GBIF and conservation

GBIF provides essential information on the past and present occurrence of species for assessing extinction risk, identifying and conserving key biodiversity areas, and monitoring invasive species

Experts use open biodiversity data from the GBIF network to assess extinction risks, identify and conserve key biodiversity areas, and monitor invasive species.

Hundreds of conservation biology publications and thousands of extinction risk assessments have used data from the GBIF network to map and analyze species distributions and set conservation priorities. This wide-ranging research informs conservation practices and policies and provides a foundational layer for numerous indicators that measure the state of the world's biodiversity.

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Latest GBIF news and resources on conservation

Detail of map analysing availability of GBIF-mediated data to support conservation of evolutionarily distinct and global endangered (EDGE) species in the Galápagos islands.

Accessing GBIF-mediated occurrence data to conserve EDGE species

<a href="/occurrence/3302536540"><i>Danaus plexippus</i> subsp. <i>plexippus</i></a> observed in Querétaro, Mexico by Christine Cieslak Campelo (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>)

GBIF-mediated data used in one quarter of all new and updated IUCN Red List assessments

<a href="/occurrence/3059116933"><i>Oedipina capitalina</i> Solis, Espinal, Valle, O'Reilly, Itgen & Townsend, 2016</a> observed in Comayagüela, Honduras by Josue Ramos Galdamez (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>). This salamander was <a href="https://apiv3.iucnredlist.org/api/v3/taxonredirect/112686106">assessed in March 2019</a> and categorized as Data Deficient. It is among the species with the top 25 highest predicted extinction risks according to the study.

More than half the species in the IUCN Red List's Data Deficient category face risk of extinction

Scorpion's-tail (<em>Heliotropium angiospermum</em>), observed in Matanzas province, Cuba. Photo 2020 Max Nuraliev via <a href="https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/2563569327">iNaturalist Research-grade Observations</a>, licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>.

Mobilizing Cuban plant information from the IUCN SSC Cuban Plant Specialist Group

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Featured data uses on conservation

Peer-reviewed data uses in conservation research

Recent data uses in conservation

Hairy curtain crust (<a href="/species/2553128"><i>Stereum hirsutum</i> (Willd.) Pers.</a>) <a href="/occurrence/1703129589">observed in Gribskov, Denmark</a> by dschigel (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>)

Distribution and diversity of macrofungi in Europe

More than half the species in the IUCN Red List's Data Deficient category face risk of extinction

<a href="/occurrence/1322638868"><i>Ctenocidaris perrieri</i> Koehler, 1912</a> collected east of Smith Island, Antarctica (photo via <a href="/dataset/821cc27a-e3bb-4bc5-ac34-89ada245069d">National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution</a>)

Measuring the effectiveness of protecting Southern Ocean sea floors with Antarctic sea urchins

<a href="/occurrence/3747071576"><i>Plethodon hubrichti</i> Thurow, 1957</a> observed near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, USA by gman122 (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>)

Current and future coverage of protected areas in the Appalachian Mountains

Featured data uses in conservation

<i>Carpoxylon macrospermum</i> H.Wendl. & Drude <a href="/occurrence/4607237896">observed</a> in Tafea, Vanuatu by Neal Kelso (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>)

Global extinction risks for all palm species

<a href="https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/2620084121">Virginia strawberry (<i>Fragaria virginiana</i>)</a> observed in Amherst, MA, USA by Aaron Hulsey. Photo via iNaturalist (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>)

Prioritizing in situ conservation of crop wild relatives

<a href="/occurrence/2005319990"><i>Eufriesea mariana</i> (Mocsáry, 1896)</a> observed in Argentina
by Santiago (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>)

Global decline in wild bee diversity

<a href="/occurrence/3031767953"><i>Bronchocela cristatella</i> Kuhl, 1820</a> observed in Singapore by budak (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>)

Descriptive power of ecoregions varies across regions and taxa

Current and future coverage of protected areas in the Appalachian Mountains

<a href="https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/3032132657"><i>Syntrichia ruraliformis</i></a> observed St Anne, Guernsey by jrmh. Photo via iNaturalist (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</a>)

Targeting the known unknowns of the botanical world

<a href="https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/2574227118">Prickly saxifrage (<i>Saxifraga tricuspidata</i>)</a> observed in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, BC, Canada by stikineseniorranger. Photo via iNaturalist (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC 4.0</A>)

The role of wilderness areas in protecting biodiversity

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dinesh_valke/5597839545"><i>Coffea liberica</i></a> by Dinesh Valke (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>)

Using open data to indicate progress toward targets on conserving genetic diversity

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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