GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY

1. TDWG Annual Meeting 9-13 Nov 2009, Montpellier GBIF – Strategic Perspectives on building the Biodiversity Informatics Commons INFORMATIONFACILITY GLOBALBIODIVERSITY Dr Nick King Executive Director GBIF WWW.GBIF.ORG Building the Biodiversity Informatics Commons

2. Context Third year of Strategic Plan 07-11, of moving GBIF ”from prototype towards full operation” - how far are we? 07-11 Strategic Plan, to: Make a whole world of biodiversity data that are currently exceedingly difficult to access freely and universally available via the Internet; Enable scientific research that has never before been possible; and Facilitate the use of scientific data in biodiversity policy- and decision-making.

3. Millenium Assessment (2005) “Balance sheet morered than black”

5. Nature Vol 461: 24 Sept 2009

6. Living on credit….

7. 5 4 Trophic level 3 2 Fishing Down the Food Web….

8. Growth of the nationally designated protected areas in 39 EEA countries Source – EEA 2009 1 200 000 80 000 70 000 1 000 000 60 000 800 000 Number of sites 50 000 2 Area, km 600 000 40 000 30 000 400 000 20 000 200 000 10 000 0 0 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

9. Common birds in Europe, population index (1980 = 100) 140 120 100 80 Common farmland birds Common forest birds All common birds 60 40 20 0 1980 1982 1986 1992 1996 1984 1988 1994 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 1990

10. Needs for Biodiv information?

11. Open Access: International mandates CBD Decision VIII/11: Scientific and technical cooperation and the CHM “Invites Parties and other Governments to provide free and open access to all past, present and future public-good research results, assessments, maps and databases on biodiversity, in accordance with national and international legislation …”

12. Open Access: International mandates The (OECD) governments (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the US): DECLARE THEIR COMMITMENT TO work towards the establishment of access regimes for digital research data from public funding in accordance with the following objectives and principles: Openness: balancing the interests of open access to data to increase the quality and efficiency of research and innovation with the need for restriction of access in some instances to protect social, scientific and economic interests … OECD/CST Science, Technology and Innovation for the 21st Century, 29-30 Jan 2004 Establishment of GBIF originally endorsed by Science Ministers to the OECD, 2000

13. What is GBIF? • GBIF is a global science/informatics research infrastructure: • - promoting global participation, working through and linking up a global network of participants; • - enabling publishing of biodiversity data; • - promoting development of data capture & exchange standards; • - building an informatics architecture; • - building capacity; • - catalysing development of analytical tools. • data provider / aggregator

14. GBIF’s Mandate ”To facilitate free and open access to biodiversity data worldwide, via the Internet, to underpin scientific research, conservation and sustainable development.” The GBIF Secretariat role is to be a facilitator, catalyst and service provider to the global BI community, particularly in service to govts, as a global ‘public good’ initiative

15. Growth in GBIF Participation 96 88 81 79 78 72 63 51 39 NB: Drop in Associate Participants in 2007 is attributable to delays in signing the new MOU 2007-2011

16. GBIF Country Participants Currently 53 countries…

17. GBIF Voting Participants 2009: 31 • Iceland • Ireland • Japan • Korea, Rep. Of • Mauritania • Mexico • Netherlands • New Zealand • Norway • Peru • Portugal • Slovakia • Slovenia • South Africa • Spain • Sweden • Tanzania • United Kingdom • Uruguay • USA • Argentina • Australia • Belgium • Canada • Costa Rica • Denmark • Equatorial Guinea • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany

18. Austria Benin Bulgaria Burkina Faso Cameroon Colombia Cuba Ghana Guinea India Kenya Indonesia Luxembourg Madagascar GBIF Associate Country Participants 2009: 22 • Morocco • Nicaragua • Pakistan • Philippines • Poland • Switzerland • Togo • Uganda

19. ACB ANDINONET BioNET-ASEANET BioNET-EASIANET BioNET-INTERNATIONAL BioNET-SAFRINET Bioversity International BGCI CABI Bioscience CBOL CETAF Chinese Taipei CYTED Discover Life DIVERSITAS EOL ETI Bioinformatics EWT Finding Species FreshwaterLife IABIN ICIMOD ICIPE ICZN ILTER ISIS ITIS MSEF NSCA Int. Organisation Participants 2009: 43 • NatureServe • NORDGEN • OBIS • PBIF • SCAR • SINEPAD • SMEBD • Species 2000 • SPNHC • TDWG • UNEP-WCMC • WDCBE • WFCC • Wildscreen

20. GBIF Working Principles • Worldwide network of collaborating institutions that share data (data publishers) — notcentral compilation; • Ownership of data remains entirely with publishers; • Open, standardised schemas for data sharing — software free to data publishers; • GBIF Participant Nodes promote and coordinate activities of data publishers; • ”Towards full operation” = increasing decentralisation and ownership

21. Building Community Ownership Improving outreach, promoting ownership, growing benefits… the next generation of GBIF…

22. Nodes: from IT gateway to Participant BIF Build capacity Help develop information products and services Help address data & information needs Help identify data and information gaps Engage data holders Participant BIF Promote best practices in data management Coordinate data sharing activities Promote online publication of scientific data Identify user communities – assess end user needs Implement informatics infrastructure Help formulate and adopt data sharing and manahgement policies Helpdesk

23. How formal mandates affect capacity and resourcing

24. Participants leading…France

25. Train the trainers…

26. Spatial Analysis

27. Spatial Analysis

28. Partnerships: UNEP-WCMC (WDPA)

29. Spatial analysis and integration

32. Forests (using GBIF-enabled data) • Three major plant families and selected a range of forest-based genera:

33. Using GBIF data in CC models Sterculiaceae (Meliaceae, Dipterocapaceae)

34. Summary of CC impacts • All families and genera suffer >50% habitat loss; • Some gain in potential, but this would require migration and suitable ecological niche (for forests) at destination; • Important implications for REDD and other CC adaptation/mitigation programmes

35. Agriculture and climate change

36. The geography of cropsuitability

37. Currentsuitabilityforagriculture No. of crops

38. Futuresuitability -2050 18 GCM models, A2a scenario

39. Number of cropsthat lose out

40. Number of cropsthatgain

41. IAS – 100 Worst Invaders list GBIF-enabled data mean of 14,800 records per species. Need >~20 unique occurrence points for robust model development (83 of 100 Worst Invaders list). Asian longhorn beetle

42. TEEB study The `Stern report´ equivalent for biodiversity loss, 2009

43. Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and their Services (TEEB study, 2009) Quelle: Dr Carsten Neßhöver, Heidi Wittmer & Christoph Schröter-Schlaack, UFZ

45. Management, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity Policy development and decision making (at local, national, regional, and global levels) GBIF-published data and analyses Scientific monitoring of status and trends of biodiversity The Science-Policy Interface

46. Influencing Policy - Japan • Large- and small-mouth bass introduced from N. America; predatory, huge impact on indigenous spp. • Japanese policymakers needed to know which areas of the country are most at risk from invasion • Used N. American locality data (from GBIF) to establish EN, applied ENM to Japan and tested with (GBIF) locality records – very high correlation. • Instrumental in convincing authorities to develop IAS Act Iguchi, K., et al. 2004. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 133:845-854. The Japanese Diet passed its IAS Act in June 2004; first list of IAS, based on Act, passed in June 2005.

47. ‘towards full operation’… 07-11 Strategic Plan, to: • Make a whole world of biodiversity data that are currently exceedingly difficult to access freely and universally available via the Internet; • Enable scientific research that has never before been possible; and • Facilitate the use of scientific data in biodiversity policy- and decision-making. “Achieving the ambitions laid out in these plans will require a great deal of involvement and funding from GBIF’s Participants and other partners and stakeholders.”

48. The Challenge now? The problems are rising exponentially; Linear responses will not help solve them!

49. Access to GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION can only be achieved by all in the BI community working together – that’s what GBIF was established for!

50. We can make a difference; We must make a difference – not only is it needed, only then can policy-makers justify investing in biodversity informatics! The Global Biodiversity Information Facility