An ambitious goal of creating an accessible, centralized, comprehensive resource for every species on Earth came into being in 2008 with the unveiling of the first 30,000 pages from the Encyclopedia of Life.
The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is an international collaborative project between scientists, international organizations, research institutions, and the general public. Here on this site, you can find for each species, information about their classification, biology, ecological patterns and behaviour, evolution and systematics, molecular biology and genetics, and conservation status.
The goal of EOL is to create pages for each of the estimated 1.9 million known species on Earth by 2017. The website has grown dramatically since its launch with the additions of new partners and multimedia content. Today, there are over 200 global collaborators, and more than 1 million pages of species content created.
Through documenting and aggregating together our current knowledge of all life on Earth, this resource can help us identify gaps, and create new opportunities for research. Through understanding species patterns and connections, this resource can help us with conservation efforts to preserve the diversity of species on Earth. With many more species still yet to be discovered, as well as continually building on our current knowledge of known species, this resource will only continue to grow. The Encyclopedia of Life is a testament to global collaboration of making information about Earth’s biodiversity freely available and accessible.
