Biodiversity: data serving life

This event marks an important milestone for biodiversity science in Switzerland, bringing together stakeholders across the biodiversity data ecosystem to strengthen exchange, coordination and collaboration.

Data as a strategic lever for biodiversity conservation

Biodiversity research and policy assessment are entering a new era, driven by the growing ability to exploit and connect increasing volumes of data. These data come from field observations, scientific literature, collections and genetics.

“Each type of data reveals a different facet of biodiversity: species presence, habitats, adaptive capacity. The challenge today is to connect them to build the most complete picture possible and better inform decisions,” says Robert Waterhouse, Director of the Environmental Bioinformatics Group at SIB.

Once standardised, made accessible and integrated at scale, these data can help identify priority areas for conservation and populations that are particularly vulnerable.

Concrete applications already visible in Switzerland

Several examples already demonstrate this potential: the protection of whitefish populations in Swiss lakes and the reintroduction of the bearded vulture in the Alps have both relied on combining complementary data sources – including taxonomic, genetic and GPS tracking data. A new project led by SIB now aims to extend these approaches at scale to birds, bats and fish in Switzerland, as well as to other organisms across Europe.

Thanks to expertise ranging from the development of sampling standards to AI-based modelling, and to a collaborative ecosystem bringing together researchers, field biologists, NGOs and public authorities, Switzerland is particularly well positioned to benefit from this transformation towards data-driven insights and actions.

Against the backdrop of today’s biodiversity challenges, the Bern Biodiversity Data Day highlights this transition, showcases concrete successes and strengthens coordination across the community. “This joint organization by SIB and SCNAT aims to connect data, science and decision-making, and to foster dialogue between biodiversity stakeholders both nationally and internationally,” says Eva Spehn, Scientific Collaborator at SCNAT.