CODATAInternational Council for Science : Committee on Data for Science and Technology
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Database of Data Resources in Africa



 Albany Museum. Makana Biodiversity Centre
URL of organisationhttp://www.am.org.za/
Postal addressSomerset Street
 Grahamstown
 6139
Type of organisationScience councils and National facilities
Description oforganisationThe Albany Museum, which now falls under the Makana Municipality, has long offered expertise and housed research collections in the Natural Sciences. Such as Botany, Entomology, Freshwater Invertebrates, Freshwater Ichthyology, Ornithology, Palaeontology and Earth Sciences.
Broad subject fieldsBiological sciences. General (1200) - Earth and marine sciences. General (1400)
Description of dataset(s) or databaseThe Natural Sciences Museum houses permanent collections of terrestrial insects, freshwater invertebrates, freshwater fishes, a plant herbarium, birds, palaeontological fossils, rocks and minerals, ethnographic and archaeological material. The History Museum houses an important collection of historical artefacts as well as a genealogical archive relating to the 1820 British Settlers. The Fine Art collection is also housed in the History Museum.
Accessible via the Internethttp://www.am.org.za/collections
KeywordsBiodiversity information; Conservation; Botany; Entomology; Ornithology; Freshwater invertebrates; Freshwater ichthyology
E-mail Click here to send an e-mail message
Telephone number+27 46 622-2312 or +27 46 622-2312
Fax number+27 46 622-2398 or +27 46 622-2398



 University of Cape Town. Avian Demography Unit
AbbreviationsADU
URL of organisationhttp://adu.org.za/
Postal addressPrivate Bag
 Rondebosch
 7701
Type of organisationHigher education sector
Description oforganisationThe Avian Research Unit is a research unit at the University of Cape Town. It's mission is to contribute to the understanding of bird populations, especially population dynamics, and thus provide input to their conservation
Broad subject fieldsBiological sciences. Zoology (1209)
Accessible via the Internethttp://adu.org.za/metadata.php
KeywordsBirds studies; Biodiversity information; BIRP: Birds In Reserves Project; CAR: Biannual roadcounts of large; CWAC: Coordinated Waterbird Counts; SABAP1: Southern African Bird Atlas; SABCA: Southern African Butterfly Conservation Assessment; SAFAP: Atlas of the Frogs of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland; SAFRING: Southern African Bird Ringing Unit; SARCA: Southern African Reptile Conservation Assessment
E-mail Click here to send an e-mail message
Telephone number+27 21 650-2421/3 or +27 21 650-2421/3
Fax number+27 21 650-3301 or +27 21 650-3301



 South African Biodiversity Information Facility
AbbreviationsSABIF; SIBIS
URL of organisationhttp://www.sabif.ac.za or http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/online-biodiversity-data/sabif-3/
Postal addressPrivate Bag X7
 Claremont
 7735
Type of organisationGovernment sector
Description oforganisationSABIF is a network consisting of key national partners and stakeholders who provide data through the SABIF portal and the end users of the data. These include museums, herbaria, universities, conservation agencies, government agencies and departments and non-governmental agencies.
Broad subject fieldsBiological sciences. General (1200) - Earth and marine sciences. General (1400)
Name of database/datasetSANBI Intergrated Biodiversity Information System (SIBIS)
Description of dataset(s) or databaseBiodiversity data from South African data providers.
Accessible via the Internethttp://www.sabif.ac.za/ OR http://sibis.sanbi.org/
KeywordsBiodiversity information; Biodiversity data
E-mail Click here to send an e-mail message
Telephone number+27 21 799 8800 or +27 21 799 8800
Fax number+27 21 799 6903 or +27 21 799 6903



 University of Cape Town. Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
URL of organisationhttp://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
Postal addressPrivate Bag
 Rondebosch
 7701
Type of organisationHigher education sector
Description oforganisationThe mission of the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology is to promote and undertake scientific studies involving birds, that contribute to the practise affecting the maintenance of biological diversity and sustained use of biological resources
Broad subject fieldsBiological sciences. Zoology (1209)
KeywordsEcology; Estuarine conservation; Seabird conservation; Ornithology; Birds; Biodiversity
Contact information Phil Hockey
E-mail Click here to send an e-mail message
Telephone number+27 21 650-3290/1/7 or +27 21 650-3290/1/7
Fax number+27 21 650-3295 or +27 21 650-3295



 South African National Biodiversity Institute
AbbreviationsSANBI
URL of organisationhttp://www.sanbi.org/
Postal addressPrivate Bag X101
 Pretoria
 0001
Type of organisationScience councils and National facilities
Description oforganisationThe aim of South African National Biodiversity Institute is to champion the exploration, conservation, sustainable use, appreciation and enjoyment of South Africa's exceptionally rich biodiversity for all South Africans.
Broad subject fieldsBiological sciences. Botany (1204) - Earth and marine sciences. Ecology and environmental science (1402)
Name of database/datasetSpecies Status Database
Description of dataset(s) or databaseThe database provides a centralised storage location for information on the status of South African species. It also provides basic information pertaining to the relevant species such as descriptions of their habitat, common names and distribution ranges. Amongst others, it will provide information on the status of species under the various legislation that govern species in South Africa as well as IUCN red data list assessments of the conservation status of species.
Accessible via the Internethttp://speciesstatus.sanbi.org/?
KeywordsBiodiversity; Mesembryanthemaceae
E-mail Click here to send an e-mail message
Telephone number+27 21 799 8632 or +27 21 799 8632



 South African National Biodiversity Institute. The National Herbarium
AbbreviationsPREHERB; SANBI
URL of organisationhttp://www.sanbi.org/programmes/biosystematics/national-herbarium/services-national-herbarium
Postal addressPrivate Bag X101
 Pretoria
 0001
Type of organisationScience councils and National facilities
Description oforganisationMission: To research and document the diversity and relationships within the southern African flora, to disseminate information thereon for the benefit of humankind and thereby to be the world's leading centre of expertise on the southern African flora. The National Herbarium is the fourth largest herbarium in the southern hemisphere. It forms part of an autonomous, state-aided organisation which was established as part of the Department of Agriculture in 1903, and known as the Botanical Research Institute, which amalgamated with the National Botanic Gardens of South Africa (Kirstenbosch), to form the National Botanical Institute, and is now the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Broad subject fieldsBiological sciences. Botany (1204)
Description of dataset(s) or databaseThe collection currently contains approximately 1.2 million specimens, of which almost 800 000 are computerised. Most specimens are from southern Africa, but the collection extends into the rest of Africa and surrounding islands and includes small collections from outside Africa. Vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and fossil plants are represented. Vascular plants: These plant specimens are kept in modern steel cabinets with magnetic sealing doors and older wooden cabinets made of different kinds of wood and now forming a valuable collection of examples of worked timber. Vascular plants are numbered according to Englerian system. Cryptogamic Herbarium (bryophytes and lichens): The cryptogamic collection of the Pretoria National Herbarium (PRE) consists of more than 80 000 mounted specimens of bryophytes (hornworts, liverworts and mosses). It contains the largest and most representative collection of southern African cryptogams. The PRE cryptogamic herbarium is the largest of its kind in Africa and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere. Bryophyte and lichen specimens are kept in a vertical file packet/box system in standard broad-side card filing cabinets. Palaeobotany Herbarium: This houses a superb collection of fossil plants from over 100 localities in southern Africa. The main emphasis is on the Late Triassic Molteno Flora (200 million years ago). The Molteno is by far the richest plant-bearing formation of any age in South Africa and is the most comprehensively sampled. Palaeobotanists Drs John Anderson and Heidi Anderson have collected over 30 000 slabs over a period of 30 years. The collection is curated according to locality and stored in systematic order in cabinets specially designed to accommodate the heavy rocks.
Accessible via the Internethttp://www.sanbi.org/programmes/biosystematics/national-herbarium/collections-national-herbarium
KeywordsTaxonomy; Systematics; Plants; Herbarium management; Collection management
E-mail Click here to send an e-mail message
Telephone number+27 12 843-5000 or +27 12 843-5000
Fax number+27 12 804-3211 or +27 12 804-3211