On 20 October, an international meeting to discuss the management, publication and potential uses of biodiversity data as part of the project “Biodiversity Data Capacity Building in Lithuania” was held.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre, Kaunas Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum, National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, State Service for Protected Areas under the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, and State Data Agency. The event was also attended by experts of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) from Poland, Estonia, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark.
During the event, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) was presented, along with the opportunities it offers for scientific research, environmental protection, agriculture, the monitoring of invasive species and public policy-making. Participants were also introduced to the Catalogue of Life initiative, the possibilities for integrating national species lists into international systems, and new tools for utilising biodiversity data, including the B-Qube platform.
Experts from Lithuania and abroad shared their experience of publishing biodiversity data via GBIF and discussed the benefits of open data for science, international cooperation and society. Representatives from Belgium, Estonia and Poland presented best practices; discussions also focused on finding ways to strengthen cooperation between Lithuanian institutions and to become more actively involved in the international exchange of biodiversity data.
The project “Biodiversity Data Capacity Building in Lithuania” is implemented jointly by Nature Research Centre, Vilnius University, Kaunas Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum and Swedish Museum of Natural History. The project’s activities contribute to improving the availability, quality and use of biodiversity data in Lithuania and internationally.
