FACT SHEET English / Inglés (PDF) Spanish / Español (PDF)

Participate in the PTN! If you would like to participate in the PTN, please use this form to tell us about yourself and your interest in the PTN. Download form (DOC) Please return completed forms to IABIN-PTN Coordinator: Email: iabinptn(at)coevolution.org Mail: Coevolution Institute 423 Washington St. 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111 USA Fax: (USA) 415-362-3070

The IABIN Pollinators Thematic Network (PTN) is one of six thematic networks established under the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN). In late 2005, the IABIN issued a Request for Expressions of Interest, seeking to identify a coordinating institution or institutions for the Pollinators Thematic Network. A consortium, lead by The Pollinator Partnership (P2) was announced as the successful candidate for coordinating and developing the PTN.

The Co-Principal Investigators on the IABIN PTN project are Ms. Laurie Adams (Executive Director of The Pollinator Partnership - P2), Dr. Antonio Mauro Saraiva (Coordinator of the Agricultural Automation Lab at the University of Sao Paulo Polytechnic School), and Dr. Michael Ruggiero (United States Geological Survey Biological Informatics Program).

Goals
The goal of the PTN is to develop a network of linked and integrated databases among major pollinator data sources and IABIN members that share critical pollinator-related content through a common set of data standards and exchange protocols. The primary content will be a dynamic and linked online catalogue of pollinators of the western hemisphere, which includes data on (1) names (checklists) of bees, hummingbirds, bats, and other important pollinating species; (2) specimens in major collections; (3) pollinator contacts or people; (4) pollinator-plant associations; (5) literature on pollinators; and (6) other data as available (for example geographic, genetic barcode, etc.).

The PTN will be interoperable with other IABIN Thematic Networks (for example, invasive species, species, and specimens) and global pollinator initiatives, and will provide tools and Web resources in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is a principal institutional partner in this project, providing technical expertise, information management and Web hosting infrastructure, and other technical support for the network.