http://www.icsu.org/DIVERSITAS
Dear Ms Bergfeld, thank you for your e-mail of 13 March, and I apologise for my delay in replying.
The DIVERSITAS Secretariat is very pleased that you would like to publicise some of the programmes that are running under the DIVERSITAS umbrella. I am sorry that at the moment our web site is not very upto date because we have been unable to edit it for some time, but I am hoping that this will soon be possible. In the meantime I have put a pack of information in the post to you, which I hope you will find useful. We are happy for you to discuss the projects and publicise them on your web server.
You might also like to know that we have an International Biodiversity Observation Year 2001 initiative currently under way - you can find out more about that on their web site which is at http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/iboy/. I have passed on a copy of your e-mail to Dr Gina Adams in the IBOY Secretariat.
If you need any further information then do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Pamela Harling DIVERSITAS Secretariat
Dear Dr. Bergfeld
Pamela Harling at DIVERSITAS, the international program of biodiversity science, forwarded me your email.
I was delighted to hear about your educational CD ROMs, and the activities at the upcoming PKAL workshop to strengthen undergraduate education and examine 'The future of Plant Biology'.
Pamela forwarded me your email because she thought the DIVERSITAS initiative, the International Biodiversity Observation Year (IBOY) 2001-2002 would be of particular interest to you. We would be delighted for you to discuss the IBOY at the PKAL workshop and place a link to the IBOY website http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/IBOY/ from your page. We would be very happy to make a reciprocal link.
I have provided a brief summary of the goals and activities of the IBOY at the bottom of this email. IBOY's goals to enhance of biodiversity appear to be closely aligned with those of PKAL - to encourage the dissemination of scientific information in a way that will inspire people. This includes developing new partnerships for closer links between researchers and educators, and demonstrating the societal relevance of the science so that the knowledge gained can be directly applied to empower students to become responsible citizens.
Information on the projects participating in IBOY to date can be found from our webpage http://www.nrel.colostate.edu. We have may outstanding research, information technology and informal education projects (including museum exhibits, an IMAX film, CD-roms, a television series on BBC world). The IBOY website itself will be developed to include educational resources. However, we have fewer 'formal' education projects across schools and universities, especially projects that involve students, and would like to strengthen this area of the IBOY. We would be very grateful for your suggestions of international projects that would be interested in participating in the IBOY.
If I can provide you with any further information, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes,
Gina Adams.
The need for an IBOY was identified following agreement within the international scientific community that although the loss of biodiversity we are facing is a global crisis, this message has yet to reach the public and policymakers. Further, we believe there is a need to infuse new energy into scientific research and education on biodiversity.
IBOY has two major objectives:
To date, the IBOY Steering Committee has accepted 35 international projects for the IBOY portfolio. Each is independently directed and will deliver a product during the IBOY. The projects showcase biodiversity and address crucial biodiversity questions such as, 'What do we have?', 'Where is it?', 'How is it changing?' and 'How can we conserve it?'. They fall into three categories: a) Scientific voyages of discovery - to describe the world's species, their genetic properties and interrelationships with each other, ecosystems and society. b) Informatics - to organize, interlink and deliver biological information for use by all sectors of society. c) Education and outreach - to convey accurate and timely information on biodiversity and its ecological and economical importance.
The IBOY also provides a means for integrating these projects, and through meetings, webpages, publications, festivals and films will: (a) showcase the multiple approaches required to understand and conserve the natural world (b) initiate new scientific coalitions to describe and manage complex biodiversity interrelationships (c) instigate new partnerships between science, informatics, policy and the media for better communication of biodiversity information
Gina Adams, PhD
Program Officer
DIVERSITAS-International Biodiversity Observation Year (IBOY) 2001-2002
NREL
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499