Freshwaters are critical in supporting global biodiversity but are some of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. This is in part due to lack of effective monitoring and limited availability and access to biodiversity data.

To bridge this gap, GBIF collaborates with international networks and organizations to assemble information on life in and around rivers, lakes, wetlands and streams—providing comprehensive, freely accessible and fully interoperable data to support the understanding, monitoring, protection and restoration of Earth’s freshwater biodiversity.

Partnering with leaders in the space—such as the Freshwater Biodiversity Observation Network (FW BON) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands—GBIF aims to compile, harmonize and share critical biodiversity datasets that inform science, policy and conservation efforts worldwide.