South America
A South American Regional Committee for CoML was established in 2002. Originally hosted by the Universidad de Concepción in Chile, in 2006 it was relocated to the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata in Argentina. The committee includes representatives from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Committee Chair: Diego Rodríguez, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina
Dr. Rodríguez currently serves as an Associate Researcher of the National Research Council of Argentina and as a Category III Researcher of the Marine Mammal Research Group, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Mar del Plata University. He also is an Assistant in the Area of Organismal Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Mar del Plata University. Dr. Rodríguez earned his Ph.D in 1996 at Mar del Plata University, where he also did his undergraduate work in Biological Studies. His main areas of interest are biology and conservation of marine mammals. Dr. Rodríguez has served as the Representative of Argentina in the Census of Marine Life South American Steering Committee since 2003.
The CoML network in South America supports three Regional Nodes for the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS):
Argentina: Southern Ocean Sub-Node Contact Mirtha Lewis.
Brazil: Tropical and Subtropical Southwest Atlantic Sub-Node Managed by Fábio Lang da Silveira & Rubens Lopes
Chile: Pacific Sub-Node Managed by Ruben Escribano.
