The World Conservation Union (formerly the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN) has joined GBIF. IUCN hosts several biodiversity databases of great relevance to GBIF's mission. The mission of IUCN is To influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. GBIF-provided biodiversity data will support IUCN's conservation goals of facing the extinction crisis and restoring ecosystem integrity. IUCN is a unique Union. Its members from some 140 countries include over 70 States, 100 government agencies, and 750-plus NGOs. More than 10,000 internationally-recognised scientists and experts from more than 180 countries volunteer their services to its six global commissions. Its 1000 staff members in offices around the world are working on some 500 projects.
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