On April 22–23, 2026, the regional working meeting “GBIF Central Asia 2026 Subregional Engagement Meeting” was held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
The “GBIF Central Asia 2026” regional meeting was organized by the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the GBIF Secretariat.
The event brought together representatives of scientific organizations from Central Asian countries. Kazakhstan was represented by Ivan Frolov, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology.
During the meeting, participants discussed priorities for strengthening regional cooperation, issues related to biodiversity data management, and opportunities for attracting international funding.
The presentation “Biodiversity data and GBIF opportunities in Kazakhstan” highlighted Kazakhstan’s experience in integrating scientific data into the global GBIF infrastructure, which plays an important role in fulfilling international commitments on biodiversity conservation.
Special attention was also given to the participation of national GBIF programs in upcoming major international events, including the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (Ulaanbaatar, August 2026) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (Yerevan, October 2026).
As a result of the meeting, participants agreed on approaches to the development of national GBIF programs and the coordination of regional cooperation.
The meeting confirmed the importance of consolidating efforts among Central Asian countries to enhance the accessibility and relevance of scientific data at the global level.
29.04.2026
NOTE: GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) is an international organization, network, and open-access database that provides free access to information on all living species on Earth.
The portal aggregates billions of records on occurrences, observations, and museum specimens, helping scientists and conservation organizations study biodiversity.
Photo: Ivan Frolov and meeting organizers