This was decided at the three-day-long Chittagong International Biodiversity Conference 2007 which ended here on Wednesday.

Participants at the conference believed that the catalogue will serve as a platform for information as well as building awareness for enhancing scientific cooperation to achieve environmentally sustainable development in the region.

The conference was organised by Biodiversity Research Group of Bangladesh (BGRB) at the BCSIR Laboratories.

Disclosing the decision at a press conference at Chittagong Press Club on Thursday afternoon, the organisers stressed the need for regional cooperation to promote the establishment of SABIS for collection and dissemination of primary data about South Asian biodiversity.

They urged the national governments, regional and international forums and donor agencies to come forward in implementing the project.

The organisers said at first the internet-based data would be available in English and then it would be translated in all languages of the region.

Over 30 keynote papers were presented at the conference where 17 biodiversity scientists from home and abroad were present.

BRGB Chairman Prof Badrul Amin Bhuiya, Scientist Vishwas Chavan from India, Scientist Dr Dennis Gordon from New Zealand, Prof Jeng-Tze Yang and Software Engineer Jack Lin from Taiwan and BRGB Vice-chairman Dr Md Amin Uddin Mridha were present at the press conference.