MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ICSU/SCAR/SCAR-MARBIN
SCAR-MarBIN (SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network) establishes and supports a distributed system of interoperable databases, forming the OBIS (Ocean Biogeographic Information System) Antarctic Node, under the aegis of SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research). SCAR-MarBIN compiles and manages existing and new information on Antarctic marine biodiversity by coordinating, supporting, completing and optimizing database networking. SCAR-MarBIN integrates these efforts, giving a single and easy access to the marine biodiversity information and maximizing the exploitation of these resources. SCAR-MarBIN will leave a highly valuable legacy for future generations, in the form of a powerful information tool, which will provide a baseline reference for comparison with the future and past. SCAR-MarBIN is closely linked to the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), an ambitious 5-year project which will investigate the distribution and abundance of Antarctica's marine biodiversity. CAML will focus the attention of the public on the ice-bound oceans of Antarctica during the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007/08. SCAR-MarBIN is implemented within the Belgian Biodiversity Platform (BBPF). SCAR-MarBIN is supported by the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (SLOAN) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) (SCAR). SCAR-MarBIN is a Core International Polar Year Initiative (IPY).