GGBN - User Cases
Securing components of South Africa’s
biodiversity
GGBN Meeting
Copenhagen
6-8 July 2012
Paul Bartels
South Africa
Natural History Museums in SA
‘Their Value as a National / Global
Asset, is clearly not understood’
Collections Audit* Bioinformatics / Specimen DB**
• Out-dated databases
• Under staffed
• Under resourced • Skills, under resourced
• Migration to Access…..
• Quality deteriation
• Specify6
*Collecting now to preserve the Future. Francis Gerard et al.
(Unpublished Audit Report) 2011.
**A New Era for Specimen DB’s & Biodiversity Information
Management in SA. Willem Coetzer et al. Biodiv. Infomatics 8, 2012
Situational Analysis - Comments
• We have untapped wealth in our bioresources
• Healthcare, conservation, environment &
biotechnology development
• Secure it: - Derive benefit for society
- Maximise its use
Animal Species Richness
Species of Special Concern
Birds - 94
Special aves richness
1-8
8 - 15
15 - 24
24 - 39
Scorpion special richness
1-2
2-6
6 - 14
14 - 28
Scorpions - 42
Mammals - 79
Frogs - 21
Special mammal richness
1-2
2-4
4-6
6 - 10
Special frog richness
1
1-2
2-4
4-6
Special butterfly richness
1
1-3
3-6
6-9
Special scarab richness
1-2
2-5
5-8
8 - 17
Butterflies - 111
Scarabs - 125
Emerging Infectious
Diseases
Human encroachment
Ex situ contact
Ecological manipulation
Translocation
Encroachment
Introduction
“Spill over” &
“Spill back”
Agricultural
Intensification
Wildlife
Domestic
Animal
Human
Technology
and
Industry
Global travel
Urbanization
Biomedical
manipulation
Dasazak P. et.al.
Science 2000 287:443
Biorepositories pivotal to:
Environment
Healthcare
Conservation
Biotechnology
You are Here……. and we are Here….
Biological
Resource Bank
Unique Collection:
• Cell cultures (live) BRC’s
• Sperm & Embryo bank (live)
• DNA bank
• DNA Barcode of Life bank (BOL)
• Tissue bank
• Blood bank, Serum bank
• Pathology tissue bank
• Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB)
• Museum sample specimens
• Databank – Knowledge Bank
• New banks – Recalcitrant seeds; stem cells
CRYO-PRESERVATION
Feeder tank and storage
tanks at wBRC
Monitor Fridge, Freezer and Power supply
Capacity Building / Networking…
Facilitate collecting
• Customized sampling
kits
• Quick Reference sheet
• Field sampling manual
• Training manual
• Training courses
Semen collection
.
.
Ownership / ABS
• National, Regional and Global
concern
• CBD, Nagoya Protocol
• Workshops – 2002 / 2006
• Policy: owner / custodian of
animal is biomaterial “legal
entity”, National Laws &
Regulations: Biodiversity Act in RSA
Banked Specimens in SA
2012
Total: 56 000*
1,000spp
1,000+ owners
Total BioBankSA consortium members: Estimate just
short of 100 000 samples
*Includes Ditsong Museum specimens
User Case List
Part of Museum Science Collections – Biobank Biorepository
• Pts 1 – 5, as for Museum genetic requests
• Pts 6 – 9, as for National and Provincial authorities
• Pts 10 – 15, as for biorepository management
Infrastructure Plan
SPECIES / TAXA REQUESTS PER YEAR
35
SPECIES / TAXA
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0000000000000000000000
YEAR
BioBankSA
campus
(NECSA):
0000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000
500 sqm, 20 rooms
0000000000000000000000
Way Forward
BioBankSA Central Node:
• Part of Museum Science Collections – Biomaterials
*NRF Audit of Natural History Collections
• Part of DST new initiative on Integrated Biorepositories:
Human tissue, Animal tissue, Microbes, Plants
• National, Regional and Global Issues
• Central Biomaterials Bank (pick-up orphan collections)
• Knowledge Sharing / Transfer
(Plant/Animal/Human/Microbes)
• Post-grad training, Knowledge Generation, Human Capital
Dev; Infrastructure Dev.
…………………………
…………………………
…………………………
…………………………
Model
BioBankSA
Current 6
Potential 20
Open Forum
All others
Private
Global
NODES
All Others
……………
……………
……………
……………
…………....
Nodes:
Current 15
Potential 50+
Private
Open Forum:
Current 120
Potential 2000+
BioBankSA
National Structures
CMO:
Etc.
Knowledge
DACE
Hub
Aquaria
Countries
Etc.
In Africa
Regional
Structures
• Build on existing structures
In Africa
• Growth - radiate outwards
• Managed Distributed Network
Platforms:
CBS