The Biodiversity and Development Institute

What The Biodiversity and Development Institute does

The Biodiversity and Development Institute (BDI) is a South African non-profit company registered in 2015 (CIPC Reg. 2015/136344/08; NPO 302-671), headquartered in Rondebosch, Cape Town, with a core team of approximately 5 staff. BDI operates three interconnected departments — Citizen Science, Research Consulting, and Research Training — that collectively link volunteers, students, landowners, and research professionals to biodiversity and conservation projects across southern Africa.

BDI's core technology platform is the Virtual Museum (vmus.adu.org.za), which ingests citizen-submitted biodiversity records across multiple taxa, and the SABAP2 (Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2) pentad-based mapping protocol, which has accumulated over 17 million records since 2007 at a run rate of approximately 2 million records per year across 8 southern African countries. BDI also operates species-specific atlases for dragonflies, butterflies, lacewings, and amphibians, plus the Karoo Research Centre as a field hub. Distribution is direct and field-based: bird ringing expeditions, training courses, open days, consulting engagements, and student supervision rather than any traditional product sales channel.

The business model is a hybrid of three professional-services revenue streams — consulting (statistical analysis, manuscript editing, field logistics), training (tutoring, workshops, online courses), and paid bird ringing expeditions — supplemented by volunteer-driven citizen science programs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is likely quote-based. The organization is governed by three directors (Prof Les Underhill, Sue Gie, Jorn Das) and is sustained by partnerships with the University of Cape Town's FitzPatrick Institute, SANBI, BirdLife South Africa, BirdLasser, Robben Island Museum, and a network of private nature reserves and landowners.

Name

The Biodiversity and Development Institute

Legal name

The Biodiversity and Development Institute

Website

https://thebdi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Biodiversity and Development Institute is a South African non-profit that links citizen scientists, students, and researchers to biodiversity and conservation projects across southern Africa, operating the Virtual Museum platform, the SABAP2 bird atlas (17M+ records), field research sites, and training and consulting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Research Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE), Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI), Wildlife & Animal Care Volunteering (EDAIAGAE)

Keywords

• Biodiversity research
• Citizen science
• Bird ringing
• Conservation consulting
• Ecological training

Headquarters

HQ city

Rondebosch, Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Science and Ecology Consulting Services: Provides technical and logistical support to the broader research community including statistical consulting, manuscript editing, student mentoring and supervision, and field extension services. Supports local and international researchers conducting projects in South Africa.
2. Research Training Programs: Training and continuing education in quantitative analysis, citizen science, database management, academic writing, and ecological field research. Delivered through tutoring, workshops, traditional in-class courses, and distributed/online courses.
3. African Bird Ringing Expeditions: Expeditions combining citizen science with bird ringing experiences led by expert ringers at key African habitats. Participants contribute to long-term ringing projects while experiencing African bird species.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Biodiversity and Development Institute (BDI) operates three interconnected service departments: Citizen Science (engaging volunteers in long-term biodiversity monitoring projects through the Virtual Museum platform and atlas programs), Research Consulting (statistical consulting, manuscript editing, mentoring, and field logistics for researchers), and Research Training (workshops, courses, and online training in quantitative ecology and citizen science). The organization also conducts African bird ringing expeditions at private nature reserves across southern Africa.

Product overview

The Biodiversity and Development Institute (BDI) is a non-profit company operating three core service departments: Citizen Science (connecting volunteers with biodiversity research projects), Science Consulting (providing technical and logistical support to researchers), and Research Training (educating students and professionals in ecological research methods). BDI facilitates multiple citizen science atlas programs including SABAP2 (Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2), LacewingMAP, and atlases for dragonflies, butterflies, and amphibians. The organization runs bird ringing expeditions across Africa, maintains the Karoo Research Centre for field studies, and publishes the BDInsight newsletter. BDI operates the Virtual Museum platform for citizen scientist data contributions. The offering is a platform of interconnected research, training, and citizen science programs rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Citizen Science Department

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 million+ biodiversity records collected; 2 million records added annually to SABAP2 database

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of Cape Town - FitzPatrick Institute of African OrnithologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2007SABAP2 bird atlas project is based at the University of Cape Town and funded by the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology. This partnership provides academic institutional backing and research infrastructure for large-scale citizen science biodiversity monitoring.
• South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2007SABAP2 project actively supported by SANBI, providing national biodiversity research institutional partnership for data analysis and conservation applications.
• BirdLife South AfricamajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2007Active supporter of SABAP2 project, providing conservation sector partnership and volunteer network access for citizen science outreach.
• Robben Island MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports African Oystercatcher population surveys on Robben Island over 25 years, providing logistics and ferry transport for research expeditions.
• Private Nature Reserves (Ouberg, Nuwejaars Wetlands, Botuin, Grotto Bay)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of private nature reserves hosting bird ringing expeditions and training courses. Reserves provide field sites, accommodation, and access to key African habitats for citizen science and research activities.
• Landowners and CommunitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerField sites established through considerable network of landowners and communities who want research conducted in their areas, providing access to diverse habitats across southern Africa.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• iNaturalist: Global multi-taxa citizen science platform. Comparable as a competing data collection platform for citizen scientists recording biodiversity observations; potential substitute and partner for BDI's Virtual Museum.

Broad incumbents

• South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI): South Africa's statutory body for biodiversity research and monitoring. Directly comparable because SANBI actively supports SABAP2, operates national biodiversity databases, and is a core BDI partner; broader mandate but overlapping citizen science and biodiversity data work.
• Fauna & Flora International (FFI): International conservation NGO with a long-established species and habitat monitoring practice. Comparable as a non-profit running conservation science and capacity-building programs at greater global scale.
• WWF South Africa: South African arm of a global conservation NGO. Comparable as a large non-profit operating in biodiversity conservation, citizen engagement, and research in southern Africa, though at much larger scale and broader mandate.
• BirdLife International: Global partnership of bird conservation organizations. Directly comparable in mission (bird conservation, citizen science, atlassing) at global scale; BirdLife South Africa (a partner) is the immediate local affiliate.

Regional players

• African Bird Club: UK-based charity promoting ornithology across Africa. Comparable in mission (African bird research, conservation, and capacity building) and audience (birders and ringers), though headquartered in the UK rather than Africa.

Direct peers

• FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology: UCT-based academic ornithology institute that funds and houses SABAP2. Directly comparable research mission (African bird science) and the institutional host/funder of BDI's flagship citizen science project.
• BirdLife South Africa: The leading South African bird conservation NGO. Directly comparable to BDI as a non-profit running citizen science bird monitoring, advocacy, and conservation programs; BDI is an active partner through the SABAP2 project.
• eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): The world's largest citizen science bird observation platform. Directly comparable in product/category (bird citizen science atlassing); BDI's SABAP2 is the southern African equivalent at regional scale.
• Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT): South African non-profit focused on threatened species and ecosystems. Comparable as a non-profit conservation NGO running species monitoring, volunteer programs, and applied research across southern Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/the.bdi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-biodiversity-and-development-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Biodiversity and Development Institute