In an attempt to list the available biodiversity databases, a first step has been made with publishing a alphabetic list of 29 resources.
Some of the databases reflect species diversity of a specific country or region, others focus on a species group or habitat to bring together all available knowledge about that specific group, taxa or environment.
A couple of initiatives try to put together all known species in a single database or online resource. Despite the efforts no institution has succeeded yet in doing so.
Arctos database museum, Catalog of Life, the Encyclopedia of Life and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) are examples of such efforts.
If you have suggestions to complete the list of available resources, your citation and reference are welcomed, as well as discussions on how to use this online biodiversity tools, and your opinion on the best available biodiversity database. What are the pro’s and con’s of open source?