Mapping the Future: Examining 25 Years of U.S. Engagement in GBIF

In 1999, the OECD Megascience Forum called for a global, interoperable biodiversity data infrastructure—leading to the formation of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in 2001. As GBIF approaches its 25th anniversary, this milestone invites reflection on progress toward that vision and the evolving role of the United States as a founding participant. The original OECD blueprint laid out seven work plan components which include: Interoperability, standards and linking of distributed data systems; An Electronic catalogue of names of known organisms; Digitization of natural history collections; A “Species Bank” to integrate species-level knowledge; Digital biodiversity literature resources; Training and capacity building; and Public and institutional outreach. To assess U.S. contributions across these dimensions, we are conducting a national survey of biodiversity data infrastructures. The survey inventories technical platforms, identifies persistent gaps, and examines the risks that political and economic dynamics pose to funding and infrastructure strategies. Our hypothesis is that many GBIF-US participants depend on a small number of technical staff, many of whom are not connected to GBIF directly and perform underrecognized and often uncompensated roles in enabling global biodiversity data exchange. While this may seem intuitively true, empirical evidence is lacking. We seek to understand what organizations and mechanisms are responsible for success, where the community and model are fragile, and how progress might be constrained by the current GBIF voting structure. The findings will inform strategic coordination and potential recommendations to enhance GBIF’s governance and funding model, with the goal of strengthening data mobilization across the region. They will also highlight the need for renewed U.S. engagement and leadership to address emerging biodiversity data priorities, such as AI-assisted validation and Indigenous data governance. The presentation will explore how today’s imperatives might shape the next 25 years.