Biodiversity.CZ

Ecosystem of specialized repositories, services, and software integrations that will serve as a national base for sharing biodiversity data in the Czech Republic. Pilot implementation is underway within the EOSC Environmental Sciences Working Group of the National Repository Platform for Research Data (OS I NRP) project and further development is planned within the OS II project.

Integrated in the National Repository Platform (NRP) of the EOSC.CZ

Developed and maintained by a team of the Czech DiSSCo consortium

Provide and use FAIR biodiversity research data in the proper and easy way!

Herbarium (Plant and Fungal) Collections

Herbarium collections of plants and fungi constitute an indispensable tool for reproducible and repeatable biodiversity research. With more than 10,000,000 specimens housed in more than 60 herbaria, Czech Republic belongs to the top five countries with the highest proportion of herbarium specimens per capita in the world. These specimens, which document the biodiversity research activities, and spatial and temporal diversity patterns of plant and fungal organisms since 18th century, are relevant at both national and international levels. The repository for Herbarium collections provides a unique place for storing and sharing of digital objects – high-resolution scans and photos of herbarium specimens physically housed by Czech herbaria. Through a connection with a JACQ database system, and secondarily through GBIF, all herbarium data and associated metadata are available for botanists and plant ecologists all over the world.

Pilot of the repository

Genetic banks

The rapid technological advancements of recent years—particularly in the field of molecular genetics—have led to an exponential increase in both the quantity and diversity of information that can be extracted from materials stored in genetic collections. These collections have become essential tools for uncovering evolutionary relationships among species, understanding the mechanisms underlying the origin and persistence of biodiversity, and appreciating its role in maintaining ecosystem stability – and, by extension, preserving the environment for future generations of humankind. The network of biodiversity genetic collections in the Czech Republic provides metadata on stored biological material (such as tissue or DNA samples) through the Specify system. While the material predominantly originates from Central Europe, it also encompasses representatives of global fauna. All recorded material is available to researchers worldwide.