Encouraging development
actors and their counterparts
to share their biodiversity data
via an international network.

TODAY,AN UNEVEN
DISTRIBUTION OF
BIODIVERSITY DATAThe Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
brings together and shares 1.6 billion species
occurrence records collected worldwide. However,
the availability of data remains uneven and some
Asian and African countries have a significant
information gap.

DATA 4

NATURE

Encouraging development
actors and their counterparts
to share their biodiversity data
via The Global Biodiversity
Information Facility (GBIF).

GBIF AT A GLANCEGBIF is an international research network set up
in 2001 and financed by its member countries.
Its objective: provide anyone, anywhere, open
access to data about all forms of life on Earth.
On a global scale, GBIF brings together thebiodiversity data of its partners and shares theinformation on its open access portal: gbif.org.
This global index lists a vast variety of species
from our natural heritage.
Number of species occurrences records published by
GBIF in AFD’s partner countries in 2019*DATA 4

S H A R E

T O

P R O T E C T

10 000 à 30 000

1 000 à 2 99930 000 à 100 000

3 000 à 9 999+ de 100 000*H o r s o i s e a u x

NATUREDATA 4 NATURE

0 à 999

The worrying state of our planet has made the job oftaking stock of living things all the more paramount, toarrive at a better understanding, in an effort to protect
them. Preserving nature means also ensuring it isable to contribute to the well-being of human beings,
through the ecosystem and services it provides, on
which societies depend.

BY SUPPORTING THE
DATA 4 NATURE

INITIATIVEDEVELOPMENT ACTORS AND THEIRCOUNTERPARTS PLAY A MAJOR ROLEIN KNOWLEDGE OF ORGANISMS AND
THE PRESERVATION OF ECOSYSTEMS.

WHYSHARE DATA WITH GBIF?
This is a comprehensive platform for disseminating biodiversity data collected from allover the world - for all biological groups.
GBIF is an effective tool that aggregates andshares biodiversity data collected in areas
where development projects are implemented.
Development actors and their counterparts
pool their data on a single platform.

TOMORROW,A MORE BALANCED
DISTRIBUTION OF
BIODIVERSITY DATA

Development actors and their counterparts generate
a substantial amount of biodiversity data throughenvironmental impact assessments conducted prior
to the implementation of development projects. Theseassessments account for a significant proportion of thebiodiversity data published worldwide, in particular
for countries in the global south.

By joining Data4Nature, development
actors capitalize on the biodiversity datacollected during impact assessments of theprojects they support.

DATA 4NATURESHARE TO PROTECT

species occurrence
records can potentially becollected every year by the World Bank,
Agence Française de Développement,
KfW Group and the European,
Asian and African development banks.

500 to1,000
Estimated number of species occurrence records
published by GBIF in 2020 with AFD’s contribution*

0 to 999

10,000 to 30,000

1,000 to 2,999

30,000 to 100,000

3,000 to 9,999+ 100,000

species occurrence
records collected on

average during an ecologicalassessment conducted prior
to a development project.

*AFD study of the integration of biodiversity data generated

from the financing of the main development banks, March 2020.

SUPPORT

DATA 4 NATURE

IMPROVE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE
OF BIODIVERSITY AND GIVE DEVELOPMENTACTORS THE MEANS TO TAKE MORE
EFFECTIVE ACTION FOR ITS CONSERVATION.

It is time for all development actors to catchup... The Data4Nature initiative encourages
everyone to use and share data related tonature. Understanding biodiversity better,means we’re better prepared to protect it.

CONTACTS
data4nature@afd.fr
5, rue Roland-Barthes
75598 Paris cedex 12 - France*Exc l u d i n g b i r d s

EXAMPLE: AGENCE FRANÇAISE DE DÉVELOPPEMENT(AFD) CAN PRODUCE BETWEEN 20,000 AND
40,000 RECORDS A YEAR, EXCLUDING BIRD DATA.
THIS ACCOUNTS FOR UP TO 40% OF DATA PUBLISHEDFOR THE WHOLE OF ASIA AND 15% OF INFORMATIONCOLLECTED IN AFRICA FOR THE PERIOD 2015-2019.*

Development actors and their counterparts
produce a substantial amount of data, which
are usually used in relation to the projects
themselves. Yet it is essential to publish andprovide open access to this data for a better
understanding of natural ecosystems, in orderto preserve them.

makes the data available for scientific researchenhances the capacity of countries in the global
south to deal with matters of biodiversity
homogenizes and standardizes dataand surveys of the natural environment
contributes to a better understandingof natural heritage in project areas
SHARE TO PROTECT

www.afd.fr - www.gbif.org

Design : Peggy Frey & Thierry Aubert - Illustrator : Sébastien Pelon

300,000

In France, the Law on Reclaiming Biodiversity,
Nature and Landscapes has required public
and private contracting authorities to contributeto the inventory of natural heritage since 2016.
In this way France is a pioneer in its use of thebiodiversity data produced by development
projects and impact assessments.