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Type of site | Encyclopedia |
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Created by | Wildscreen |
URL | www |
Launched | 20 May 2003 |
Current status | Archived |
ARKive was a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery",[1][2] which it did by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the world's species into a centralised digital archive.[1] Its priority was the completion of audio-visual profiles for the c. 17,000 species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1]
The project was an initiative of Wildscreen, a UK-registered educational charity,[3] based in Bristol.[4] The technical platform was created by Hewlett-Packard, as part of the HP Labs' Digital Media Systems research programme.[5]
ARKive had the backing of leading conservation organisations, including BirdLife International, Conservation International, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations' World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),[1] as well as leading academic and research institutions, such as the Natural History Museum; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the Smithsonian Institution.[1] It was a member of the Institutional Council of the Encyclopedia of Life.[1]
Two ARKive layers for Google Earth, featuring endangered species[6] and species in the Gulf of Mexico[6] were produced by Google Earth Outreach. The first of these was launched in April 2008 by Wildscreen's Patron, Sir David Attenborough.[7]
The website closed on 15 February 2019; its collection of images and videos remains securely stored for future generations.