Characteristics of global datasets used to support biodiversity conservation action and policy

Access to global datasets that describe the ‘state’ of biodiversity across all nation states, are essential to provide the means by which national and international conservation agencies and organisations can: (1) identify priorities, (2) focus limited financial resources, (3) develop and enhance legislative frameworks, (4) identify capacity needs, (5) evaluate progress and compliance in relation to commitments, and (6) support biodiversity-related research.

This paper reports on an evaluation of the characteristics of 336 open source global datasets in relation to whether a dataset: (1) includes ‘contemporary’ information less than five years old, (2) provides longitudinal, repeat-measure information, (3) contains missing data for one or more nation states, (4) has the ability to support trend analysis, (5) contains information on projected likely future conditions or state, and (6) requires operator extraction or manipulation prior to use.

Searches were conducted for global open source datasets via the internet and grey literature. A total of 336 datasets were identified and allocated into one of three broad thematic areas (biodiversity, the abiotic environment, and socio-economics), and further into 17 sub-areas.

Of the 336 datasets evaluated 37 % provided information that was more than five years out of date. Nearly a fifth of all datasets (18 %) provided only a ‘snap-shot’ information i.e. data that were not longitudinal, and trend analysis was not possible for 22 % of datasets. Only 5 % of the collated datasets provided information about future potential ‘state’, and 29 % had missing data (i.e. with one or more countries not providing information). In terms of the readiness for immediate use of the data, 11 % of the datasets required some form of post-access management.

Characterising available datasets is an essential element of supporting improvements to the information and evidence available for conservation practitioners. Our evaluation suggests that despite a range of important initiatives and national structural changes in the way data are collected, there is still some way to go before truly high utility data are available to the global conservation community.