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

This report by Ángela M. Suárez-Mayorga examines the availability, management, and utility of biodiversity information in the Andean countries. It argues that while significant biodiversity data exists and is managed through various national and regional systems, it is often inaccessible or insufficiently standardized to support critical environmental policy and climate change decision-making.

• Contrary to common perceptions of a lack of biodiversity data, research is actively conducted and information is produced across all member countries of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), covering genes, organisms, and ecosystems.
• 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 central portal.
• A significant portion of biodiversity information regarding Andean countries is stored in institutions and databases outside their own territories, with the United States providing more data to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) for species in Colombia than Colombia itself does.
• Existing biodiversity information is often insufficient for decision-makers because it lacks standardization, is not easily combinable, and focusesC focuses on 'what and where' rather than functional aspects or relationships with human health and economy.
• The region currently lacks the capacity to answer complex questions regarding the intersection of climate change and biodiversity, such as the cost of disease spread due to temperature increases or the specific amount of páramos needed to guarantee water for specific municipalities.
• The author proposes several lines of action to improve biodiversity information management, including the use of metadata catalogs (led by Colombia), the adoption of international standards, the mandatory publication of publicly funded data, and the creation 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} }