. Mail, e-mail and telephone surveys carried out in Spain by Carmen Diéguez's team, and recently by Jorge Lobo's team, from the National Museum of Natural Science (Spanish Council for Scientific Research) - Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.

We believe that data about Spanish collections, projects and data bases collated here is an accurate representation of the real situation about biodiversity data in Spain. The compilers of this report would appreciate to receive any corrections, including omissions, to the data presented here, by e-mail to cuestionarios@gbif.es.