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The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has a mission to make the world's biodiversity data openly and freely available to everyone, no matter where in the world they live.
GBIF was established in 2001 by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that to date has been signed by 47 countries and 31 international organisations. The duration of the MoU was five years.
A new MoU is being negotiated, and that process began at this Governing Board meeting.
The delegates discussed a proposed Strategic Plan that would cover the period of the new MoU, from 2007 to 2011, and the terms of the MoU itself.
In preparation for this phase in the life cycle of GBIF, an independent review of its progress over the first three years of its existence was conducted. The Review Report was presented to the Governing Board at its tenth meeting in Brussels in April, 2005.
The Review concluded that GBIF is "the right initiative at the right time with the right goals."
GBIF is currently making ~75 million biodiversity data records available, including over 5 million from Sweden, which was one of the very first countries to join GBIF.
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