Mind the Gaps: Taxonomic, Geographic and Temporal Data of Marine Invertebrate Databases from Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe
This study intended to analyse taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps, and bias related to existing data on marine invertebrate occurrences along the coastline of two African countries, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe. This study was led by Marta Bento, part of the COBIO-NET team, PHD Student at FCUL/MARE. This most recent COBIO-NET output was published in the special issue Mapping Marine Biodiversity Knowledge Gaps Using Open Data published in Diversity.
The main findings of this newly published project output revealed a clear discrepancy in the volume of data between both countries, Mozambique’s occurrences represent 97% of the data and São Tomé and Príncipe’s only 3%. In both countries the taxonomic groups with most occurrences represent species that are used as a food source or for decorative purposes. There is also a gap in historical records in both countries, more pronounced in STP than in MOZ, with most occurrences collected in the last two decades. Marine macroinvertebrate biodiversity data gaps can only be filled by creating local databases and institutionalization of the data collection methods in an equative and sustainable way for each country. This study provides baseline information relevant to a better understanding of marine invertebrate biodiversity data gaps and bias in mangrove forests, seagrass beds and corals along the coasts of Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Detail of a crustacean preserved in alcohol in the Natural History Collection © Marta Bento