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DEVELOPMENT OF A GLOBAL
DATABASE
The need
for information To
date, at the global level, relatively little is known about the whereabouts,
extent and condition of the remaining areas of TMCF. In particular, detail
is required on the protection status, biological importance, socio-economic
conditions and current threats on a site by site basis. Although in some
cases detailed information exists for specific sites, it is widely scattered
and often not generally available.
In response
to these issues, the TMCF Symposium in Puerto Rico was organised with the
aim of drawing together information on the global extent of TMCFs. In addition
to producing regional maps showing general concentrations of TMCF, and a
list of sites by region and country, the participants made a series of recommendations
concerning general and specific research needs.
As a priority,
they recommended that relevant information should be collected and analysed
in a co-ordinated way in order to improve under- standing of these ecosystems,
and to ensure that reliable information is made available to a range of
users for effective decision making. They also proposed the development
of a standardised methodology and format for collecting informa- tion, through
a world-wide inventory of TMCFs, with textual, numerical and spatial data
stored on a centralised database at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(WCMC).
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Philip
Bubb
Tropical Montane Cloud Forest Initiative
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
219 Huntingdon Road
Cambridge
CB3 0DL United Kingdom
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Information
Enquiries
Tel: +44 (0)1223 277722
Main Switchboard
Tel:
+44 (0)1223 277314
Fax: +44 (0)1223 277136
Email:philip.bubb@unep-wcmc.org
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