In response to the limitations of classical taxonomy, molecular studies of biodiversity were promoted starting in the 1980s with the development of PCR techniques and automated DNA sequencing. These advancements provided rapid and accessible tools for biodiversity exploration and monitoring. More than two decades ago, Hebert et al. (2003) proposed a standardized system for species identification based on DNA, leading to the formation of the first Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBoL; www.barcodeoflife.org).
The first initiative in Uruguay to establish a reference database of barcode-type sequences (Barcode of Life, BOL) at the national level was launched in 2014 by the then Minister of Education and Culture, Dr. Ricardo Ehrlich. In 2018, with funding from the CBD, a PEDECIBA-Udelar course was organized (led by M. Cosse and R. Segui). Among the project’s objectives was the advancement of the creation of a National BOL Node. Since 2020, the National Directorate of Innovation, Science, and Technology (DICyT) of the MEC has supported the process initiated by the National Secretariat of Science and Technology.