BIOPAT – Patrons for Biodiversity
Encyclopedia
BIOPAT is non-profit-making association set up to raise funds, through donation, for use in studying biodiversity
, systematically describing it, and supporting its preservation.
of the State Zoological Collection in Munich. Recognizing the importance of additional funding for taxonomic research to ensure the protection of biodiversity despite declining public support, they proposed a model whereby benefactors would provide funds for taxonomic research and nature conservation in exchange for a new species being named after them.
Similar models have since been adopted by other international environmental and biodiversity organizations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society
, the Audubon Society, and Purdue University
. It has also been the subject of a paper by the United Nations Environmental Programme
To date, over 120 species have been sponsored by BIOPAT.
BIOPAT adheres to the International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGO) Commitment to Accountability Charter.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, systematically describing it, and supporting its preservation.
History
BIOPAT was founded in 1999 by an international group of scientists and institutions and sponsored by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The concept was initially proposed by Dr. Frank Glaw and Dr. Jörn Köhler in 1998 based on an idea of Professor Gerhard HaszprunarGerhard Haszprunar
Gerhard Haszprunar is Austrian zoologist and malacologist.He is credited with the invention of the modern species naming patrongage model and is a founder of the BIOPAT non-profit organization.* Austrian Decoration for Science and Art...
of the State Zoological Collection in Munich. Recognizing the importance of additional funding for taxonomic research to ensure the protection of biodiversity despite declining public support, they proposed a model whereby benefactors would provide funds for taxonomic research and nature conservation in exchange for a new species being named after them.
Similar models have since been adopted by other international environmental and biodiversity organizations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...
, the Audubon Society, and Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. It has also been the subject of a paper by the United Nations Environmental Programme
Funding and Accountability
The majority of BIOPAT’s income comes from benefactors who provide funds in exchange for a species being named after them by scientists. 50% of this money goes to support taxonomy and biodiversity research, the other half is used in support of nature conservation projects. All members of the Association, including the Scientific Advisory Council, provide their service on a volunteer basis and are not compensated.To date, over 120 species have been sponsored by BIOPAT.
BIOPAT adheres to the International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGO) Commitment to Accountability Charter.