Open cactus database aids conservation

Researchers launched CactEcoDB, an open, crowd‑editable database that gathers geographic ranges, habitat descriptors, growth forms, and phylogenies for over 1,000 cactus species, pulling data from hundreds of studies into one curated platform. The resource is soliciting community contributions while acknowledging peer review for quality control. — Demonstrates how inexpensive, open scientific infrastructure can change conservation prioritization and enable faster, data‑driven policy for threatened species.