The Conservation Commons was created at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2004. The essence of this important initiative is to encourage the release of biodiversity data in order to facilitate biodiversity conservation. It does this by establishing three fundamental Principles which relevant organisations are then invited to endorse by formal signature. As of January 2009 more than 96 have done so. The principles are:
Open Access: The Conservation Commons promotes free and open access to data, information and knowledge for conservation purposes.
Mutual Benefit: The Conservation Commons welcomes and encourages participants both to use resources and to contribute data, information and knowledge.
Rights and Responsibilities: Contributors to the Conservation Commons have full right to attribution for any uses of their data, information, or knowledge, and the right to ensure that the original integrity of their contribution to the Commons is preserved. Users of the Conservation Commons are expected to comply, in good faith, with terms of uses specified by contributors and in accordance with these Principles.
For more information, please follow these links:
About the Conservation Commons
About the Signatories of the Conservation Commons
About the Friends of the Conservation Commons
How to join the Friends of the Conservation Commons
PDF version of the Charter of the Friends of the Conservation Commons
