Liikidele

Liikidele is an international initiative dedicated to biodiversity science and conservation. It coordinates research, data sharing, and policy engagement to support informed conservation decisions.

The name Liikidele stems from the Estonian word "liik" meaning species, with suffixes signifying direction and collaboration, chosen to reflect the organization's focus on species-centered research and international cooperation. It operates as a network of researchers, field stations, and citizen scientists.

Activities include maintaining an open data portal with species occurrence records and environmental metadata, coordinating standardized field surveys, and providing training programs in biodiversity data management and GIS. Liikidele also publishes policy briefs and contributes to international conservation planning.

Governance consists of a volunteer-led board, a scientific advisory council, and regional coordinators. Funding comes from research grants, philanthropic foundations, and partnerships with universities and NGOs. The organization adheres to open data principles and ethical guidelines for fieldwork.

Liikidele is recognized for improving data accessibility, enabling comparative biodiversity analyses, and supporting evidence-based conservation actions. It collaborates with other platforms in biodiversity informatics and has contributed to capacity-building in several regions.