International Day for Biological Diversity: Open access to data is key to future conservation

May 22 marks the International Day for Biological Diversity – a moment to reflect on the importance of preserving the diversity of life on Earth, from species and ecosystems to genetic resources. This year’s theme, “Be Part of the Plan”, reminds us that everyone – from researchers and decision-makers to citizens – plays a role.

A crucial tool in this global effort is access to open, reliable, and usable biodiversity data. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) enables exactly that, making available over 3.1 billion species occurrence records from around the world – with data being shared at a rate of 13.6 records per second in 2024.

GBIF by the numbers:

• 267.6 billion records downloaded on average each month (Jan–Apr 2025)
• 113,854 datasets published by 2,476 institutions
• Data shared from 146 countries and areas via 53 national portals
• Over 12,952 peer-reviewed publications using GBIF-mediated data – more than six per day

In Sweden, GBIF-Sweden is proud to be part of this global network, working to make biodiversity data from national museums, research institutions, and observation systems openly available. Through collaborations in initiatives such as SBDI, DiSSCo, and with universities, authorities, and natural history collections, we contribute to strengthening the national and international biodiversity data infrastructure.

Today, we thank everyone who shares data, uses it in research, education, or policy, and helps make the world’s biodiversity more visible and accessible.

Explore the data, contribute your own, or learn more: www.gbif.se | www.gbif.org