CBOL consists of Member Organizations that share an interest in DNA barcoding and work together to promote its development.  CBOL pursues this mission through a variety of activities that are overseen by the CBOL Executive Committee and are managed by a Secretariat Office. CBOL's Executive Committee has adopted Terms of Reference (pdf, 45Kb) under which the Consortium operates.

Member Organizations
Since its inaugural meeting in May 2004, over 130 organizations from 43 countries across 6 continents have joined the Consortium for the Barcode of Life. View CBOL members on the world map.

Organizational Structure

• An Executive Committee oversees the organization andreports to the Member Organizations. 
• Five Working Groups develop particular aspects of DNA Barcoding. 
• A Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consists of the Working Group chairs and individuals selected by the Member Organizations.
• The Secretariat Office conducts CBOL's business. CBOL is hosted by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The Secretariat Office opened in September 2004 with the appointment of David Schindel as CBOL’s Executive Secretary.