European Network for Biodiversity Information

ENBI (January, 2003-December, 2005) was a thematic programme supported by the European Union under framework Programme V and is a European Union contribution to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The major objective of ENBI was to establish a strong European network to pool the relevant technical resources and human expertise in Europe and to identify the biodiversity information priorities to be managed at the European level. Additional objectives were the establishment of communication platforms to inquire as to the needs of the users of biodiversity information and to disseminate biodiversity expertise to professionals and policy makers.

Online deliverables included the Lepindex, a demonstrator database on butterfly type specimens, fish type specimens and Macaranga and Mallotus (Euphorbiaceae) of Borneo. Additional deliverables included a manual of best practice for digitising biological type specimens, multi-lingual access and legal issues related particularly to Intellectual Property of biodiversity data and databases.

There were 66 partner organisations representing 24 countries in ENBI.

Project Team

Project Leader: Owens, Simon

Herbarium

Simon Owens

Project Partners and Collaborators

Austria

Biologiezentrum des Oberösterreiches Landesmuseum

Denmark

Zoological Museum (ZMUC), University of Copenhagen

Finland

Centre for Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of Turku

Germany

Institute of Marine Research, University of Kiel

Verlag für Interaktive Medien GbR

Greece

Department of Natural Products, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Crete

The Netherlands

Expert centre for Taxonomic Identification, Amsterdam

Zoological Museum, University of Amsterdam

Spain

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid

Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), Madrid

UK

Centre for Plant Diversity and Systematics, University of Reading

Natural History Museum, London

Funders

European Union FPV Energy, environment and sustainable development programme: contract no EVK2-CT-2002-20020