'29th National Biodiversity Institutions Alliance Regular General Assembly and Workshop'
to Be Held Starting April 22
In celebration of Earth Day, a meaningful event will be held to reaffirm the importance of responding to climate change and conserving biodiversity.
The National Science Museum announced on the 21st that it will host the "29th Regular General Assembly and Workshop of the National Biodiversity Institutions Alliance" at the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea over two days, April 22 and 23.
The event will be attended by around 80 heads and secretaries from 27 member institutions of the National Biodiversity Institutions Alliance, including the National Science Museum, National Arboretum, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Mungyeong Natural Ecology Museum, as well as Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum and other national and public institutions. They will discuss the exchange of biodiversity information and ways to enhance cooperation.
The meeting will cover topics such as the promotion of joint academic research on climate change by the Korea node (KBIF) of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and the establishment and operation of a collaborative network among domestic GBIF data publishing institutions.
During the subsequent workshop, research presentations will be given on various taxonomic groups?including birds, plants, fish, mushrooms, spiders, and marine organisms?based on the results of the joint academic survey conducted last year in the Namhae-gun area.
Outstanding research achievements are published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity (JAPB), a specialized academic journal on biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific region jointly issued by the National Science Museum and the National Arboretum, thereby contributing to academic exchange both domestically and internationally.
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an intergovernmental international organization established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to create an open-access system for global biodiversity information.
A total of 106 countries and organizations participate in GBIF. Korea became a full member in 2001, with the Ministry of Science and ICT serving as the government representative.
Kwon Seokmin, Director of the National Science Museum, stated, "The National Biodiversity Institutions Alliance will continue its efforts not only in the collection and investigation of biological information, but also in expanding research directions in line with national policies on biodiversity and climate change, so as to take the lead in research addressing climate change."
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