GBIF has launched a public consultation on recommendations to improve the data available for biodiversity research linked to agriculture. It is inviting feedback on the report of the task group on data fitness for use in agrobiodiversity, which was set up to assess the completeness of GBIF-mediated data relevant to the theme.
The document was drawn up following expert consultations, and outlines ways to improve the fit of available data for agrobiodiversity. The task group’s recommendations include stimulating the publication of genebank data through the use of the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors (MCPD), the international standard for exchanging germplasm information; publishing checklists and classifications of cultivar species and landraces; and providing training to mobilize relevant data.
Interested users are requested to provide comments on the report via the GBIF community site. The deadline for feedback is 15 December 2015.
GBIF also encourages the agrobiodiversity community to contribute use cases using the available template.