A best practice guide published by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, supported by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), aims to increase awareness of the tools and protocols available to publish biodiversity data collected as part of local government planning processes.
It describes how biodiversity data publishing can be incorporated into planning, policy development and decision-making processes in local government.
25 May 2012: A best practice guide published by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability aims to increase awareness of the tools and protocols available to publish biodiversity data collected as part of local government planning processes.
Such biodiversity data are often lost after completion of reports or collected in inconsistent formats that cannot be easily archived or shared. The guide, which 
is supported by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), details the steps needed to preserve them and make them accessible via the Internet.
It describes how biodiversity data publishing can be incorporated into planning, policy development and decision-making processes in local government. It notes that local governments are becoming increasingly important as managers and users of biodiversity assets, due to their responsibilities for environmental management and planning, regulation of land use, and supporting implementation of biodiversity policies and strategies. [ICLEI-CBD-GBIF Press Release] [Publication: Best Practice Guide for Biodiversity Data Publishing by Local Governments]