MASDEA - MARINE SPECIES DATABASE FOR EASTERN AFRICA

EDWARD VANDEN BERGHE
RECOSCIX-WIO
P.O. Box 95832, Mombasa, Kenya

While the recent attention to biodiversity is very welcome, it is all too often forgotten that a very old branch of the biological sciences, taxonomy, is a sine qua non for any work on biodiversity, or informed decision-making in conservation. In spite of the on-going initiatives to compile taxonomic and biogeographical information, we felt that there was still a lack of comprehensive sources of information for the Western Indian Ocean region. To fill this gap, a database was set up at the RECOSCIX-WIO RDC, to capture published information on species occurring in the WIO region, and on their distribution within the region.

The software for the database is developed in Access. A short summary of the structure, and the guiding principles for development, are presented. At the time of writing, the database is about 6 MB big, with over 10,000 taxonomic, and 20,000 distribution records, extracted from about 230 published documents. A brief analysis is presented, showing that the distribution patterns as shown by the database contents reflect sampling effort, much more than real biogeographic patterns.

Apart from the main objective behind creating this database, there are two other goals we set ourselves to realise through this project. The first is to develop a directory of marine taxonomists with knowledge on the flora and fauna of the region. The RECOSCIX Project has been explicitly invited to do so by the fourth Session of the IOCINCWIO, and we hope that the contacts made during the development of the database will serve as a solid basis for such a directory. The second objective is to compile comprehensive bibliographies on the biogeography of the region, for selected groups. This will be an automatic spin-off of the main project, once it is completed, but will require input from others to improve the coverage. Everyone with an interest in marine botany or zoology is invited to join us, to bring not only this minor objective, but also the main project, to a good end.

[ITO - 98] [Welcome] [1998 - Internetional Year of the Oceans] [Objectives of ITO-98] [Plenary Lectures] [Technical Sessions] [Commercial/Corporate Presentation] [Exhibition/Demonstration] [Ocean IT CDROM] [Awards/Financial Assistance] [Fees / Charges] [Souvenir] [Post Symposium Event] [International Scientific Programme Committee] [Organizing Committee] [Schedule] [Scientific Programme Summary] [The Host] [Travelling / Accomodation] [Registration Forms] [Abstracts]

"to continously improve our understanding of the seas
around us and to translate this knowledge to benefit all"