Biodiversity monitoring is essential for tracking trends in biodiversity, evaluating management measures, and identifying the connections between changes in biodiversity and human activities. At the same time, monitoring helps shed light on the consequences these activities have for biodiversity as well as for our own livelihoods. Thirty-three research projects will now help us gain a better understanding.
Biodiversity monitoring was the very theme of the reception held in Tallinn, Estonia, on April 17, April 2024, where 33 new research and innovation projects were launched, funded by the donors of the European biodiversity partnership Biodiversa+ and the European Commission.
Denmark is represented in the Biodiversity Partnership by the Innovation Fund, which provides financial support for Danish projects alongside funding from the European Commission. In addition, the Ministry of the Environment is a partner. The European research collaboration under the Biodiversity Partnership now consists of 82 institutions in 42 countries.
The meeting was attended by, among others, more than 100 researchers and representatives of donor organizations and government ministries, who were presented with all the projects through a two-minute pitch from each “lead organization.”
“Biodiversity monitoring” is the second theme to be put out for proposals, following “biodiversity protection,” which was the first in 2022. These research and innovation projects are thus already underway. A third theme on nature-based solutions is currently underway, and the project applications are under evaluation. Finally, the theme“societal transformation” will follow in the fall of 2024. All themes are influenced by the global reports from IPBES.
New Methods and Research Perspectives
A total of 262 submitted project proposals were initially deemed eligible, and of these, 108 were invited to submit a full application. The 33 projects ultimately selected have received a total of 46 million EUR in funding. A European research project requires formalized collaboration among at least three institutions from three different countries. Partners from outside the EU may also be invited to participate.
The new projects that made it through the rigorous selection process offer many exciting research perspectives, many of which involve the use of new methods. Techniques such as eDNA, artificial intelligence (AI), various types of satellite and camera monitoring, radar, and standardized audio recordings play a major role and offer new perspectives on monitoring. For example, automated species identification based on automated audio or image recordings yields entirely different datasets and insights.
The projects also focus on largely unknown and poorly studied groups of organisms, including the monitoring of parasites using eDNA, the monitoring of dark-dwelling organisms in caves and caverns, the study of biodiversity in soil layers, the distribution of aquatic fungi—including in stagnant water inside old trees—and standardized monitoring and study of small freshwater ponds in the landscape using methods such as eDNA. Finally, there are several marine projects and the use of monitoring data in local nature management.
Eight projects with Danish participation
Danish institutions are participating in eight projects and are leading three of them, as a result of the Innovation Fund’s active involvement in the partnership. The University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, and the Copenhagen Zoo are leading these three exciting projects:
- The FunDive project, led by the University of Copenhagen, focuses on monitoring and mapping fungi using a combination of public engagement—so-called “citizen science” —to take photos of fungi with their cell phones—and the analysis of eDNA in various collected samples. The project, which also includes a nature conservation component, is led by Jacob Heilmann-Clausen with the participation of 26 partners across 18 countries—a scale never before seen in the partnership’s history.
- The second Danish-led project, TRANSPONDER, focuses on methods for monitoring biodiversity in permanent or seasonalponds across Europe. The project encompasses virtually every conceivable method for improving the monitoring of this poorly studied freshwater ecosystem, and will also involve the public and focus on genetic diversity and indicators of pond function. The project is led by Thomas Davidson at Aarhus University and a consortium of institutions from nine countries.
- The third Danish-led project is called GINAMO and focuses on identifying genetic indicators in nature monitoring, led by Christina Hvilsom from the Zoo. Genetic diversity is part of the definition of biodiversity, on par with species and ecosystems, but has unfortunately received far less attention. The loss of genetic diversity—also known as “invisible extinction”—is occurring on a massive scale and is problematic because it means that organisms are ill-equipped to adapt to future changes in, for example, climate, species composition, and so on. When we lose species, the loss of genetic diversity has usually been underway for a long time beforehand.
In addition, there are other projects involving Danish participation, such as monitoring storm swifts, pollinators, and the distribution of flowing freshwater, while striking a balance between meeting human needs and preserving biodiversity.
Learn more about the projects: BIODIVERSA+ BiodivMon
The reason we place such a strong emphasis on monitoring is, among other things, that monitoring is closely linked to the understanding and documentation needed to demonstrate that public funds invested in biodiversity are indeed yielding the results for which they were earmarked.
Credibility in the Process
Also on the agenda in Tallinn were the so-called Essential Biodiversity Variables, which are used in several of the projects and currently comprise 84 monitoring parameters, including many organism groups and levels of biodiversity that other European monitoring tools have not yet incorporated.
An important aspect of the project selection process is ensuring the credibility of the selection process. To this end, internationally recognized leading researchers from organizations such as IPBES have been brought on board, while a large team of researchers ensures full transparency in and around the selection process. The projects will begin between December 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024, and will run for three years.
Read more: BIODIVERSA+ Biodiversity Monitoring
