Indicators of scientific activity in bioprospecting in the Ibero-American geopolitical region

Abstract

This article provides a picture of scientific activity in bioprospecting in the Ibero-American geo-political region (Latin America + Spain + Portugal), on the basis of information collected in the Science Citation Index database. Bioprospecting is a particularly interesting field for bibliometric analysis because it is interdisciplinary and requires the development of innovative methodological procedures. The findings reveal that despite the presence of 7 mega-diverse countries in the region, Brazil and Spain concentrate most of the scientific production. This probably indicates the academic weakness in bioprospecting of the other Latin American countries. The results point out to the need of the countries in the region to discuss and design policy instruments to foster local capabilities in research of bioprospecting activities, including the management of their biodiversity resources.