On 19 October 2026, the Belgian biodiversity data community gathered at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) to celebrate 25 years of GBIF Belgium, looking back at a quarter century of open biodiversity data and ahead at what comes next.
A day as diverse as the data
In one day, we travelled from the North Sea to Central Africa and down to Antarctica. The morning showed how Belgian institutions, from regional portals to natural history museums and botanic gardens, keep opening up their data and collections, and turning them into tools for science and policy.
The afternoon followed that data into the field: the hidden, less charismatic species of the Antarctic, wetland birds, edible insects, freshwater snails and even biodiversity law. Just a sample of what the Belgian community does with open data every day.
What we heard from you
The day closed with an enthusiastic interactive poll, which confirmed a clear demand for more hands-on workshops in the years ahead. Participants also highlighted that improving data quality and coverage remains the priority to keep working on together.
Thank you
A warm thank you to all speakers, moderators and participants, to RBINS for hosting us, and to everyone who has contributed data, code, time and enthusiasm to GBIF Belgium over the past 25 years.
Learn more
Here’s to the next 25 years!