5 August 2025

Biodiversity Data Mobilisation and Publishing

Organised by the National Biodiversity Centre and the National Mushroom Centre, Bhutan, in collaboration with the ICIMOD and GBIF

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About the workshop

The Bhutan country webinar on “Biodiversity Data Mobilisation and Publishing” was held on 5 August 2025, organised by the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) and the National Mushroom Centre (NMC), Royal Government of Bhutan, following their participation in a regional capacity-building training in Kathmandu. The webinar aimed to share knowledge on GBIF tools, data standards, and publishing workflows, and to encourage Bhutanese institutions to contribute biodiversity data to global platforms.

The session began with a welcome address by NBC, highlighting Bhutan’s commitment to biodiversity stewardship and the alignment of this initiative with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Targets 1, 14, 20, and 21). Opening remarks from ICIMOD emphasised the importance of transparent biodiversity data for global decision-making and funding opportunities.

Approximately 50 participants attended, representing:

  • Government agencies: Department of Forest and Park Services, Divisional Forest Offices, National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries.
  • Academic institutions: College of Natural Resources, universities.
  • Private consulting firms and district administrations.

The technical sessions included:

  • Introduction to GBIF and its global infrastructure (Lily Shrestha, GBIF Asia Support Team).
  • Data capture, standardisation, and Darwin Core (Sabitra, National Mushroom Centre).
  • Data cleaning and validation using OpenRefine and GBIF tools (Phuentsho, National Biodiversity Centre).
  • Publishing workflows using IPT.
  • Introduction to GRSciColl for scientific collections.

Key Highlights

  • Institutional Engagement: Strong representation from government and academic institutions, signalling national interest in biodiversity data sharing.
  • Awareness Building: Emphasis on the benefits of open data: global visibility, citations, collaboration opportunities, and compliance with funding requirements.
  • First Country Webinar: Served as a pilot for refining agendas for subsequent national webinars.

Challenges and Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Limited technical capacity for data publishing.
  • Time constraints during the webinar restricted in-depth discussions.
  • Reluctance to share sensitive data (e.g., endangered species) due to conservation concerns.
  • Lack of awareness about open data benefits and GBIF infrastructure.

Opportunities:

  • Strong institutional interest and availability of digital datasets in spreadsheets.
  • GBIF’s open infrastructure and IPT hosting options reduce technical barriers.
  • Regional collaboration through HKHBIF and ICIMOD offers technical and strategic support.
  • Alignment with global biodiversity frameworks and funding opportunities.
  • Bhutan’s reputation for environmental stewardship positions it as a leader in biodiversity data sharing.

Action Points

  • Follow-Up Support: NBC and partners to assist institutions in registering as GBIF publishers and publishing datasets.
  • Capacity Building: Organise additional hands-on training on IPT installation, data cleaning, and Darwin Core formatting.
  • Data Mobilisation: Encourage digitisation of existing datasets (species checklists, herbarium specimens, ecological monitoring data).
  • Citizen Science Integration: Develop mechanisms to incorporate observations from citizen scientists into GBIF.
  • National Node Discussion: Explore the feasibility and benefits of Bhutan establishing a formal GBIF country node for sustained engagement.
  • Survey-based Prioritisation: Use survey results to identify priority datasets and tailor technical support accordingly.

Conclusion

The Bhutan webinar successfully introduced GBIF tools, standards, and workflows to key stakeholders, generating significant interest in biodiversity data publishing. While technical skills and time limitations remain challenges, the enthusiasm of participants and the presence of existing datasets provide a strong foundation for future collaboration. Planned follow-up activities will focus on technical support, capacity building, and institutional engagement to strengthen Bhutan’s contribution to global biodiversity data sharing.

The closing remarks emphasised the urgency of publishing data rather than keeping it confined to personal computers or institutional archives. Participants were encouraged to take advantage of GBIF’s user-friendly platform and regional support mechanisms to make Bhutan’s biodiversity data globally accessible.

Contacts

Phuentsho, National Biodiversity Centre, Bhutan

Sabitra Pradhan, National Mushroom Centre, Bhutan

Lily Shrestha, Asia Regional Support Team, GBIF

Ramesh Kathariya, ICIMOD

Bandana Shakya, ICIMOD