Where Worlds Align: Insights from the Joint GGBN–ISBER Conference on Biodiversity and Biobanking, Cape Town, October 2025

Abstract

The 2025 Joint GGBN–ISBER Conference in Cape Town united biodiversity, environmental, and biomedical biobanking communities from 38 countries. The event highlighted biobanks as interdisciplinary and collaborative infrastructures for addressing global challenges—pandemics, biodiversity loss, and food security, among others. Recurring themes throughout the conference were as follows: (1) Harmonization and Quality—adoption of best practices and standards where possible to ensure global interoperability and sample integrity; (2) Equitable Governance—crafting flexible, transparent frameworks for sample and data sharing that uphold sovereignty and benefit local communities; (3) Technological and Data Integration—using artificial intelligence, omics technologies, and standardized metadata to transform physical specimens into scalable digital resources; and (4) Resilient Infrastructure—securing long-term investment in regional biobanking networks and targeted training to build enduring capacity, embedding sustainability by design and safeguarding local knowledge.