With Open Access to Global Sustainability: What, Why and How

FALK HUETTMANN

EWHALE lab, Inst. of Arctic Biology,, Biology and Wildlife Dept., University of Alaska-Fairbanks, 419 Irving I, Fairbanks, 99775 USA, fffh@uafe.edu

All relevant biodiversity and habitat data show that sustainable development became an oxymoron. In times of globalization, this presents a major problem and failure of the current economic paradigm promoting growth. The public lacks awareness of this unbalanced approach. Often, this is because Freedom of Information is not followed, not allowing for a thorough public review, or because relevant high quality data are not collected by, or not available from, mandated institutions, organizations, NGOs and legal procedures such as EIS (Environmental Impact Studies). Here, I present an assessment of the state-of-the-art of these topics, and suggest an approach on how to overcome the current global sustainable crisis in a democratic and convenient manner. This approach is based on open access online data, long-term economy, high quality monitoring and modeling data analysis freely available to the general public online, and science-based adaptive management with a global focus on sustainability. I present unifying schemes from representative case studies of this new approach doing business using field- and GIS (Geographic Information System)-based biodiversity, wildlife and habitat examples worldwide, terrestrial and marine. Mentioned initiatives have GBIF, OBIS, GAP and IPY, as well as Metadata and public feedback mechanisms of the overall performance at its core. It is suggested that this ‘new digital sustainability package’ becomes an inherent part of relevant policies and institutions for assuring our survival.