Project Duration: 3 years
Start/End Date: 2010-2013

On the 14th of December 2009, Dr Ismail Serageldin signed a MOU with James L. Edwards, Executive Director of the Encyclopedia of Life, National Museum of Natural History, and Smithsonian Institution, thereby making The Bibliotheca Alexandrina an official partner in the Encyclopedia of Life project.
 
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina will conduct a project known as the Arab Encyclopedia of Life aiming to serve the Arab region by creating an Arabic database intended to document many of the living species known to science. This will be done by translating over 55,000 pages from the EOL to the Arabic language and thereby building one expandable page for each species, including video, sound, images, graphics, as well as text. Secondly, the AEOL projects aims to incorporate species specific to the Arab region through scientific research contributions from scientists.
 
This project will be executed by the Arab Biodiversity Committee (ABC), a committee composed of high caliber scientific experts in the field of biodiversity from all over the Arab Region.

Partnering Organization(s):
1.The Smithsonian Institution on behalf of the EOL and BHL
2.The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Smithsonian Institution:
USA
Email: info@si.edu
Website: http://www.si.edu/
Tel: Voice 202.633.1000, TTY 202.633.5285
 
The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development:
Kuwait
E-mail: HQ@ARABFUND.ORG
Website:www.arabfund.org
Tel: (965) 2495 9000
Fax: (965) 248 15750/60/70
The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (the Arab Fund), based in the State of Kuwait, is an Arab regional financial institution focused on funding economic and social development by financing public and private investment projects and providing grants and expertise. The Arab Fund's activities are characterized by a number of important aspects that make it a model of cooperation and Arab economic integration, and a reflection of outstanding joint Arab action.
Funding Organization

Project Mission: Establish and maintain an Arab biodiversity information system to disseminate knowledge of biodiversity to enhance public awareness of biodiversity conservation in the Arab region

Project Objective(s): Develop a regional version of EOL for the Arab region
Translate 55,000 species pages from the EOL portal to the AEOL
Digitize a large portion of biodiversity literature
Enriching the AEOL website with contributions concerning biodiversity in the Arab region
To allow EOL access and use of the information and material in the Arab EOL website/database integrated by the Committee and collaborators on the international EOL portal and to allow Arab EOL to utilize species information developed by EOL and EOL participants in their website/database, subject to the re-use limitations and conditions stipulated by the providers of that information.
 
Target group(s): Scientists, Researchers, Institutions, Public
 
Geographical scope(s) of project :The Arab World
Countries involved: Arab countries

One page summary about the project: Attached

US involvement/contribution within the project: The Smithsonian Institution (SI), headquartered in Washington DC, has collaborated with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) on the AEOL project 

Achievements/progress to date. :Broad guidelines for execution of project set
ABC committee established

Contact person for the project: Ms. Marwa Elwakil (Marwa.elwakil@bibalex.org)