Open-access resources will remain available to support global mobilization of vector-borne disease records

The GBIF task group on mobilization and use of biodiversity data for research and policy on human diseases has concluded its second and final term, delivering major advances in the accessibility and use of biodiversity data to inform global responses to vector-borne diseases.

The GBIF Science Committee established the task group in 2020 to enhance data mobilization aimed at informing research, policy and management on zoonotic diseases. The group aligned its work with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) call for a multisectoral approach in its Global vector control response 2017–2030. This approach corresponds to the agreements between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to strengthen cooperation to promote One Health.

Chaired in its last term by Lindsay Campbell and coordinated by Paloma Shimabukuro, supported by Dmitry Schigel and Kate Ingenloff from the GBIF Secretariat, the second term of the task group brought together experts from 11 institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas between February 2024 and June 2025. During its 16-month term, the group fulfilled the six objectives of its charter, the final being the release of the community-reviewed Guide on publishing data on disease vectors, hosts and pathogens through biodiversity data platforms.

The task group’s work has strengthened the role of biodiversity data in global health policy and research. As the group concludes its formal work, its outputs will continue to support capacity building and data mobilization efforts on vector-borne diseases.

Click here to find more information and to download the Final report: Task group on mobilization and use of biodiversity data for research and policy on human diseases.