Abstract

Creating a state-of-the-art database for paleoecological data is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor that requires longterm funding. Currently, no institution in South America is likely to have access to the necessary funding for such an effort. An existing open-access platform, however, now available through the Neotoma Paleoecological Database (www. neotomadb.org) offers an extremely valuable infrastructure that scientists can use throughout the developing world. The use of this common platform would maximize compatibility among the regions and the versatility of this global open access archive of paleoenvironmental data