For many centuries, people have been fascinated by the ecosystems around them, witnessing first-hand the function, benefits and uses of plant and animal life. As of recent, some have termed this the “Century of Biology”. This is because of the numerous ecosystems, economic and even life threatening biology associated events that are now so often appearing in headlines around the world. Human/wildlife diseases such as West Nile Virus, SARS and anthrax now enter and rapidly cross entire countries; invasive species cause many billions of dollars in damage each year; and global biodiversity is declining along with increases in the number of threatened and endangered species. IBF recognizes the gravity of these biological issues, and is working with leading national and international organizations that are creating the foundation of integrated biological data and information that is needed to conduct the research to generate solutions.

Leading entities that comprise this bioinformatics network include BIOSIS, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Global Diversity Information Facility (GBIF), the Inter-American Biodiversity Network (IABIN), the Clearinghouse Mechanism (CHM) of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). IBF’s strategy is to promote, gain support for, and help expand the contributions of these organizations in society.