Biodiversity Trends Explorer

The Museum has developed the Biodiversity Trends Explorer (BTE) as a tool to help track biodiversity change.

The BTE supports policymakers, evidence builders and scientific advisors to make better decisions around biodiversity using robust scientific data developed by the Natural History Museum. This digital tool makes it easy for experts to find, explore, understand and access data on the Museum's biodiversity indicators.

By making the indicators more accessible, the BTE highlights biodiversity change and the impact of the factors that drive it. This tool will enable decision-makers to preserve biodiversity better and work towards bending the curve of biodiversity loss. It will tell the story of the past and present state of biodiversity and predict the impact of future decisions.

Why are biodiversity indicators important?

Earth is changing quickly in response to human activities. Biodiversity loss is one of the clearest warning signs that we are facing a planetary emergency. 

Biodiversity indicators are essential tools for understanding, monitoring and communicating biodiversity changes and tracking our progress towards UN development goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Biodiversity Intactness Index

One way to measure biodiversity change is using the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), produced by the PREDICTS team at the Natural History Museum.

The Biodiversity Intactness Index uses abundance data on plants, fungi and animals from around the world. The Index shows how local terrestrial biodiversity is responding to human pressures such as land use change and intensification.

The BII complements other biodiversity indicators that tell the story of extinction risk, such as the Sampled Red List Index for Plants that uses the IUCN Red List Criteria to assess plant extinction rate. 

What is the Biodiversity Intactness Index?

This broad explainer will help answer key questions about Biodiversity Intactness Index.

Explore the Biodiversity Intactness Index

View and download the data to see past, current and future biodiversity changes for a particular area.

Where does the data come from?

Find out how the Index came about, how it is calculated and where the data comes from.

The Sampled Red List Index for Plants

The Sampled Red List Index for Plants uses the IUCN Red List Criteria to assess plant extinction rate. It complements other biodiversity indicators, such as the Biodiversity Intactness Index, that tell the story of extinction risk.

The Sampled Red List Index for Plants