In 2009, the GBIF Participant Reporting System was launched as a mechanism for tracking the implementation of the Work Programme by the Participants, while at the same time providing a channel for Participants to report their needs and priorities to both the Secretariat and the rest of the GBIF network.

At the 17^th GBIF Governing Board meeting in 2010, the continuation of the Participant Reporting System was approved, with Participants agreeing to provide annual reports for improved guidance of the design and implementation of Work Programmes.

The PRS is designed to serve a dual role: while aiming to monitor the implementation of the WP globally, the PRS also provides an important and necessary channel for the GBIF Participants to express their needs to both the Secretariat and the other Participants, so that GBIF’s activities and services can be focused in response. The online PRS therefore constitutes a means for the GBIF community to gain a picture of the full extent of activities throughout the GBIF network, while the information collected through the PRS helps to guide the setting of relevant priorities for the future.