Colleagues,

We hope to compile information on orphaned data for tropical forests, including inventory and plot data, that are in danger of being lost. Many projects over the years have generated a lot of tropical forest data. But the information is scattered among different institutions and people, some still only on paper, some digitized but in older formats.

TROPIS and ATROFI-UK are two previous databases that compiled metadata on forest plots and inventories. The data for certain plots are available at www.forestplots.net and its associated networks. But other plots and inventories still need attention, re-discovery even. We would like to compile information on datasets that should be digitized or transformed to an up-to-date digital format. The goal is firstly to make metadata on these datasets available on a publicly accessible website, and then to try to secure the data itself by pushing for appropriate curation with open-access availability.

These legacy datasets are invaluable for understanding how tropical forests change through time, including the cumulative impacts of changes in land use and climate, and changes in patterns of biodiversity and carbon storage. The past can help inform the future.

If you know of any such orphaned databases for tropical forests, please send a message to: Gillian Petrokofsky gillian.petrokofsky@zoo.ox.ac.uk or Sheila Ward sheila.emily.ward@gmail.com. Please pass this message on to anyone who might be interested.

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Regards,

Sheila Ward
Coordinator, IUFRO 1.02.04

Gillian Petrokovsky
Deputy Coordinator, IUFRO 9.01.01