On 19 October 2026, GBIF Belgium will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) in Brussels. Over the past 25 years, GBIF Belgium has played a central role in supporting the mobilization, publication, and use of biodiversity data, contributing to a global network that enables open access to millions of biodiversity records for research, conservation, education, and policy-making. This anniversary event will bring together members of the Belgian biodiversity community, including researchers, collection managers, data stewards, policy experts, students, and biodiversity informatics professionals. It will provide an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of biodiversity data mobilisation in Belgium, showcase successful initiatives, and explore how GBIF-mediated data contribute to science, conservation, capacity development, and evidence-based decision-making. The programme will feature presentations from key stakeholders involved in biodiversity data management and use, covering topics such as biodiversity collections, data publication through GBIF, data quality and standards, capacity-building initiatives, data integration, and innovative applications of biodiversity information.

Practical information:

• Date: Monday, 19 October 2026
• Venue: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels
• Participation: Free of charge
• Registration (Mandatory)

Whether you are a long-standing GBIF contributor or simply interested in biodiversity data and their societal impact, we warmly invite you to join us in celebrating 25 years of biodiversity data mobilisation in Belgium.

Save the date and celebrate with us!

Programme

08:30 Registration

Welcome

Belgian Open Biodiversity Data Landscape

Use Cases and Applications