Databases, Scaling Practices, and the Globalization of Biodiversity

Bibliographic Data

ID4239846
AuthorsEsther Turnhout (0000-0002-2190-2076, Wageningen University & Research), Susan Boonman-Berson (0000-0002-0876-7711, Wageningen University & Research)
Year2011
Volume16
Issue1
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueConservation Ecology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1195-5449 • E-ISSN: 1708-3087
PublisherResilience Alliance (PUBLISHER • CA)
DOI10.5751/es-03981-160135
OpenAlexW1536368294
LanguageEN
Citations received28
References cited23

Since the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992, biodiversity has become an important topic for scientific research. Much of this research is focused on measuring and mapping the current state of biodiversity, in terms of which species are present at which places and in which abundance, and making extrapolations and future projections, that is, determining the trends. Biodiversity databases are crucial components of these activities because they store information about biodiversity and make it digitally available. Useful biodiversity databases require data that are reliable, standardized, and fit for up-scaling. This paper uses material from the EBONE-project (European Biodiversity Observation Network) to illustrate how biodiversity databases are constructed, how data are negotiated and scaled, and how biodiversity is globalized. The findings show a continuous interplay between scientific ideals related to objectivity and pragmatic considerations related to feasibility and data availability. Statistics was a crucial feature of the discussions. It also proved to be the main device in up-scaling the data. The material presented shows that biodiversity is approached in an abstract, quantitative, and technical way, disconnected from the species and habitats that make up biodiversity and the people involved in collecting the data. Globalizing biodiversity involves decontextualization and standardization. This paper argues that while this is important if the results of projects like EBONE are to be usable in different contexts, there is a risk involved as it may lead to the alienation from the organizations and volunteers who collect the data upon which these projects rely

Biodiversity · Biodiversity conservation · Biology · Convention on Biological Diversity · Data science · Environmental resource management · Global biodiversity · Measurement of biodiversity · Standardization · Computer Science · Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies · Environmental Science · Philosophy and History of Science · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Ecology

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