An initiative of the The Wildscreen Trust, ARKive will be the world's electronic archive of photographs, moving pictures and sound of endangered species and habitats. As such it will relate closely to the Red Data Books and the work of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC).

Our aims

ARKive aims to increase understanding of biodiversity, particularly raising awareness of endangered and vulnerable species and habitats, which it hopes to do by preserving representative footage from completed productions, stock footage, and private collections - selected to criteria established by an Advisory Panel. Ultimately, it will progress to hold information about all recorded species and habitats.

The collection

The collection will consist of historic and current materials and be digitally mastered. In cases where rare film originals need to be preserved, arrangements will be made with other organisations which have special archiving conditions.

Location

The ARKive headquarters will be at Wildscreen World in Bristol, United Kingdom. Its resources will complement data held by other museums, libraries and institutions, available through electronic outreach. Data held and managed by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre is especially relevant, and the development of ARKive is being planned in close co-operation with WCMC.

Wildscreen World

The Bristol 2000 bid for Millennium Fund cash (provided by the UK Lottery) has two major components: a second generation hands-on physical science centre, Science World, and a natural science centre: Wildscreen World. Planned to open in the year 2000. Wildscreen World will be a unique wildlife and environment visitor attraction housillg an Electronic Zoo, a large format cinema, Museum of Wildlife Photography, Nature Shop and ARKive. The British section should be complete in time for the opening of Wildscreen World.

Can you help us?

If you own moving or still images of endangered, threatened or even extinct species ARKive can help to broaden world access to your collection and provide a central resource for you which could help increase your earnings. Why not e-mail us or leave a message in the TalkBack Box?


Access to ARKive

Text, graphics, stills, sound and short sequences of non-broadcast standard moving images will be free on the Web as species records become available. ARKive will provide information on these pages about the copyright holders so that direct contact can be made when longer sequences of quality images are required. As a non-profit organisation, ARKive has no intention of working in competition with existing libraries and collections.

Developmental work

This Web site is being developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Education and Media Lab of the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol.

News about ARKive

Find out more about ARKive on the Arkive News pages.


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