We know remarkably little about the diversity of life on Earth, which makes it hard to know with any certainty whether we’re succeeding in our efforts to conserve it. The goal of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is to provide policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the status of the planet’s biodiversity and its services to people. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has also set its ambitious Aichi Targets on better monitoring and reporting of biodiversity.