This project aims to reinforce the capacities of the GBIF France-led "traits” working group around the Plinian Core, in order to better manage and make species traits and other taxonomic information available at the national and international levels.
Scheduled to be submitted to Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) in June 2023, the Plinian Core is a data specification used to describe all kinds of properties or traits related to taxa, including biological and non-biological traits.
The implementation of an international standard to manage and share new species traits would be critical to ensure that species-related information is available to the widest possible audience. This is particularly relevant in the context of the European habitat restoration laws with a specific focus on plant-pollinator interactions.
The projects aims to update the French taxonomic reference list (TAXREF), a constituent of the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, with traits information and statuses for each taxon.
Aligned with the GBIF Strategic Framework, this use case of Plinian Core expands the application of GBIF-mediated data (Priority Area 1), supports policy responses and knowledge transfer around planetary change and contributes to national and global biodiversity-related goals (Priority Area 2) and adapts existing data standards to enable routine generation of increasingly complex and comprehensive biodiversity data (Priority Area 4).
Project progress
Following the official launch of the project by the MNHN administrative team in late November 2023, the project team began organizing its first technical workshop between the French and Spanish teams and by midterm reporting, had held this workshop in February 2024.
As part of this workshop between the teams to launch the project, work towards the Plinian Core mapping and its implementation also begun.
