The continuation of data mobilization activities after the project funding expires requires the acknowledgement of the value of those activities by those with the resources to continue investing to support the publishing infrastructure and human resourcing. If data is relevant, then it is easier to make the case for the continued institutional support, whether as a lead institution or as part of wider collaborations. This can only be done through communication with relevant data user communities.
Support for data collection of plant biodiversity in Gabon
Gabon
The forests that occupy 88 per cent of Gabon’s host between 7,000 and 7,500 plant species, and close to a thousand of them are endemic. The National Herbarium of Gabon maintains a collection of nearly 70,000 specimens, making it the most important source of data on the country’s floristic biodiversity, with other data dispersed across other governmental institutions and universities.
To mobilize additional data to serve and support the country's conservation needs, this project combined specimen information with data from forest inventories and other research projects, adding more than 58 thousand newly digitized records covering 5,447 species both to GBIF.org and the Plateforme de l'Herbier National du Gabon.
The authoritative database on the Gabonese flora feeds directly into two parallel national initiatives: Cadre d’Investissement du Gabon pour l’Initiative pour la Forêt de l’Afrique Centrale (CAFI) and Biodiversity Assessment for Spatial Prioritisation in Africa (BASPA) project. CAFI will use the database to help identify areas of High Conservation Value and guide land-use planning, while BASPA will assess the conservation status of species using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.