ABSTRACT
This chapter considers a range of collaborations required for the Barcoding of Life Initiative’s (BOLI) procurement of materials for the digital inventorying and archiving of life as barcodes. As M. Holloway narrates, D. Janzen and Paul Hebert met in 2003 at the Banbury Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory when Hebert was first introducing the new concept of DNA barcoding to the taxonomic community. From the list of sites of provenance of BOLI's materials, the importance of museum collections for compiling a universal archive of DNA barcodes is obvious. The chapter provides an account of ways in which BOLI has sought to engage with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as it has sought to amplify its global sourcing of materials. The CBD operates as an international legally-binding treaty providing a legal framework for the appropriate mobilization and recognition of origin of animal, plant and microbial resources.
