Biodiversity databases

This section contains a list data holders and data directories. In most cases datasets can be downloaded directly from the website. The list is in alphabetical order or can be viewed by topic using the MATRIX (note this is a heavy file). Please inform us if there are additional links that should be added to this section.

Data holders

Organisms related variables

African Mammal Databank (AMD) provides a set of data on African mammal’s distribution based on literature, specialist and GIS information (the method is available on the web site.

Amphibian Species of the World provides classification and distribution of amphibian
Species.

AmphibiaWeb provides population account, range, ecology, photos and links to a gene bank (National Center for Biology Information).

Asean Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) provides data on status ecology, distribution of butterflies, freshwater fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and plants species, as well as a list and map of protected areas.

Australian Antartic Data Centre provides a biodiversity database planned to be a reference on Antarctic and subantarctic flora and fauna collated by the Regional Sensitivity to Climate Change (RiSCC) group.

Australian Biodiversity Information Facility (ABIF) provides taxonomic, biological, distribution data on species known to occur in Australia.

Baltic Sea region Statistical database on Sustainable development, natural resources and environment (BASICS): provides data on threatened species, protected areas, forest and agriculture of the Baltic Sea region.

Birdlife International provides data on population, distribution (with maps), morphology, status of bird species as well as the location of regional Important Bird Area and Endemic Bird Areas (EBA).

Cephbase provides taxonomic data, life history, distribution, images, videos, references and scientific contact information on all living species of cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus).

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) provides data on CITES status and distribution on a world wide scale.

EMBL Reptiles Database provides data on phylogeny, distribution, biology and statistics of reptiles species.

FAO Fisheries Global Information System provides informations on anatomy, geographic distribution, habitat and ecology of 266 fish species.

Global Invasive Species Database was developed by the IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) as part of the global initiative on invasive species led by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP). The database focuses on invasive species that threaten biodiversity and covers all taxonomic groups from micro-organisms to animals and plants.

Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine environments (GLORIA): provides data on quadrats and information on species of alpine areas.

Global Register of Migratory Species (GROMS) provides classification and distribution of migratory species (terrestrial and marine mammals, migratory birds, marine turtles and sturgeon.

Gymnosperms Database provides taxonomic names and range of species for Alta California, Australia, New Zealand and Sichuan.

ICLARM Fishbase provides informations on fish species (classification, distribution, biology, environment, importance in fisheries).

International Legume Database and Information System (ILDIS) provides description and distribution of the legumes of the world.

IUCN - World Conservation Union, through its Species Survival Commission (SSC) has for four decades been assessing the conservation status of species, subspecies, varieties and even selected subpopulations on a global scale in order to highlight taxa threatened with extinction. Site provides information on threat status, classification, distribution, and habitat.

Land Resources of Russia provides data about biodiversity, forestry, agriculture and inland water.

Mammal Species of the World (MSW) from the Smithsonian Institution, provides classification and distribution of mammals.

New York Botanical Garden Vascular Plants Type Catalog provides classification and location of vascular plants

North American Amphibian Monitoring Program provides a collection of data from surveys along North American roads.

Royal Botanic Garden, Kew provides information on the DNA C-Values of plants (angiosperms, gymnosperms, pteridophytes, bryophytes).

Species 2000 is a "Federation" of 18 taxonomic database organisations working closely with users, taxonomists and sponsoring agencies.I

Turtles of the World provides classification and distribution of turtles, tortoises and terrapins.

UCN/SSC Specialist Groups provides a list of website of the specialist groups which are part of IUCN Species Survival Commission.

UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms is a large and active database maintained by the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Wild Bird Society of Japan (Endemic bird area of Asia) provides data on areas of endemic bird species of Asia, as well as their status and population.

World Biodiversity Database (WBD) v2.1 is a continuously growing taxonomic database and information system that aims at documenting all presently known species (about 1.7 million) and to make this important biological information worldwide accessible.

World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides data on species, habitat, protected areas and a very convenient interactive map based on GIS (still under development).

Areas related variables

Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) provides data on land cover on a world wide scale from satellites sources.

European Forest Institute (EFI) provides the EFISCEN European Forest Resources Database (EEFR) which contains national inventories of forest areas by tree type. EFI also has the Database on Forest Disturbances in Europe (DFDE) containing historic information and disturbance in forest with data on affected species (volume, area, number).

Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) - The Global Land Cover Characterization (GLCC) provides data on land cover and forest assessment on a world wide scale from satellites sources.

Tateishi Laboratory of the Chiba University, Center for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS): provides satellites data on land cover of Asia.

Tropical Ecosystems Environment observation by Satellites (TREES): provides data on forest cover and assessment of changes for Latin America, Africa, and South East Asia.

World Resource Institute (WRI) provides facts and figures about biodiversity, agriculture, forest, inland water, dry land and grasslands.

Links to metadata centres

Australian Antarctic Metadata SnoWhite Directory

European Environment Agency (EEA) Data Service

Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) NASA

Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Data Portal UNEP

Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL/DAAC).