Bibikely Biodiversity Institute
Encyclopedia
| Founded: | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Charter: | Promote the understanding and conservation of Madagascar's endemic invertebrate species; educate students of Madagascar in the sciences of systematics, ecology, conservation and entomology |
| Location: | Madagascar Biodiversity Center Madagascar Biodiversity Center -Introduction:Madagascar's first and only biodiversity research center, the Bibikely Biodiversity Center is a joint project of the Bibikely Biodiversity Institute, and the California Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Malagasy government.... , Park Tsimbazaza, Madagascar Madagascar The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa... |
| Status: | Active, Growing. |
| Executive Director: | Dr. Brian Fisher Brian Fisher Brian L. Fisher is a field biologist who works on the systematics of arthropods, with a particular focus on ants. He has discovered over 1000 species, including 800 species of ant in Madagascar. He mainly conducts field work in Madagascar and Africa.-Career:After working with the Smithsonian... |
| Managing Director: | |
| Fundraising Coordinator: | Jonathan Betts-LaCroix Jonathan Betts-LaCroix Jonathan Betts-LaCroix is the Chief technical officer of OQO.Prior to founding OQO, Jonathan built Analog Design, an electronics design-and-build firm with clients such as IBM Corporation, Apple Computer, and Maxtor. In 1998, he was a founder and the primary technical contributor at Unilinear,... |
The Bibikely Biodiversity Institute is the primary research and training organization for the study of arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
Since the first inventory in 1992, the Institute's activities have evolved into one of the most important projects for the advancement of arthropod training and research across Madagascar.
The Institute was founded in 1992 by Dr. Brian Fisher
Brian Fisher
Brian L. Fisher is a field biologist who works on the systematics of arthropods, with a particular focus on ants. He has discovered over 1000 species, including 800 species of ant in Madagascar. He mainly conducts field work in Madagascar and Africa.-Career:After working with the Smithsonian...
, preeminent field biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, and the curator and chairman of the entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
department of the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
. Dr. Fisher is also the present executive director of the Institute.
Inventory
This project has become one of the largest arthropod inventory programs ever undertaken.Over the last 12 years, field crews have inventoried 112 sites across Madagascar. In Madagascar, a team of 15 taxonomic assistants sorted and processed over a million specimens. For ants alone, over 800 new species have been discovered. The Arthropod Inventory of Madagascar project has demonstrated the feasibility of the effort to collect, process, and prepare enormous quantities of taxonomically rich specimens across diverse, large-scale landscapes.
Inventory of the island's rich arthropod fauna remains incomplete, but the success of the current effort has brought us closer to achieving this goal.
Education
Many students receive a significant part of their education working with the Institute. A particular focus is training students from Madagascar.Biodiversity Center
The Institute is the driving force behind the incipient Madagascar Biodiversity CenterMadagascar Biodiversity Center
-Introduction:Madagascar's first and only biodiversity research center, the Bibikely Biodiversity Center is a joint project of the Bibikely Biodiversity Institute, and the California Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Malagasy government....
.
Support
The following organizations have provided funding for the Institute:- The National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
- National Geographic
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
- The McBean Family foundation
- Private individuals