How phantom databases could contribute to conservation assessments

Reliable data are needed to produce representative and useful conservation assessments for species. To this end, taxonomists and their unpublished, archived and unused databases-here called phantom databases-have great relevance for assessing the conservation status of species. Taxonomist's phantom databases are usually the result of a review work, and, if made available, they could be used to assess a species conservation status with greater accuracy, allowing for more effective conservation planning. Here we characterise these databases, provide examples of their relevance and recommend solutions to make these phantom databases available for conservation use. Databases of taxonomic and geographic information need not be phantom and could be made openly accessible to encourage their use in conservation activities.