Connecting data and expertise: a new alliance for biodiversity knowledge

Area of Science:

• Biodiversity Informatics
• Data Science
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Significant progress in digitizing and sharing biodiversity data over two decades.
• Current data efforts are inefficient and inadequate for global needs.
• Challenges include regional imbalances, data sharing issues, and lack of data curation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a coordination mechanism for shared roadmaps in biodiversity informatics.
• To establish a global alliance for biodiversity knowledge.
• To address inefficiencies in current biodiversity data mobilization and accessibility.

Main Methods:

• Convening the second Global Biodiversity Informatics Conference (GBIC2).
• Reaching consensus on the need for a global alliance.
• Summarizing GBIC2 discussions and presenting 23 complementary ambitions.

Main Results:

• Consensus on the need for a global alliance for biodiversity knowledge.
• Identification of 23 complementary ambitions for the proposed alliance.
• Learning from successful models like the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health.

Conclusions:

• A global alliance is needed to improve biodiversity data quality and accessibility.
• Collaboration among diverse stakeholders is crucial for sustainable solutions.
• An call to action is issued for participation in establishing the alliance.