Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EuropaBON (Europa Biodiversity Observation Network: integrating data streams to support policy)
Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2024-05-31
Balancing human and economic development with biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources in Europe requires a concerted strategy to implement efforts at multiple scales and to develop and harmonise capacities to support smart decisions and collaborative action. Member States of the European Union (EU) have invested significant amounts of resources to monitor biodiversity thereby generating large amounts of data at local and national scales. However, the availability at the EU scale of harmonised biodiversity information that feeds into long-term, spatially explicit and regularly updated knowledge products remains a constraint. This in turn seriously hampers the implementation of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation policies, the sustainable management of natural resources and the assessment of the impact of these actions.
To realise the vision of informed decision-making for a more sustainable future across Europe, a coalition of 18 partners from nine EU Member States and the UK have been working for the past 42 months on the Europa Biodiversity Observation Network (EuropaBON). EuropaBON builds on the BON Development Process offered by GEO BON, which focuses on stakeholder participation and knowledge sharing, to identify the most pressing user needs and requirements for biodiversity information that can inform EU public policy at multiple scales. By assessing current monitoring efforts from both in-situ and remote sensing data, we are working to understand information gaps and bottlenecks, and assess monitoring costs to identify opportunities for designing a sustainable and feasible European monitoring scheme that responds directly to users. EuropaBON will demonstrate the operability of these models for policy through a series of showcases related to critical EU environmental policies and investigate the feasibility of creating a European Biodiversity Monitoring Centre to coordinate future biodiversity observation activities.
To realise the vision of informed decision-making for a more sustainable future across Europe, a coalition of 18 partners from nine EU Member States and the UK have been working for the past 42 months on the Europa Biodiversity Observation Network (EuropaBON). EuropaBON builds on the BON Development Process offered by GEO BON, which focuses on stakeholder participation and knowledge sharing, to identify the most pressing user needs and requirements for biodiversity information that can inform EU public policy at multiple scales. By assessing current monitoring efforts from both in-situ and remote sensing data, we are working to understand information gaps and bottlenecks, and assess monitoring costs to identify opportunities for designing a sustainable and feasible European monitoring scheme that responds directly to users. EuropaBON will demonstrate the operability of these models for policy through a series of showcases related to critical EU environmental policies and investigate the feasibility of creating a European Biodiversity Monitoring Centre to coordinate future biodiversity observation activities.
At its conclusion, we have been able to identify 1) the User & Policy Needs Assessment for an European Biodiversity ObservationNetworkk (D2.2) creating an inventory of coordinated monitoring initiatives on a national and European level (we made the database publicly available) detailing the data flows from biodiversity data providers to integration nodes (D3.1). These have also allowed us to identify existing knowledge gaps in current monitoring schemes and new priority areas for monitoring (D3.2) the current bottlenecks (D3.3) and the cost-effectiveness analysis (D3.4) to produce the proposed meaningful fit-for-purpose 84 Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) that includes spatial, temporal and taxonomic specifications (D4.1) to inform the most relevant EU environmental policies. Novel techniques incorporated to harness the full potential of existing biodiversity data (D4.2) and their implementation has been demonstrated in a set of showcases illustrating the EBV workflows tailored to report to the Birds (D5.1) Habitat (D5.2) Water Framework (D5.3) directives, the Climate and Restoration Policy (D5.4) and Bioeconomy Strategy (D5.5). This system builds into the backbone for co-designing (D4.3) and fully assessing the total costs and benefits of the new monitoring scheme for Europe (D4.4). Communication with our stakeholders and representatives of the European Commission has been key in laying the foundations to propose the Terms of Reference of a European Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC) (D2.3) and which has already supported and approved by the European Parliament through a preparatory action for piloting the EBOCC.
EuropaBON stakeholder network
With 1596 members representing more than 704 initiatives, EuropaBON has amassed a thriving membership network during its lifespan (42 months).
Assessment of EuropaBON User & Policy Needs
While the assessment of user needs and policies for biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring in Europe followed a very comprehensive and phased methodological approach based on a series of workshops, surveys and interviews, as well as an open review process of the draft report; the results of this report have provided the first preliminary list of key biodiversity and ecosystem service variables to be monitored for the new EU-wide monitoring system. We are not stopping here and are working diligently to integrate the new restoration-focused law proposal into our assessment.
List and specifications of EBVs for EuropaBON
Following a comprehensive multi-step methodology including a series of workshops and surveys and involvement of biodiversity researchers and practitioners, we have defined a list of 84 essential biodiversity and ecosystem services variables. This list provides the backbone for EuropaBON and has received much interest from the European Commission as well as the scientific community. We therefore plan a public review process, similar to the one used during the User & Policy Needs Assessment, to ensure a balanced set of essential variables that serve the needs of the users from all relevant sectors.
The Proposal for the Terms of Reference of an EU Biodiversity Observation Coodination Centre (EBOCC)
We have proposed the terms of reference for an EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC), a permanent infrastructure that could coordinate and foster the generation and use of high quality data to underpin the biodiversity knowledge-base used across EU policies, providing guidance and training when necessary. Such a centre represents one of the key solutions to overcome the critical challenges of biodiversity monitoring in Europe. The ToR for an EBOCC has also attracted a great deal of interest and a preparatory action has been already approved by the EU parliament for a pilot.
The Co-design of a European Biodiversity Observation Network
The Co-design provides recommendations for designing a European Biodiversity Observation Network. It synthesizes the current biodiversity monitoring landscape in Europe, describes the framework and methodology for a co-design approach, and identifies what should be monitored (terrestrial, freshwater and marine Essential Biodiversity Variables), how (monitoring methods and workflows for data integration and modelling), and why (policy relevance). It then provides 10 design recommendations, including suggestions for spatial sampling designs, sample sizes, filling of gaps, co-location, DNA-based methods, digital sensors, remote sensing, citizen science, data integration and modelling, and digital infrastructure. Finally, it estimates the economic costs of establishing and maintaining a European Biodiversity Observation Network by performing a comprehensive assessment of the staff and material costs for establishing and maintaining data collection, workflows and coordination for biodiversity monitoring in Europe.
Finally, through our outreach and engagement efforts, we continue to facilitate discussion among key stakeholders to develop and refine the design framework and blueprint for a monitoring system for biodiversity and ecosystem services at the European level. Aiming to keep the sustainability and the legacy of the project in the future, all the project's outputs will be accessible through our permanent catalogue in the RIO Collection, and the project website will be kept for at least 5 years or more after the culmination of the project.
With 1596 members representing more than 704 initiatives, EuropaBON has amassed a thriving membership network during its lifespan (42 months).
Assessment of EuropaBON User & Policy Needs
While the assessment of user needs and policies for biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring in Europe followed a very comprehensive and phased methodological approach based on a series of workshops, surveys and interviews, as well as an open review process of the draft report; the results of this report have provided the first preliminary list of key biodiversity and ecosystem service variables to be monitored for the new EU-wide monitoring system. We are not stopping here and are working diligently to integrate the new restoration-focused law proposal into our assessment.
List and specifications of EBVs for EuropaBON
Following a comprehensive multi-step methodology including a series of workshops and surveys and involvement of biodiversity researchers and practitioners, we have defined a list of 84 essential biodiversity and ecosystem services variables. This list provides the backbone for EuropaBON and has received much interest from the European Commission as well as the scientific community. We therefore plan a public review process, similar to the one used during the User & Policy Needs Assessment, to ensure a balanced set of essential variables that serve the needs of the users from all relevant sectors.
The Proposal for the Terms of Reference of an EU Biodiversity Observation Coodination Centre (EBOCC)
We have proposed the terms of reference for an EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC), a permanent infrastructure that could coordinate and foster the generation and use of high quality data to underpin the biodiversity knowledge-base used across EU policies, providing guidance and training when necessary. Such a centre represents one of the key solutions to overcome the critical challenges of biodiversity monitoring in Europe. The ToR for an EBOCC has also attracted a great deal of interest and a preparatory action has been already approved by the EU parliament for a pilot.
The Co-design of a European Biodiversity Observation Network
The Co-design provides recommendations for designing a European Biodiversity Observation Network. It synthesizes the current biodiversity monitoring landscape in Europe, describes the framework and methodology for a co-design approach, and identifies what should be monitored (terrestrial, freshwater and marine Essential Biodiversity Variables), how (monitoring methods and workflows for data integration and modelling), and why (policy relevance). It then provides 10 design recommendations, including suggestions for spatial sampling designs, sample sizes, filling of gaps, co-location, DNA-based methods, digital sensors, remote sensing, citizen science, data integration and modelling, and digital infrastructure. Finally, it estimates the economic costs of establishing and maintaining a European Biodiversity Observation Network by performing a comprehensive assessment of the staff and material costs for establishing and maintaining data collection, workflows and coordination for biodiversity monitoring in Europe.
Finally, through our outreach and engagement efforts, we continue to facilitate discussion among key stakeholders to develop and refine the design framework and blueprint for a monitoring system for biodiversity and ecosystem services at the European level. Aiming to keep the sustainability and the legacy of the project in the future, all the project's outputs will be accessible through our permanent catalogue in the RIO Collection, and the project website will be kept for at least 5 years or more after the culmination of the project.