UPSC

Why in News?
o    The Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) Alliance recently announced a record investment of $2.5 million in biodiversity data for 2024, doubling its previous year’s funding of $1.2 million. This marks a major step in strengthening global biodiversity conservation efforts.
•    About IBAT:
o    Established in 2008, IBAT is a collaborative initiative involving four leading global conservation organizations: BirdLife International, Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, IBAT supports governments, businesses, NGOs, and researchers by offering reliable, science-based data for biodiversity decision-making.
o    The IBAT platform licenses access to high-quality datasets such as the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas (WDKBA), and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It also provides derived tools like the Rarity-Weighted Richness layer and the STAR (Species Threat Abatement and Restoration) metric, making it an essential resource for aligning with global nature-positive goals.