Voucher specimen of species in natural history collections and their associated label data are conventionally stored as single individuals in pigeonholes often occupying a vast amount of space. Access to the vouchers and their associated information is usually restricted to specialists due to the great scientific importance attached to the specimens, their delicate nature, and the fact that it is the specialists that can make sense out of the raw data.

The aim of the integrated project is to deposit and computerize plant and insect species that occur in the research sites of the BIOTA EAST-project by digitising specimens of representative plant and insect species and entering the associated label data into a database that can be used on-site and on the world wide web. In addition, plant information from Kakamega Forest will be compiled into a printed field guide, which can be used by those with no access to computers or internet.

At the end of the project, databases containing taxonomic information on the identities of plant and insect species as well as geographic information associated with specimens from most study sites will be made available on internet and as stand-alone packages. The databases will be used (and actively supported) by other sub-projects in the BIOTA-East framework, local researchers, the interested public and will contribute to international initiatives such as GBIF and GTI, the CHM etc.

This joined project of six research groups (National Museum of Kenya, Herbarium Department; National Museum of Kenya, Entomology Department; Budongo Forest Project, ZFMK, University of Hohenheim) aims at capacity building at the partner institutions in Kenya and Uganda in database development and management at the National Museums of Kenya and the Budongo Forest Project. This will enhance the capacities for making the plentitude of information available to the public and thus provide a good background for future data basing of the large natural history collection at mentioned institutions.