ARKive

BUBO Listing is pleased to support ARKive, a unique collection of images and videos of the world's species.

What is ARKive?

ARKive is a unique global initiative, gathering together films, photographs and audio recordings of the world’s animals, plants and fungi into one centralised digital library. ARKive is leading the ‘virtual’ conservation effort creating comprehensive and enduring multi-media species profiles; complementing other species information datasets, and making a key resource available for scientists, conservationists, educators and the general public. These important audio-visual records are being preserved and maintained for the benefit of future generations and are being made freely available via the ARKive website, www.arkive.org.

Why is there a need for ARKive?

Films and photographs are an emotive, powerful and effective means of building environmental awareness – they can bring a scientific name to life, show what a species looks like and why it is special. As such, they are a valuable educational resource and conservation tool.

Continued habitat destruction and the rise in extinction rates also mean that for many species, films, photographs and audio recordings may soon be all that remains. They are, therefore, important historical and scientific records of the species they depict.

This material is, however, scattered around the world, held in a variety of commercial, specialist and private collections, much of it inaccessible to the general public and unavailable for scientific and educational use. Like the wildlife they depict, the images of these rare species are themselves endangered, with no guarantee that they will survive for future generations. Many records have already been lost forever, with companies basing storage decisions on commercial, rather than scientific, cultural or historical values. Privately owned materials, sometimes of considerable significance, may also be lost or discarded following the death of their owner. ARKive is bringing these important records together in one place for safe-keeping.

Who is creating ARKive?

ARKive is a not-for-profit initiative of Wildscreen (www.wildscreen.org.uk), a UK-based charity, whose mission is ‘to use the power of wildlife images to inspire the people of the world to value and conserve our natural environment and its biodiversity’.

Since 1982, Wildscreen has run the Wildscreen Festival, the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife film and television festival. Held in association with WWF-UK, it attracts over 800 delegates from more than 45 countries.

Wildscreen’s patrons are:

• HRH Prince Philip
• Sir David Attenborough
• Professor E O Wilson
• Dr Sylvia Earle

The visionary behind ARKive was the late Christopher Parsons OBE, former Head of the BBC Natural History Unit, IMAX film producer and founder of Wildscreen.