¿Qué hacer con la información sobre biodiversidad en los países andinos?

The report argues that while biodiversity information exists across the Andean countries, it is often inaccessible or poorly standardized for policy use. It highlights the leadership of Colombia and Peru in implementing federated information systems and notes that a significant amount of regional biodiversity data is held in institutions outside the countries of origin. The author identifies critical gaps in functional and relational data—such as the impact of climate change on health and economy—and proposes a regional framework for metadata cataloging, data standardization, and the creation of strategic information products to support decision-making.

• Biodiversity research and information production are active in all member countries of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), evidenced by regional platforms like CVLac - GrupLac and national Clearing House Mechanisms (CHM).
• Colombia and Peru are the regional leaders in implementing biodiversity information systems, utilizing a 'network of networks' (federated or distributed) model where institutions maintain custody of their data while making it visible through a single portal.
• A substantial portion of biodiversity data for Andean countries is stored in foreign institutions; for example, the United States provides more georeferenced species data for Colombia to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) than Colombia itself does, with 147,835 records.
• Despite the existence of data, environmental authorities often perceive a lack of information because existing data is frequently not standardized, not easily combined, or not presented in a way that is useful for decision-making.
• There are significant knowledge gaps regarding the functional aspects of biodiversity and its relationship with human health, economy, and climate change adaptation, making it currently impossible to answer complex questions about the cost-efficiency of land use or the specific impact of temperature increases on diseases like dengue and malaria.
• The author proposes several lines of action for the region, including the use of metadata catalogs (led by Colombia's Cassia® tool), the adoption of international standardization, the mandatory publication of publicly funded data, and the establishment of clear norms within the Andean Community for information exchange.

APA

Suárez-Mayorga, Á. M. (n.d.). ¿Qué hacer con la información sobre biodiversidad en los países andinos? Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE5.pdf

Chicago

Suárez-Mayorga, Ángela M. ¿Qué hacer con la información sobre biodiversidad en los países andinos? Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, n.d. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Suárez-Mayorga |first1=Ángela M. |title=¿Qué hacer con la información sobre biodiversidad en los países andinos? |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{surezmayorgandhacer, author = {Suárez-Mayorga, Ángela M.}, title = {{¿Qué hacer con la información sobre biodiversidad en los países andinos?}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/DE5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }