Institutional
Alexander von Humboldt: What is the origin of the Institute´s name?
The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Research on Biological Resources owes its name to one of the most important science figures of the 19th century. Although he is a renown figure, his biography is not well known.
Humboldt was born in Berlin, Germany, to a well-off family. His love for travelling was apparent at an early age. In 1790, Humboldt made his first academic trip to England. Afterwards, he studied in the Freiberg Mining Academy and afterwards worked as a government employee. He formed ties with important art and science figures in Germany such as Goethe and Schiller.
In 1700, he planned his first trip to the Americas with Aimé Bonpland. This expedition started in La Coruña, Spain, on June 5, 1799 and continued until 1804 when he returned to Europe. In this experience, Humboldt collected data on climate, resources, flora and fauna of the New World. Afterwards, he moved to Paris where he served as a diplomat for almost 25 years. On May 6, 1859, Humboldt died at the age of 89. His remains rest in Tegel.
Among his most important contributions to science are the records of his expeditions, totaling 30 volumes, to the Americas. These studies and others are considered the foundation of modern geography, geophysics, and seismology.
What necessity does the Humboldt Institute respond to?
Biodiversity provides essential services for health and development, not only for particular species with nutritious and medicinal attributes, but also for ecosystems that, if are kept in their state, regulate the climate and water, and control the diffusion of infectious diseases.
Within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified by Colombia in 1994, the Institute generates the necessary knowledge to evaluate the state of biodiversity of Colombia and to make sustainable decisions in relation to biodiversity.
What have been the Institute Humboldt´s results up to today?
The Institute has generated an array of informatic knowledge and tools on biodiversity. For instance, the red books on threatened flora and fauna allow the standardized identification of protection and management of endangered species; The Colombian Biodiversity Information System aims to provide researchers, decision makers and the general public with answers on, primarily, species and ecosystems.
Likewise, the Institute has developed a research line on biocommerce that led to the founding of the Colombian Biocommerce Fund. The Institute has created the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Tissue Bank, it has designed conservation tool for land management and has carried out large-scale projects such as GEF Andes, GEF Biosecurity, GTZ Orinoquia, the subglobal evaluation as a contribution to the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment and exercises of environmental planning for the hydrocarbon sector. In relation to contributing to the decision making process, the Institute participated in the construction of the National Policy on Biodiversity (1996) and is contributing to the updating of this policy.
Moreover, the institute has worked with the MAVDT, the regional environmental authorities, ethnic communities and producing sectors to promote sustainable management of biodiversity. It has also engaged in technical and methodological consulting for the formulation and execution of regional action plans for biodiversity in Northern Santander, Quindio, Cauca Valley, Nariño, Orinoquia and the Southern Amazon region.
In addition, since 2010, the Humboldt Institute has been a formal member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Uicn).
What is the Humboldt Institute focusing its work on currently?
The Institute has focused its efforts on existing links between biodiversity and human well being for which it developing studies on relations between biodiversity - human health and biodiversity - nutritional security in the different pertinent dimensions and from an ecosystemic approach. In the same way, it has focused its efforts on increasing public awareness on the importance of biodiversity.
What does the Humboldt Institute do?
Created through Law 99 of 1993, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Research on Biological Resources was founded in June of 1995. It is the biodiversity research branch of the National Environmental System (Sina). The institute is a civil nonprofit corporation linked to the Ministry of Environment, Housing, and Territorial Development (MAVDT). The Institute is responsible for carrying out scientific research on biodiversity in Colombia. This includes research on hydrobiological and genetic resources. In addition, the Institute coordinates the National System of Information on Biodiversity and the formation of the national biodiversity inventory.
How can I become involved with the Humboldt Institute?
Academic Participation: Be an intern at the Institute. For the moment, there are no scholarship or theses opportunities. Consult the list of universities that already have agreements with the Institute.
How can I find bibliographical information on biodiversity?
Humboldt Institute Library
Calle 28 a # 15 - 09
Tel. (571) 3202767 ext. 6105
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How can I obtain publications of the Humboldt Institute?
Library loans: Library catalogue (in spanish)
PDF Download: Institutional Publications (in spanish)
Institutional donation and exchange:
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General Information:
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Where can I get information on statistics and general data on biodiversity?
In the Colombian Biodiversity Information System portal.
Where and how can biological collections be registered?
The Humboldt Institute coordinates the National Registry of Biological Collections. More information in this link.
Where can I find more information on paramos of Colombia?
See Andean Paramo Project portal.
end faq
Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (http://www.cbd.int/doc/legal/cbd-es.pdf), the term, biodiversity or biological diversity, refers to the variety of live organisms of any type. This variety can be measured in terms of different species (the wax palm, the caiman of the plains, etc.), of the variability within a single species, or the existence of distinct ecosystems. An ecosystem is the basic unit of nature. It is composed of the living organisms, the non-living environment and its interrelations. In this sense, biodiversity is the living expression of the evolutional and geological history of the planet.
How diverse is Colombia in terms of species and how are they distributed throughout the country?
Based on the number of species of flora and vertebrae fauna, Brazil and Colombia have the highest number of species, with more than 52,000 species. According to the Ideam (2002), the largest quantity of species in Colombia are found concentrated in the Andean region with close to 10,000 species, followed by 6,800 in the Amazon region, 7,500 species in the Pacific region, 3,429 species in the Caribbean region, 2,200 species in the Orinoquia region and 824 species in the inner region. Moreover, practically every week, there is a discovery of a new species (frogs and toads, birds, insects, fish, microorganisms) and there are still many that have yet to be identified.
Why is Colombia so diverse?
Fundamentally, the answer lies in the convergence of large natural geographical area of the country (biogeographic regions) such as the two oceans, the Andes, the Cauca and Magdalena valleys, the Amazon, the Orinoquia, and the antique formation such as the Macarena mountain range and the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta.
Why is biodiversity important for humans?
Ecosystems, whose functioning depends on biodiversity, provide the basic necessities of life (e.g., food, clean water and air), offer protection from natural disasters and disease (e.g., by regulating climate, floods and pests), and shape human cultures and spiritual beliefs. Besides those provisioning, regulating and cultural services they provide, ecosystems also support and maintain life processes such as biomass production and nutrient cycling (supporting services) which are essential to human well-being.
More information: Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005.
Can the value of biodiversity be estimated in economic terms?
In one of the first efforts to calculate a global number, a team of researchers from the United States, Argentina, and the Netherlands has put an average price tag of US$33 trillion a year on these fundamental ecosystem services, which are largely taken for granted because they are free. That is nearly twice the value of the global gross national product (GNP) - US $18 trillion. Other studies have estimated the value of specific ecosystem services: For example, the pollinization of crops by bees, birds and other animals has been estimated to an annual US $200 million.
More information: http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8381.
Is biodiversity in danger?
Yes. Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history. A third of mangroves, for example, have disappeared in only the last two decades. Moreover, according to calculations, humans are responsible for the extinction of species at a pace that is one thousand times great to the nature´s in the last decades.
The loss of biodiversity has significant impacts for humans. 15 of 24 ecosystem services that contribute directly to the well being of humans are diminishing.
More information: Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005.
What are the causes of biodiversity loss?
The Millenium Ecosystems Assessment, the most complete revision of the state of global biodiversity today, identified five main contributors of biodiversity loss:
- Habitat Changes: For example, deforestation for livestock, agriculture, mining and road construction
- Climate Change: See below.
- Invasive species: that threaten native species populations. In Colombia,some examples of invasive species are the bullfrog, the floating plant and the common gorse (Ulex europaeus).
- Over exploitation of resources: For examples, unsustainable fishing that does not allow fish populations to recover.
- Pollution: For example, nitrogen produced in the manufacturing of fertilizers can change the composition of ecosystems.
More information: Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005.
Should we be working to save certain species?
The key is not only saving individual species but ecosystems as a whole. The reason is that many of the biodiversity services that we benefit from depend on functions that come from ecosystems, in relation to its components and the interaction between them: For example, paramos that provide water to large urban populations. As a result, when managing biodiversity in a country, the focus is on ecosystems.
What activities help to conserve species and ecosystem diversity?
Perhaps the most well known strategy is creating protected areas: in Colombia, the creation of 55 national parks, for example, represents a great achievement towards conservation. However, to fully conserve biodiversity, the idea is to go beyond immediate conservation and seek mechanisms to change development models. This is achieved through biodiversity management policies that have been created in different countries.
At the individual level, as everyday citizens, the first step is to recognize ourselves as part of the problem and consequently, part of the solution. We must be conscious of the way that we obtain resources and how we manage waste that we generate daily. Other key solutions are to consume only what is necessary, to reuse and to recycle.
How are climate change and biodiversity related?
Biodiversity is a victim of climate change, but it also represents a solution to the problem. On the one hand, according to the IPCC (2002) climate change directly affects the functions of individual organisms (growth and behavior) and its populations, and equally affects the distribution of ecosystems such as its structure and function in decomposition, nutrient cycles, water flows, species composition and interaction.
On the other hand, biodiversity conservation mitigates climate change since forests and other ecosystems capture carbon. Ecosystems also help us to adapt to changes in temperature, rain and the increase of extreme natural phenomenon: wetlands and mangroves, for example, provide protection from floods. This is known as ¨adaptation based on ecosystems¨, a concept led by the environmental network, the UICN. http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/uicn_documento_de_posicion_eba_cmnucc_cop_15_1.pdf
