Private companies collect large amounts of biodiversity data through environmental impact assessments, site monitoring, and sustainability initiatives. Yet most of this data is never shared beyond the organisation that collects it.
The Biodiversa+ guide on sharing biodiversity data by private companies explores why this is the case, and how some companies are finding pragmatic ways forward.
The case studies show that reluctance to share biodiversity data is rarely ideological. Instead, it reflects concrete concerns around data ownership, confidentiality, liability, and costs. In many organisations, biodiversity data sit at the intersection of legal, environmental, and commercial responsibilities, making sharing a complex decision.
At the same time, the guide documents examples where companies have successfully shared biodiversity data without compromising their interests. In some cases, data are shared through trusted intermediaries rather than directly. In others, companies contribute aggregated, standardised, or selected datasets instead of raw monitoring data.
These examples highlight an important point: data sharing is not an all-or-nothing choice. The guide presents a spectrum of sharing approaches, tailored to different contexts and constraints. What matters most is clarity on purpose. When companies understand how their data could contribute to biodiversity monitoring, research, or policy, sharing becomes more meaningful and easier to justify internally.
The case studies also underline the enabling role of standards and infrastructures. Clear data formats, metadata requirements, and governance frameworks reduce uncertainty and transaction costs. Where such structures exist, companies are more willing to engage.
Rather than promoting open data by default, the guide advocates for responsible, context-specific data sharing. By focusing on real examples, it demystifies the process and shows that private-sector biodiversity data can contribute to public value when sharing is approached pragmatically and collaboratively.
