Free and open access to biodiversity data

What is GBIF?

GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility—is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.

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Data use

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Senna reticulata (Willd.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby observed in Manaus, Brazil by crax (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Climate change

Peer-reviewed papers using data

Biodiversity loss and climate change interact in many ways, reflecting two sides of the same problem: humanity’s unsustainable relationship with the natural world. Explore the research relying on data from the GBIF network to understand and assess the growing impact that changing temperatures, precipitation and other climate-related phenomena are having on biodiversity.

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Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski observed in Macao by Jeremy J Busfield (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Invasive alien species

peer-reviewed papers using data

Information is the single most important variable necessary to support research, monitoring and management of alien and invasive species. From identifying and predicting potential invasions to improving management applications, detection strategies, and risk assessments, GBIF plays a pivotal role in fulfilling data needs about these costly and disruptive forces of change.

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Rhinolophus pusillus Temminck, 1834 observed in Shizuoka, Japan by Ryosuke Kuwahara (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Human health

Peer-reviewed papers using data

Knowing where the species that transmit disease-causing pathogens occur is important for recognizing, managing and preventing potential threats to human communities. Data shared through the GBIF network enables scientists and researchers to map the wild host, vector and reservoir species involved in cycles of disease transmission and how their distributions are changing.

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Danaus plexippus subsp. plexippus observed in Querétaro, Mexico by Christine Cieslak Campelo (CC BY-NC 4.0)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™

species assessments citing GBIF

GBIF-mediated data is used for mapping species distributions and for calculating Area of Occupancy (AOO) and Extent of Occurrence, measures key to assessing threat level and categorizing species on the Red List.

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Programmes and projects

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Mediterranean violet aeolid Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791), Observed in Spain. Photo 2021 Adrie Rolloos via iNaturalist Research-grade Observations, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Hosted portals

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Hosted portals

GBIF hosted portals offer simple, customizable websites that support biodiversity data use and engagement at national, institutional, regional and thematic scales. This service, which Participant nodes and their partners can apply to anytime, lowers the technical demands for delivering relevant biodiversity data to communities around the world.

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Team consultation at the BID Capacity Enhancement Workshop: Data use for decision-making, Cape Town, South Africa, 11 April 2018. Participants (left to right): Ernest Lamptey, Raymond Owusu-Achiaw, Donald Mpalika, Elizabeth Mwafongo, Jacqueline Sapoama Kumadoh, Hannah Owen. Photo Maheva Bagard Laursen | GBIF, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

BID: Biodiversity Information for Development

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projects

Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) is a multi-year programme funded by the European Union and led by GBIF with the aim of enhancing capacity for effective mobilization and use of biodiversity data in research and policy in the ‘ACP’ nations of sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

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Group photo by Dina Setyaningrum licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

BIFA: Biodiversity Information Fund for Asia

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projects

BIFA—the Biodiversity Information Fund for Asia—provides supplementary support for existing activities within the GBIF network, addressing the needs of regional researchers and policymakers through mobilization and use of biodiversity data. The programme is the outcome of a contribution from the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, earmarked for activities in Asia.

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Bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia), Amansi East district, Ghana. Photo 2019 Steven Schulting via iNaturalist Research-grade Observations, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Capacity Enhancement Support Programme

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projects

This programme aims to address specific capacity needs identified by GBIF Participants by facilitating collaboration at regional and global levels, providing co-funding for capacity enhancement projects based on combinations of mentoring activities, regional training workshops and documentation.

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Malacosoma castrense by Robin Bad via iNaturalist. Photo licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Northern Eurasia

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Starting in 2018, the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (FinBIF), the GBIF national node for Finland, has provided funding directed toward support of projects that mobilize biodiversity data and promote national training and capacity-building activities around data publishing in the region.

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