California launches ambitious project to catalog every living species before they disappear

California is embarking on one of the most comprehensive biodiversity surveys ever attempted in the United States. The California All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI) aims to document and catalog every living species in the state—from towering redwoods to microscopic soil organisms—before climate change and habitat loss drive them to extinction.

Despite being one of the world’s recognized biodiversity hotspots and home to extensive research institutions, California faces a surprising challenge: much of its wildlife remains scientifically undocumented. Thousands of species, particularly insects, fungi, and soil microorganisms, have never been formally described or named by scientists. Many exist only briefly, active for short periods before disappearing back into California’s diverse ecosystems.

The statewide initiative represents a new kind of infrastructure project for California—one built not from concrete and steel like the state’s famous dams and highways, but from DNA samples, preserved specimens, and detailed field observations. Scientists and volunteers are working together to create a verifiable baseline of what lives in California today, providing crucial data for conservation decisions in the decades ahead.

The project addresses a fundamental conservation principle: you cannot protect what you have not documented. As development pressure and climate change accelerate across California, researchers are racing against time to inventory the state’s natural heritage. This scientific effort may serve as a model for other biodiversity hotspots worldwide, demonstrating how wealthy, developed regions can systematically catalog their living resources before it’s too late.