International

The BGCI is the world authority on botanic gardens and the conservation of plants, and is the only world organization dedicated to the conservation of the world’s plant diversity. It represents botanic gardens throughout the world and provides support and training for the members of the community dedicated to conservation, so that their knowledge and experience can be placed at the service of the 20% of plants that are, at least, threatened with extinction. It has more than 700 members in 118 countries.

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organization whose objective is to provide access to the biodiversity data of the whole world with government funding. It allows any person, in any place, access to data on all types of life existing on Earth, data which are shared across national borders via the Internet. It provides access to more than 500 million records on more than 1.5 million species.

 

ECSA, an association founded in 2014 with the support of organizations from more than 17 countries of the European Union and beyond, who work together with environmental managers to stimulate the growth of the Citizen Science Movement in Europe and on the international level. It is made up of citizen science initiatives, research institutions, universities, museums and other organizations.

The Biological Collection Access Services for Europe is a transnational network of all kinds of biological collections. BioCASE allows unified general access to heterogenous European collections and observational databases using open-source, independent software, as well as open-data standards and protocols.

The European Bird Census Council is an association of expert ornithologists who cooperate in very different ways to improve the monitoring of birds and draw up an atlas in order to provide information and help with the management and conservation of bird populations in Europe.

The Network of Mediterranean Plant Conservation contributes to the conservation of the genetic resources of the Mediterranean flora. It is made up of local, regional and national governments, universities and research centres from seven different countries, including member states of the European Union and other Mediterranean countries.

The MGS is a not-for-profit association founded in Greece in 1994 and its objective is to build a forum or meeting place for all people who have a special interest in the plants and gardens of the regions that share a Mediterranean climate. The MGS is a Greek society with members in 38 countries around the world.

The objective of the AIMJB is the collaboration between member botanic gardens through the promotion and coordination of common action projects and the encouragement of the exchange of knowledge, experience, documentation and plant material. It is made up of botanic gardens of Spain and Portugal.

David Bertran (Botanical Garden of Barcelona) is a member of the board of the AIMJB.

The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) was established in 1969 in Amsterdam to function as a medium for international co-operation between archives that preserve recorded sound and audiovisual documents.

IASA has members from 70 countries representing a broad palette of audiovisual archives and personal interests which are distinguished by their focus on particular subjects and areas, eg archives for all sorts of musical recordings, historic, literary, folkloric and ethnological sound documents, theatre productions and oral history interviews, bio-acoustics, environmental and medical sounds, linguistic and dialect recordings, as well as recordings for forensic purposes.

The AGS promotes interest in all aspects of Alpine plants, gardening and rock gardens, as well as the conservation of these plants in their natural habitat.

The Palaeontographical Society was founded in 1847 and is the oldest such society specifically dedicated to the advancement of paleontological knowledge.

The International Council of Museums is a non-governmental organization that works on the international stage and is made up of museum and professional institutions. Its main objective is the conservation, maintenance and diffusion of human cultural and natural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible. It is made up of 32,000 members from 136 countries, 117 national committees and 30 international committees, which represent the different fields of specialization of the museums.

Anna Omedes, director of the MCNB, is a member of the ICOM NatHist Board, a professional group composed exclusively of members of ICOM , which focuses on the study of museums and collections of natural sciences.

ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums of Natural Sciences, prepared by the Working Group of Ethics ICOM International Committee NATHIST . Approved unanimously on 16 August 2013 , during the 23rd General Assembly of ICOM , held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil ) .

The objective of the Earth Science Teachers’ Association is the promotion of education by encouraging and supporting the teaching of earth sciences at all levels, whether in a single field, such as geology, or as part of science, geography or other areas of knowledge.

Ecsite, the European Network of Science Centres and Museums, includes more than 350 organizations devoted to awakening interest in science and technology, and facilitating dialogue between science and society. The members of Ecsite are science centres, museum, aquaria, zoos, festivals, planetaria, universities and open laboratories, foundations and scientific societies, companies, local governments, etc.

The Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB) is a full member of Ecsite and Anna Omedes, director of the MCNB, is the Vice President of ECSITE and a member of the steering committee of the Nature Group.