TDWG, the international standards body for biodiversity data, has officially approved two important additions to Darwin Core (DwC):
- A new Conceptual Model
- A Darwin Core Data Package Guide (DwC-DP)
These were formally ratified in May 2026 after around five years of development, testing, workshops and public review.
Until now, Darwin Core has been very good at standardising biodiversity data fields (such as species names, locations and dates), but it has been less clear about how different types of records relate to one another.
The new Conceptual Model fills that gap by defining the relationships between key Darwin Core classes and data types. In simple terms, it provides a shared blueprint for how biodiversity information should be connected.
What the Data Package Guide does
The new Darwin Core Data Package Guide provides a more flexible way to package and publish biodiversity datasets. It allows organisations to describe relationships between multiple tables of data rather than relying on the older, more restrictive Darwin Core Archive structure.
This means data publishers will be able to share:
- More complex datasets
- Data with clearer relationships between records
- Information in a more consistent way across organisations
Benefits
The changes are expected to:
- Improve interoperability between biodiversity datasets.
- Make it easier for organisations to publish and validate data.
- Support the development of new software tools.
- Enable more complex biodiversity information to be shared consistently.
What happens next?
The next steps are:
- Development and adoption of schemas based on the new standards.
- Implementation work by GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) using the new Data Package Guide.
NBN Trust takeaway
Following a six-month public review, the Conceptual Model and Data Package Guide have been ratified as additions to the Darwin Core Standard. As this is one of the biggest updates to the Darwin Core standard in years, it is a very exciting milestone towards publishing complex and structured datasets in a consistent way. The NBN Atlas Data Team will be following the development of the GBIF implementation of the Data Package Guide very closely. The NBN Atlas will continue to use the Darwin Core Archives system and any future adoption plans will be shared with our network in advance.
More information
This can be found on the TDWG website. More information on Darwin Core can be found here.