The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) was formed in 2011 with the principal aim of making high-quality well-documented and vou- chered collections that store DNA or tissue samples of biodiversity, discoverable for research through a networked community of biodiversity repositories. This is achieved through the GGBN Data Portal (http://data.ggbn.org), which links globally distributed databases and bridges the gap between biodiversity repositories, sequence databases and research results. Advances in DNA extraction techniques combined with next-gener- ation sequencing technologies provide new tools for genome sequencing. Many ambitious genome sequencing projects with the potential to revolution- ize biodiversity research consider access to adequate samples to be a major bottleneck in their workflow. This is linked not only to accelerating biodiversity loss and demands to improve conser- vation efforts but also to a lack of standardized methods for providing access to genomic samples. Biodiversity biobank-holding institutions urgently need to set a standard of collaboration towards excellence in collections stewardship, information access and sharing and responsible and ethical use of such collections. GGBN meets these needs by enabling and supporting accessibility and the efficient coordinated expansion of biodiversity biobanks worldwide.
['Gabriele Droege', 'Katharine Barker', 'Jonas J. Astrin', 'Paul Bartels', 'Carol Butler', 'David J. Cantrill', 'Jonathan A. Coddington', 'Félix Forest', 'Birgit Gemeinholzer', 'Donald Hobern', 'Jacqueline Mackenzie-Dodds', 'Éamonn Ó Tuama', 'Gitte Petersen', 'Oris I. Sanjur', 'David Schindel', 'Ole Seberg']
The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) Data Portal