e Latin America and Caribbean Database Network: integrating vision and action to manage biological invasions at the continental level

Abstract

The Inter American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) was the first effort to systematize data on IAS in Latin America and the Caribbean, establishing databases in fifteen countries between 2005 and 2011. Most were discontinued over time, except Argentina, Brazil, and Jamaica. In 2020, the network began to be rebuilt with support from the BioBridge Initiative (UN-CBD). Design and programming were updated, data fields added, and CBD standards adopted for pathways, environmental (EICAT) and socio-economic impacts (SEICAT). The system became more user-friendly. All controlled vocabulary is available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Data is available on the biology and ecology of species, impacts on biodiversity, health and the economy, risk assessments, EICAT/SEICAT assessments, pathways and vectors, management options, places of occurrence, references, data providers, and projects. A cell phone application that can record data offline was de­veloped to facilitate data collection in the field and is available from the Google Play Store for the different countries. While the Argentina (773 species) and Brazil (541 species) databases were updated and have been running since 2005, the Paraguay, Uruguay (375 species compiled since 2006), and Ecuador (67 species since 2022 in the Amazon region) databases were relaunched in 2021-2022; Jamaica was updated (86 species since 2007); Chile, Costa Rica, and Honduras (now compiling data) were restored in 2023. While each country manages its own independent information system, common standards are maintained. The objective of this work was to comparatively assess these national databases, identi­fying overlaps, information gaps, and opportunities for regional cooperation. Our results reveal similarities and complementarities which allow for significant potential for cooperation in areas such as prevention, early detection and rapid response, eradication and control of invasive alien species. A continental network is being built to offer reliable data free of charge, filling a significant regional gap to support decision-making in the management of biological invasions.