More important, they are aimed at identifying those features of the species' natural history that can contribute to protect them, use them and manage them adequately, and at obtaining detailed information about their distribution throughout the national territory. The parataxonomist course is taught by INBio's personnel with support from national and international instructors. The parataxonomist is not merely a collector, but also the initial cataloguer of specimens and a more immediate link to the communities surrounding the protected wildlands. Parataxonomists collect specimens in 23 biodiversity stations scattered across the country and bring them to INBio on a monthly basis. At this time, technicians label, process and prepare the material for taxonomic identification by curators, who work within a larger network of national and international taxonomy experts.
Curators are in charge of maintaining and identifying specimens up to the highest possible level.