All Species Foundation

Template:Short description The All Species Foundation (stylized as ALL Species Foundation) was an organization aiming to catalog all species on Earth by 2025 through their All Species Inventory initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The project was launched in 2000 by Kevin Kelly, Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan.<ref name="kelly-biog">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Along with other similar efforts, the All Species Foundation was promoted as an important step forward in expanding, modernizing and digitizing the field of taxonomy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Foundation started with a large grant from the Schlinger Foundation but had difficulty finding continued funding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007 the project ceased activity and "[handed] off [its] mission to the Encyclopedia of Life".<ref name="kelly-biog"></ref>

The All Species Foundation received some critique for its approach to defining and identifying species. An open letter expressed concern over the species problem, a fundamental issue in taxonomy of what exactly defines a species. The letter argued that failing to acknowledge and account for this fundamental issue could undermine the use of the database for conservation and biodiversity preservation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Catalogue of Life
• Encyclopedia of Life
• Earth BioGenome Project
• Open Tree of Life
• Tree of Life Web Project
• Wikispecies