DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e194246

Authors: Carla Stoyanova, Teodor Metodiev

Abstract: This document is a deliverable for the PollinERA project, funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe (HE) Research and Innovation Action under grant agreement No. 101135005. The purpose of this document is to present a detailed Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (PEDR) of the PollinERA project, along with a communication strategy (CS), based on the preliminary plans in Section 2.2 of the PollinERA proposal.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e194245

Authors: Michael Rubinigg

Abstract: This Data Management Plan (DMP), prepared as part of the deliverables of the EC REA (Grant Agreement 10135005) funded project “Understanding pesticide-pollinator interactions to support EU environmental risk assessment and policy” (PollinERA), represents a plan for data management agreed upon by the PollinERA consortium. This plan is in line with the policies of the consortium partner’s organisations, as defined by the organisation’s data management policies, and with the requirements of the sponsor, as defined in the Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e194231

Authors: Carla Stoyanova, Teodor Metodiev, Denitsa Peneva, Kremena Kaleva

Abstract: This document is a deliverable for the PollinERA project, funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action under grant agreement No. 101135005. The aim of this document is to present the PollinERA branding, visual identity and website as key tools in the project’s communication and dissemination activities.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e188550

Authors: Yuting Tai, Tom Bucx, Mindert de Vries, Sara Pino Cobacho, Richard Marijnissen, Iris van Dongen, Rutger van der Brugge, Åse Johannessen, Fabienne Horneman, Silvia Torresan, Elisa Furlan, Andrea Critto, Alice Stocco, Caterina Dabalà, Francesca Coccon, Paolo Comandini, Silvia Frias, Ferran Bertomeu, Carles Ibáñez, Laura Puértolas Domènech

Abstract: The REST-COAST Project (Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity) is an EU Horizon 2020 research project (Grant agreement No. 101037097) whose overall goal is to address with effective and innovative approaches and tools the key challenges faced by coastal ecosystem restoration across Europe. The approach chosen for this project will deliver a highly interdisciplinary contribution, with the demonstration of improved practices and techniques for hands-on ecosystem restoration across several pilot sites, supported by the co-design of innovative governance and financial arrangements, as well as an effective strategy for the dissemination of results. Work Package 4 (WP4) focuses on the development of scalable adaptation-through-restoration plans (for each pilot of REST-COAST) based on adaptation pathways that incorporate ecosystem services (ESS) and biodiversity value (BDV) from NBS building blocks. It is envisaged that these plans will be suited for upscaling restoration in coastal systems worldwide, supported by the global scale analysis of coastal risks, costs and governance performed in WP 2/3/5. Deliverable 4.3 aims at providing guidelines for building adaptationthrough-restoration pathways, based on NBS and technical measures that deliver ESS and BDV gains, tested and validated at the Pilots. When using the adaptation pathway guidelines, it is important to apply them with flexibility to accommodate the specific needs and contexts of individual pilots. While it is recommended to follow the methodology in Chapter 2—‘Generic Stepwise Approach’—to develop pathways, pilots should view these methods as flexible rather than rigid, to fit their unique restoration goals, timelines, environmental and social conditions. Chapter 3—‘Restoration Pilots’—serves as a reference to provide insight from three pilots with pilot-specific approaches to build the pathways. The guidelines should be seen as a dynamic tool that can evolve based on feedback, local stakeholder input, or new scientific data, ensuring that each pilot tailors its pathway to address local uncertainties, opportunities, and challenges.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e187633

Authors: Eeva Karjalainen, Maria Hällfors, Maria Söderholm, Nikola Ganchev, Sari Erkkilä, Satu Soini

Abstract: OBSGESSION project management guide summarises the central rules and practices agreed in Grant Agreement and Consortium Agreement. This document also describes day-to-day working practices, and thus is a living document that is updated regularly.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e187632

Authors: Maria Söderholm, Maria Hällfors, Susana Baena, Claire Brown, Marcel Buchhorn, Jorrit Scholze

Abstract: The OBSGESSION project (Observation of Ecosystem Changes for Action, https://obsgession.eu/) aims to enhance terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity monitoring and policy by new approaches for integrating data and modelling, and by developing science-based solutions. This data management plan (DMP) provides details about the data to be collected, generated, and processed in OBSGESSION, as well as other outputs. It also outlines the key principles of data management practices, as required in the Horizon Europe Programme Guideline. The project is committed to following the policies of open science and research as the foundation for all activities, including data management. Data management in the project will adhere to the FAIR principles, ensuring that data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. The plan also specifies that other outputs besides data will be managed in line with these principles whenever applicable.The project will utilise a variety of data and combine biodiversity data from multiple sources. The types of data included in the OBSGESSION project are experimental, observational, statistical, and qualitative data, such as interviews. The DMP outlines the overall data management practices for the duration of the data lifecycle within the framework of the FAIR principles and provides details on planned practices and data-specific considerations. This includes, among other things, producing metadata and other documentation related to the data. The plan also presents practices for ensuring data interoperability, reusability, and publication. Relevant metadata standards have been identified to make EO data interoperable. In addition, the DMP describes the In-Situ database, OpenEO platform and Data Cubes as tools and mechanisms for implementing interoperability and (re)usability of EO and in-situ data.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e187631

Authors: Nikola Ganchev, Gabriela Popova

Abstract: Deliverable D6.2 presents a plan for shaping the dissemination, exploitation, and communication (DEC) activities of OBSGESSION. These activities are crucial for ensuring OBSGESSION’s impact and amplifying the project's influence. The Communication Plan (CP) and Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (PEDR) is developed in M6 (June 2024) and will be updated in M24 (December 2025, D6.3) and in M40 (April 2027, D6.4) to reflect OBSGESSION's progress and maturity level, providing a targeted approach for each stage according to evolving DEC needs.Aside from defining the goals and scope of the project's communication, dissemination, and exploitation, the CP and PEDR also identify the primary stakeholder groups and key messages for each. These have been outlined based on a consortium-wide questionnaire. The plans also include the expected knowledge outputs of the project. Based on this information, D6.2 details the main communication, dissemination, and exploitation tools and evaluates their relevance to different target groups. Finally, a specific implementation plan is provided for the project's first stage of development, along with indicators for actively monitoring the effectiveness of these actions.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e187630

Authors: Joaquim Estopinan, Anne Thomas, Pierre Gaüzère, Wilfried Thuiller

Abstract: Detecting and attributing biodiversity changes is a multifaceted and demanding task. The first key challenge is gathering data on biodiversity metrics and the likely drivers that is sufficiently structured and aligned in space and time, and wide enough to cover the dynamical range of the target latent processes at play, enabling statistical inference. Demonstrating that a measure of biodiversity has significantly changed relative to a reference state — a reference which is often difficult to define due to a lack of past data — constitutes a second challenge. A third key challenge is designing an identification strategy that can isolate the contribution of multiple potential causal factors with statistical confidence.The review comprising the deliverable D3.1 addresses these three key challenges in a coherent framework, meeting the task expectations. It is entitled "Advancing Causal Inference in Ecology: Pathways for Biodiversity Change Detection and Attribution" (Schrodt et al., Methods in Ecology and Evolution, under revision). This work was achieved in collaboration with the IMPACTS synthesis group of the French Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FRB). This text provides conceptual and practical guidance on taking advantage of existing causal methods to detect and attribute changes in biodiversity. There is an emphasis on how remote sensing data can mitigate pressing issues related to confounding factors that occur across scales.By paying attention to the described challenges and relying on the suggested methods and workflow, the review introduces a solid basis to root biodiversity change studies in causal principles for better detection and attribution. The proposed manuscript is indeed highly interdisciplinary in its attempt to bring biodiversity studies closer to the science of attribution through causal inference from observational data. While this deliverable is fully autonomous, it is complemented by two perspective articles that are also under revision and a method decision tool that is under development. They cover related aspects of detection and attribution.As deliverable D3.1 format is a scientific manuscript, it is provided in its most recent version in Annex 1 below.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e187629

Authors: Gabriela Popova, Nikola Ganchev, Slavena Peneva, Kremena Kaleva

Abstract: The communication efforts of OBSGESSION kicked-off as soon as the project launched. However, to ensure proper visibility, a set of dissemination and branding tools and materials have been designed within the first three months of the project duration, ensuring broad visibility from an early stage. A project logo, social media channels and a landing page were established in time for the OBSGESSION kick-off meeting in the end of January. These formed the backbone of the project branding and public recognition. Document templates were also developed and made available to the consortium, in order to facilitate the creation and internal uptake of the project corporate identity for dissemination and reporting activities such as deliverable, milestone and presentation. Social media accounts have been established in time for the launch of OBSGESSION on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn to ensure the widest possible uptake and outreach to stakeholders and other interested parties of project results, news and other announcements. The sustainability of project results and impact wil be secured through the development and maintenance of a public OBSGESSION website for a total of 9 years – 4 years of the project duration and additional 5 years after the project has ended.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e187628

Authors: Ayesha Wijesekera, Zuhail Thatey, Claire Brown, Susana Baena, Joshua Barritt

Abstract: This report provides a review of the biodiversity policy landscape at the European Union (EU) level and identifies a set of priority Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) to support policy needs. Policy needs were determined based on the European 'Union's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (EU BDS 2030), which serves as the overarching framework for biodiversity-related policies and legislation at the EU level in response to the requirement for countries to have a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) as Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The analysis focuses on the actions from the EU BDS 2030 as the key articulation of policy needs, and indicators to evaluate monitoring requirements. Actions were categorized based on their relevance to different stages of the policy process (e.g., planning, implementation, reporting or review), while indicators were categorized as relevant to policy reporting. Actions and indicators were also tagged by ecosystem realm (i.e., terrestrial, freshwater, marine) or as cross-cutting. The potential applicability of EBVs for broadly supporting the implementation of each of the 102 actions and sub-actions. Also, the monitoring of the 16 available indicators from the 'Strategy's dashboard, was assessed. The review found that EBVs could broadly be used to support the implementation of 37 actions and the monitoring of five indicators. These selected actions and indicators were then mapped to EBV classes and candidates based on the EBV framework by the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON). EBV candidates were ranked from high to low priority based on the total number of actions and indicators they were mapped to, both overall and within different ecosystem realms and stages of the policy process. Candidates linked to the greatest number of actions and indicators were considered the highest policy priority. Overall, the species abundance candidate ranked 1st in terms of policy priority, followed by species distributions (2nd), ecosystem distribution (3rd) and ecosystem vertical profile (4th), with markedly higher total scores than other candidates. These candidates were also consistently ranked among the top four candidates across different ecosystem realms and stages of the policy process. Taking into consideration the findings from the Europa Biodiversity Observation 'Network's (EuropaBON) User and Policy Needs Assessment, this review identified species abundances, species distributions and ecosystem distribution as priority EBVs for the development of remote sensing (RS) biodiversity products in the OBSGESSION project. The ecosystem vertical profile also ranked highly, but further assessment is recommended to determine its policy importance. While this review provides a priority set of EBV candidates based on policy needs, further prioritisation considering scientific gaps and technical feasibility for monitoring EBVs via RS will be continued under Task 1.2 as part of the Science Policy Traceability Matrix (SPTM), taking into consideration work already undertaken on RS-enabled EBVS.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.12.e183952

Authors: Andreea Nita, Montserrat Zamorano

Abstract: In response to climate change, the landmark Paris Agreement established a set of goals to achieve climate neutrality and limit global warming. To help investors and companies contribute to these goals, the EU adopted a taxonomy for sustainable activities and, in line with it investments, must do no significant harm, as indicated by the Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation. Since its inception, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure has aimed to minimise impacts of projects that could significantly damage the environment. Certainly, there are recognised weaknesses in the EIA, but its fitness to address complex environmental challenges, such as climate change, is unmatched. Considering the importance of EIA in ensuring scaling-up sustainable energy-related investments, NetDeal focuses on providing innovative and easy-to-use methods to improve EIA worldwide and combines policy analysis and EIA assessment data into complex networks. First, we analyse models of impact assessment (IA) legislation that can make recommendations about how IA can change to fit the global effort to tackle the energy and resource crises. Second, we will expose best practice models and investigate through network-related statistical analyses the collaboration links established in each EIA stage, which are behind successful projects from the perspective of productivity, circular economy, adaptation to climate change and reaching the goal of zero net emissions. Third, using Exponential Random Graph Models, I will explore the dynamic interaction between EIA stakeholders to diagnose the organisational structures and factors that strongly influence these projects. Last, I will create an integrated multi-layer EIA framework to improve the EIA effectiveness. The findings will be translated into the economic sector and provide new instruments to facilitate a streamlined EIA procedure that facilitates the adoption of urgent measures to mitigate the current energy crisis.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e182926

Authors: Richard Marijnissen, Dirk S. van Maren, Luis Garrote, David Santillan, Ana Iglesias, Subbiah Bharathi, Xavier Sánchez-Artús, Vicente Gracia, Manuel Espino, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla, Luciana Villa Castrillon, Benjamin Jacob, Johannes Pein, Wei Chen, Joanna Staneva, Pushpa Dissanayake, Dennis Oberrecht, Andreas Wurpts, Reinier Schrijvershof, R.J.A van Weerdenburg, Frederica Zennaro, Fabienne Horneman, Elisa Furlan, Silvia Torresan, Andrea Critto, Christophe Briere, Julien Fornasari, Rémi Caillibotte, Claire Mahe, Alexis Beudin, Rosaria Ester Musumeci, Massimiliano Marino, Sofia Nasca, Ahmad Alkharoubi, Luca Cavallaro, Enrico Foti, Nikolay Valchev, Petya Eftimova, Elitsa Hineva, Nataliya Andreeva, Grzegorz Różyński, Morgane Jolivet, Thomas Faraon, Olivier Boutron, Mathis Cathala

Abstract: Within this portfolio of restoration interventions, we present a range of model-based projections assessing the impact of large-scale Nature-based Solutions (NbS) on enhancing Eco System Services (ESS) in various coastal systems. This deliverable applies these models to detail how these systems respond to climate change and nature-based interventions intended to mitigate climate change impacts under different Sea Level Rise (SLR) scenarios. The models range from hydro-morphological simulations of future conditions to a machinelearning approach, all aimed at demonstrating the ESS provided by restoration in the future.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e182902

Authors: Manuel Espino, Vicente Gracia, Xavier Sánchez-Artús, Maria Liste, Luis Garrote, David Santillan, Ivan Federico, Causio Salvatore, Fabienne Horneman, Silvia Torresan, Elisa Furlan, Grzegorz Różyński, Luciana Villa Castrillon, Joanna Staneva, Benjamin Jacob, Wei Chen, Bas van Maren, Richard Marijnissen, Andreas Wurpts, Pushpa Dissanayake, Rosaria Ester Musumeci, Massimiliano Marino, Petya Eftimova, Nikolay Valchev, Elitsa Hineva, Nataliya Andreeva, Bogdan Prodanov, Rémi Caillibotte, Christophe Briere, Soazig Mahe, Julien Fornasari, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla

Abstract: nature-based approaches, while reinforcing connectivity from river basins to the sea. Deliverable D2.2 is the second technical output of Work Package 2 (WP2), building upon the storm-based modelling work presented in D2.1. While D2.1 focused on current hazard conditions and model calibration, this deliverable explores future scenarios of sea level rise, changing sediment dynamics, and increasing storm impacts. It evaluates the long-term performance of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) through integrated hydromorpho-eco modelling and assesses their contribution to ESS delivery across seven REST-COAST pilot sites. This report supports the development of adaptive restoration strategies tailored to local contexts, while contributing to broader coastal management frameworks under climate change. By combining physical process modelling with ecological indicators and socio-economic relevance, D2.2 provides robust evidence to guide nature-based adaptation pathways across Europe’s diverse coastal systems.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e160367

Authors: Rajapreethi Rajendran, Claus Weiland, Jonas Grieb, Soulaine Theocharides, Sam Leeflang, Wouter Addink, Sharif Islam

Abstract: The Distributed System for Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) is a research infrastructure to integrate European natural science collections (NSCs) digitally. The aim is to facilitate and enhance the access, management and analysis of collection assets in one unified digital collection. The Machine Annotation Services (MAS) are essential components of DiSSCo’s Digital Specimen Architecture (DSArch). These services automate the annotation of digital objects to enable labelling and categorisation of NSC's digital assets.To further advance this, a Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) approach was developed which provides researchers with the access to pre-trained machine-learning models for complex tasks, such as instance segmentation and morphological analysis of datasets. MLaaS enhances the DiSSCo’s scalability and flexibility and allows the integration of machine-learning tools in close alignment with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.This study employs DiSSCO's MLaaS framework for the quantitative analysis of herbarium specimens. Machine-learning models, such as Mask R-CNN and YOLO11, are comparatively applied to detect and generate the pixel-level masks of plant organs in herbarium sheets. Subsequently, these models are used to reconstruct the scale in the herbarium sheet and to calculate the surface area of identified plant organs. The determination of quantitative characteristics of plant specimens, such as measuring leaf area or the timestamp of the floral transition, opens up herbarium data for reuse in the large prognosis platforms currently developed in the framework of the Common European Data Spaces. In this way, plant trait data mobilised from natural science collections can improve the predictive capability of the vegetation model components of climate-related data spaces.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e182018

Authors: Manuel Espino, Luis Garrote, David Santillan, Xavier Sánchez-Artús, Vicente Gracia, Maria Liste, Marc Mestres, Manel Grifoll, Marta Balsells, Joanna Staneva, Benjamin Jacob, Wei Chen, Luciana Villa, Pushpa Dissanayake, Mindert de Vries, Ivan Federico, Causio Salvatore, Olivier Boutron, Christophe Briere, Rémi Caillibotte, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla

Abstract: The REST-COAST project (Large-scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity) is a Horizon 2020 research initiative funded by the European Commission under Grant Agreement No. 101037097. Its overarching aim is to restore coastal ecosystems across Europe by advancing science-based approaches to hazard mitigation and resilience, with a strong emphasis on nature-based solutions (NbS) and the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services (ESS). To meet this objective, the project adopts a multidisciplinary approach that combines modelling, monitoring, restoration, governance, and finance. Scientific development is tightly linked to practical implementation through a network of pilot sites representing diverse coastal typologies and pressures. These sites serve as laboratories for testing and validating coupled hydro-morpho-eco models capable of simulating the role of natural ecosystems in reducing risks such as coastal flooding, erosion, and saline intrusion. This deliverable, D2.1, documents the modelling work conducted under Task 2.1, focusing on present-day storm conditions. It presents the model configurations, validation procedures, and simulation outcomes used to evaluate the risk reduction potential of NbS across seven pilot sites. The work includes detailed analysis of hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes, sediment transport, and vegetation interactions, as well as the derivation of site-specific ESS indicators. The models are tailored to local physical settings and restoration goals, and have been validated against real storm events using field and remote sensing data. D2.1 provides a robust technical foundation for assessing the effectiveness and operational relevance of ecosystem-based approaches to coastal risk management. The methods and results presented here contribute to the broader REST-COAST objective of supporting adaptive, transferable, and evidence-based coastal restoration strategies throughout Europe.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e176476

Authors: Tina Heger, Stella Berger, Jonathan Jeschke, Chris Kittel, Peter Kraker, A. Makower, Daniel Mietchen, Jens Nejstgaard, Maxi Schramm

Abstract: Water is vital for life on Earth, but aquatic environments worldwide are facing critical challenges that cause severe problems for biodiversity and human well-being. These challenges include, for example, water pollution, habitat degradation, escalating water and air temperatures, salinisation of freshwaters, ocean acidification and invasive species. Since these stressors interact in complex ways, developing predictions and mitigation measures is difficult. Mesocosm experiments, offering controlled, yet realistic settings, are crucial for understanding and mitigating the impact of various stressors and their combinations on aquatic ecosystems. Mesocom facilities are key Research Infrastructures (RI), as they bridge the gap between laboratory experiments and natural systems allowing studies of highly complex environments comparable to natural ecosystems, while still offering controlled and replicated settings not available in natural systems.The AQUACOSM-RI consortium, comprising over 60 individual state-of-the-art mesocosm facilities at 28 host institutions across Europe, has therefore been instrumental in advancing aquatic environmental research across climate zones including marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems. In addition, the EU H2020-INFRAIA projects AQUACOSM (CORDIS No. 731065) and AQUACOSM-plus (CORDIS No. 871081, www.aquacosm.eu) have developed a virtual network beyond Europe of presently > 85 host institutions with > 120 aquatic mesocosm facilities around the world, www.mesocosm.org. However, the rich, yet disconnected resources in aquatic mesocosm-based experimental research and mitigation approaches need to be combined in a modern, visible and accessible way.The project AQUANAVI (Navigating Grand Challenges and their Mitigation using Aquatic Experimental RIs) aims to enhance existing efforts by creating an interactive atlas of aquatic mesocosm facilities and related mesocosm-based experimental research. Integrating data, publications, reports and information on mesocosm facility capacities generated by the AQUACOSM consortium and other mesocosm facilities in Europe and beyond, AQUANAVI will facilitate fast discovery of resources and unused potentials of available mesocosm facilities in a modern, visible and accessible way that is presently not available. Such a multidimensional tool is expected to enable novel collaborations and a much faster setup and execution of connected and/or distributed experiments and efficient development of environmental mitigation strategies. Built upon the AQUACOSM-RIs and their encompassing data and information repository as well as scientific and technical competence, while also leveraging related infrastructures like AnaEE, EMBRC, JERICO-RI and eLTER, AQUANAVI will provide a comprehensive resource platform to more effectively explore available resources for aquatic experimental research.AQUANAVI will bridge this wealth of scientific data, expertise and mesocosm facility information through Hi Knowledge, an innovative analysis and visualisation platform that merges Wikidata, Open Knowledge Maps,and Scholia. Hi Knowledge harnesses the semantic capabilities of Wikidata to rapidly construct a FAIR and open corpus for a domain, based on a sophisticated conceptual classification system. Subsequently, Hi Knowledge incorporates visualisation components from Open Knowledge Maps and Scholia, allowing researchers to smoothly navigate information using cutting-edge visualisation techniques, artificial intelligence and knowledge synthesis methods.Open and collaborative by design, AQUANAVI’s architecture will engage a broad range of research communities. By consolidating data and information from diverse RIs, the platform will leverage and enhance the AQUACOSM and related research infrastructures, securing the reusability and interoperability of existing data collections and better exploration of existing RIs in the future. Compliant with FAIR principles and EOSC requirements, AQUANAVI will ensure the long-term sustainability and openness of its resources, enriching both the ENVRI services portfolio and the broader scientific community. In summary, AQUANAVI will empower researchers and stakeholders to implement measures to mitigate the effects of climate change and other Grand Challenges facing aquatic environments, serving as a key resource within and beyond the European research area.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e176120

Authors: Christos Arvanitidis, Olga Ameixa, Alberto Basset, Eva Chatzinikolaou, Claudia Coman, Berta Companys, Francesco De Leo, Klaas Deneudt, Federico Drago, John Eriksson, Tiziana Ferrari, Teodor Georgiev, Giovanni Giuliano, Stefan Gruber, Jens Habermann, Katharina Heil, Tim Hubbard, Cristina Huertas Olivares, Georgios Kotoulas, Dimitris Koureas, Natalia Manola, Vanessa Marrocco, Nicolas Pade, Ana Portugal Melo, Antonello Provenzale, Fotis Psomopoulos, Niels Raes, Susie Robinson, Patrick Ruch, Dick Schaap, Adrian Stanica, Tassos Stavropoulos, Heliana Teixeira, Peter van Tienderen, Costas Tsigenopoulos, Robert Waterhouse, Giuseppe Aprea, Michel Boër, Ana Casino, Laurent Delauney, Jonathan Ewbank, Ana Lillebø, Michael Mirtl, Jana Pavlic-Zupanc, Lyubomir Penev, Jaume Piera, Paraskevi Pitta, Ingrid Puillat, David Richter, Diana Stepanyan, Anton Ussi, Jan Węsławski, Gabriela Zuquim

Abstract: The interdependence of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health necessitates systemic, cross-domain collaboration to address global challenges, such as emerging diseases, climate change and biodiversity severe change. Through the Crete Declaration, Europe’s (e-)infrastructures, organisations and projects that focus on the functioning of our biosphere commit to jointly advancing the One Health approach. In doing so, the signatories aim to strengthen Europe’s resilience and leadership through the sharing of data and expertise, the development of innovative solutions and the promotion of evidence-based policies.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e174994

Authors: Bernabé Moreno, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Katherine Dunlop, David Barnes, Bodil Bluhm, Markus Molis, Amanda Ziegler, Jack Longsden, Ainsley Hatt, Èric Jordà Molina, Terri Souster

Abstract: Predicting how benthic assemblages respond to ocean warming remains a central challenge in marine ecology. Artificial units of habitat such as settlement plates have long been used to study marine lithophilic assemblage dynamics under natural and experimental conditions. Recently, heated settlement plate (HSPl) experiments have been deployed in polar and temperate seas to simulate likely near-future thermal regimes in situ. We convened a one-day hybrid workshop bringing together researchers who pioneered HSPl approaches with a broader international community of benthic researchers including project managers, senior scientists and early career researchers. The workshop aimed to: i) share experiences and outcomes from existing HSPl deployments; ii) identify technical and logistical challenges; iii) prioritise emerging research questions and applications; and iv) scope pathways for future collaborations and funding. Participants outlined desirable minimum standards for imaging and metadata in HSPl photosampling, compared design choices and replication strategies; and highlighted context-specific considerations for polar vs. temperate sites (e.g. ice scouring, permitting frameworks, diver safety considerations). A preliminary research agenda was developed spanning community assembly processes, trait-mediated responses, priority effects under warming and the integration of HSPl imagery with automated pipelines for analysis and data FAIRness. The workshop represents a first step towards building a cohesive global network to coordinate cross-site experiments, promote open protocols and data sharing and enable meta-analyses that will strengthen the understanding of how marine environmental change affects lithophilic assemblages across ecosystems.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e173693

Authors: Tom Breeze, W. Daniel Kissling, Maria Lumbierres, Joana Santana, Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, Roy Van Grunsven, Tim Hirsch, Tree Robionson, Simon Potts, Ian McCallum, Ute Jandt, Cesar Capinha, Jessica Junker, Pavel Stoev, Camino Liquete, Henrique M. Pereira

Abstract: Although biodiversity monitoring costs are widely cited as a constraint, there have been very few assessments of these costs and even fewer studies have assessed the potential benefits of this monitoring. Here, we synthesise available evidence, alongside a comprehensive assessment of the costs of proposed biodiversity monitoring to explore the relative costs, benefits risks and opportunities in biodiversity monitoring. We find that the costs of biodiversity monitoring, €0.5bn-€3.6bn/year, are greatly outweighed by the combined economic benefits and opportunities arising from the availability of co-ordinated, high-quality data, which are estimated to be >€25.2bn/year.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e163757

Authors: Geraint Tarling, E Abrahamsen, Yevgeny Aksenov, Madeline Anderson, Carol Arrowsmith, Chelsey Baker, Chris Barry, Anna Belcher, Mar Benavides, Milo Bischof, Emma Boland, Mike Bowes, J Brearley, Peter Brown, Amanda Burson, Sammie Buzzard, Nathan Callaghan, Arthur Coët, Kathryn Cook, Sarah Coombs, Chris Evans, Sophie Fielding, Elaina Ford, Isabelle Fournier, Jennifer Freer, E Garcia-Martin, VR Ghosh, Sarah Giering, Alanna Grant, Huw Griffiths, Ruta Hamilton, Katharine Hendry, Simeon Hill, Nathan Hubot, Aidan Hunter, Nadine Johnston, Anna Katavouta, Ezra Kitson, Melanie Leng, Isabel Lewis, Katrin Linse, Stephen Lofts, Clara Manno, Adrian Martin, Alice Marzocchi, Edward Mawji, Daniel Mayor, Rebecca McKenzie, Andrew Meijers, Michael Meredith, David Munday, M Pereira, Alexandra O'Brien, Justyna Olszewska, Stuart Painter, Julien Palmiéri, Shailee Patel, Amy Pickard, Jessica Richt, Stefanie Rynders, Rachael Sanders, Ryan Saunders, Andrew Shepherd, Thomas Slater, Bryan Spears, Gabriele Stowasser, Amy Swiggs, Laura Taylor, Petra ten Hoopen, Sally Thorpe, Tracey Timms-Wilson, Maud van Soest, Hugh Venables, Zoe Wright, Andrew Yool, Emma Young

Abstract: The export of elements (particularly carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) from the Poles critically supports global marine biodiversity and major fisheries as well as the sequestration of atmospheric carbon to the deep ocean. Ecosystem processes regulate this export, but major uncertainties remain in terms of how and by how much. Progress on understanding key ecosystem interactions is hindered by lack of data and their representation in Earth system models is poor. The two polar regions share similarities in environmental extremes which make them sensitive to the impacts of climate change. They both receive nutrients from multiple and diverse sources and the delivery of these nutrients to other oceans is regulated by similar ecosystem processes. However, the extent to which these ecosystem processes will be modified by climate change is unclear and urgently needs to be determined. BIOPOLE will determine how polar ecosystems regulate the balance of carbon and nutrients in the world’s oceans and, through it, their effect on global fish stocks and carbon storage. It will address this challenge by integrating ambitious fieldwork campaigns and innovative modelling in a multidisciplinary and highly coordinated approach. BIOPOLE will capitalise on world-leading capabilities and infrastructure in ocean and high-latitude research, including cutting-edge land-based facilities, state-of-the-art polar research vessels and innovative autonomous instrumentation. Collaboration with national and international partners will further strengthen BIOPOLE’s multidisciplinary approach and efficient use of infrastructure. BIOPOLE’s legacy will be the first assessment of the global impact of polar ecosystems on biogeochemical cycling and fish stocks; technologically-novel approaches and strong partnerships between leading international science groups.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e159547

Authors: Marianna Garfí, Kurt Ziegler-Rodriguez, Eva Gonzalez-Flo, Joan García

Abstract: In recent decades, interest in bio-based products has grown significantly due to rising concerns about eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives to synthetic polymers and conventional energy sources. These bio-derived materials have the potential to substitute products obtained from fossil fuels, including plastics, additives, colourants and energy carriers like hydrogen (H₂). Additionally, within the framework of a circular bioeconomy, bio-based products can help decrease waste generation, lessen environmental harm, and enhance the efficient use of resources (Chrispim et al., 2024).The EU Horizon 2020 PROMICON project has developed a Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) (ISO, 2024; UNEP, 2020) to evaluate the social implications along the life cycle of four bio-based products (additives, bioplastics, pigments, and hydrogen) generated by microbiomes.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e154645

Authors: Michael Meredith, Katharine Hendry, E. Povl Abrahamsen, J. Alexander Brearley, Emma Young, David Munday, Hugh Venables, Anna Hogg, Benjamin Wallis, Katrien Van Landeghem, Filipa Carvalho, Andrew Yool, Amber Annett, Alberto Naveira Garabato, Mark Inall, Katy Sheen, Andrew Fleming, Estelle Dumont, Oskar Głowacki, Carlos Moffat, Neil Fraser, Sarah Gille, Matthew Alford, Rebecca Jackson, Katherine Retallick

Abstract: Mixing of the ocean around Antarctica is a key process that exerts influences over large scales and in multiple ways. By redistributing heat in the ocean, it exerts strong influences on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, with implications for sea level rise globally. Similarly, the redistribution of ocean heat affects the production of sea ice in winter and its melt in summer, with consequences for climate. Mixing also affects the distribution of nutrients in the ocean, with direct impacts on the marine ecosystem and biodiversity and with consequences for fisheries.It was long thought that mixing of the seas close to Antarctica was predominantly caused by winds, tides and the loss of heat from the ocean especially in winter. However, we recently discovered that when glaciers calve in Antarctica, they can trigger underwater tsunamis. These are large (multi-metre) waves that move rapidly away from the coastline and when they break, they cause sudden bursts of very intense mixing. Simple calculations indicated that the net impact of these underwater tsunamis could be as strong as winds, and much more important than tides, in driving mixing. It was also argued that they are likely to be relevant everywhere that glaciers calve into the sea, including Greenland and across the Arctic. As our ocean and atmosphere continue to heat up, it is very possible that glacier calving will become more frequent and intensify, increasing further the impact of underwater tsunamis on large-scale climate, the cryosphere and ecosystems.This is an exciting new avenue of scientific investigation and many key questions remain unanswered. We need to know how widespread and frequent the generation of underwater tsunamis is, how far they travel from the coastline before breaking, and how variable this is. We need to measure what impacts the extra mixing has on ocean temperature and nutrient concentrations, and to determine what this means for the cryosphere and ocean productivity. There is a pressing need to include the effects of underwater tsunamis in the computer models that are used for projecting future ocean climate and ecosystem conditions and to determine the feedbacks between climate change and the generation of more underwater tsunamis.To answer these questions, our project will deploy innovative techniques for measuring the ocean and ice in close proximity to a calving glacier, including robotic underwater vehicles and remotely-piloted aircraft, and cutting-edge deep-learning techniques applied to satellite data. We will use advanced computer simulations to fully understand the causal mechanisms responsible for the creation and spread of the underwater tsunamis and their impacts on ocean climate and marine productivity. We will make our developments in computer simulation available to the whole community of users, for widespread uptake and future use.This project will have significant benefits for academics seeking to predict the future of Antarctica and its impacts on the rest of the world, for Governments and intergovernmental agencies seeking to understand how best to respond to climate change, and for the curious general public wanting to learn more about the extremes of the planet and why they matter. The fieldwork will be especially photo- and video-genic and will lead to outstanding outreach and impact opportunities, and we will work with media agencies seeking to tell compelling stories about the extremes of the Earth.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e158692

Authors: Minmin Pan, Stamatina Roussou, Peter Lindblad, Jens Krömer

Abstract: Phototrophic microbial communities – groups of tiny organisms whose energy for growth comes from light – play a significant role in global primary production by absorbing carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas. With the growing challenges of energy demands and environmental concerns, researchers are exploring scientifically designed (synthetic) phototrophic communities as a promising alternative to traditional energy generation methods. These consortia can efficiently convert CO₂ and N₂ gases, along with water and solar energy, into bioenergy products, offering a potential solution to today’s energy and sustainability problems.In this context, the development of synthetic phototrophic communities has attracted increased attention due to their ability to divide tasks among different species, allowing them to function more efficiently and remain stable. However, challenges remain, particularly in maintaining balance among strains and ensuring stable performance in environments that do not replicate the complex natural conditions in which these consortia typically thrive.To address these challenges, recent PROMICON studies have focused on how cyanobacteria interact with purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB). These bacteria, including Rhodopseudomonas palustris (R. palustris), have shown potential in producing biohydrogen and lipids by capturing nitrogen in oxygen-free environments. Nevertheless, a key limitation is that they need a carbon-based food source (e.g., acetate) to produce energy. A promising approach to overcome this issue involves growing R. palustris with cyanobacteria, which can pull carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into the organic carbon that R. palustris needs to thrive.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.11.e152859

Authors: Florencia Yannelli, Kristiina Visakorpi, Anni Arponen, Carlos Arnillas, Javiera Chinga Chamorro, Mariana Chiuffo, Sharon Collinge, Roger Cousens, Kadambari Devarajan, Ken Ehrlich, marilyn grell-brisk, Rebecca Kariuki, Heather Kharouba, Andrea Monica Ortiz, Ana Prado-Valladares, Helen Regan, Florian Schnabel, Bruno Soares, Gisela Stotz, Michael Williams, Marc W. Cadotte

Abstract: The sixth mass extinction and the ongoing biodiversity and climate crises demand urgent action from ecologists and environmental scientists (EESs). Despite their critical role in addressing these challenges, EESs face unclear professional responsibilities towards society, local communities and ecosystems. The 2024 ANdiNA workshop was held in Conguillío National Park in Chile, within Wallmapu the ancestral land of the Mapuche people. It gathered global EESs to explore the roles, obligations and accountability of professionals in this field. The discussions focused on the evolving responsibilities of EESs amidst the environmental crises, as well as the need for clearer frameworks to guide their actions.Key questions included the scope of EESs' professional activities, how their obligations should adapt during times of crisis and whether they should be held accountable for scientific mistakes that lead to negative societal outcomes. The workshop explored the potential for creating a codified framework, such as an oath or manifesto, to clarify EESs' professional responsibilities. Participants highlighted the importance of integrating financial, intellectual, ethical and institutional dimensions in defining these roles, particularly in how EESs engage with local communities and society.Emerging themes included the need for a shared framework to align EESs' actions, exemplified by the Conguillío Statement, which encourages collaboration, inclusivity and ethical engagement with communities, especially Indigenous ones. The workshop also emphasised the importance of solution-orientated, transformative research and advocacy, calling for a shift in how EESs approach their roles as agents of change. By critically reflecting on their responsibilities, the workshop provided a foundation for re-imagining the role of EESs in the face of global environmental crises, urging systemic, collaborative approaches to safeguarding both nature and humanity.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e157339

Authors: Soulaine Theocharides, Sam Leeflang, Wouter Addink, Sharif Islam

Abstract: Biodiversity research relies on physical specimens stored in natural science collections, which serve as enduring reservoirs of data about organisms and their environments. However, these reservoirs remain siloed. The concept of Digital Specimen addresses the challenges posed by the vast amount of disconnected digital biodiversity data available today. The existing approach involves converting analogue records into digital replicas stored in local databases, leading to isolated and fragmented datasets that are difficult to integrate and utilise efficiently. The Digital Specimen aims to overcome this by establishing an interconnected network of digital objects on the Internet. Digital Specimens are FAIR Digital Objects (FDOs), structured digital entities that adhere to the FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. FDOs have the potential to enhance the accessibility and interoperability of data from natural science collections by providing unique identifiers, descriptive metadata, and defined operations. DiSSCo utilises the FDO framework to enhance the accessibility and interoperability of biodiversity research data from natural science collections. FDOs facilitate seamless data exchange by providing structured digital objects with unique identifiers, descriptive metadata, and defined operations. As part of making Digital Specimens FDOs, DiSSCO implemented FDO records, metadata records associated with a Persistent Identifier, which further enable machine actionability. A Digital Object repository was developed for the purposes of storing and acting upon digital specimens. Three technological pillars compose the repository: a relational database stores the latest version of the digital specimen and is used for retrieving specimens by their identifier; an indexing solution provides full search capabilities on digital specimens; and a document store holds previous versions of a digital specimen for provenance purposes. There are three ways a user may interact with the digital object repository: a REST API; a user-friendly web portal; and a DOIP server.To ingest data from multiple source systems, a harmonised data model was developed, called OpenDS. Built upon existing international standards like DarwinCore and ABCD, OpenDs accommodates complex structures necessary to capture information about multiple taxonomic identifications, events, agents, and relationships to other data sources. DiSSCo has decided to adapt the GBIF Unified Model (UM) for specimen data, ensuring interoperability and avoiding the development of potentially competing standards. By aligning with the GBIF UM, DiSSCo enhances interoperability with GBIF and promotes the establishment of a unified data modelling standard within the biodiversity community, facilitating seamless data exchange and integration with data aggregators like GBIF.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e147255

Authors: Joan García, Eva Gonzalez-Flo

Abstract: The widespread use of petrol-based plastics has led to an environmental problem, as these materials are prone to abandonment, breaking down into microplastics and nanoplastics that harm living organisms. While biodegradable plastics are seen as a solution, their global production still remains modest at 1.3 million tons in 2022 (vs. 400 million tons of petrol-based plastics). Moreover, many such plastics fail to biodegrade efficiently under all environmental conditions (marine, soil, rivers, etc.). Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a type of bioplastics naturally produced by microorganisms. They are a promising alternative because they degrade completely in soil, water, and marine environments. However, their industrial production is still limited and needs further research and investment to scale up.Commercially produced PHA is nowadays highly energy-intensive and relies heavily on organic raw materials and clean water, which conflicts with the EU’s goals for a circular, sustainable economy. The current production process is far away from the zero emissions neutral carbon strategy. The EU Horizon 2020 PROMICON project has developed an innovative method that uses photosynthetic microorganisms (cyanobacteria) to produce PHA efficiently. This process uses sunlight, absorbs CO2, and requires minimal organic resources, aligning perfectly with EU bioeconomy goals.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144611

Authors: Guy Ziv, Catriona Willoughby, Denise Hick, Arjan Gosal, Rosemary Wool, Chunhui Li, Jiaqi Ge, Paul Evans, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Meike Will, Birgit Mueller, Tomáš Václavík, Tomáš Čejka, Tomáš Čejka, Ruth Delzeit, Ornella Dellaccio, Jon Stenning, Anna Cord, Stephanie Roilo, Sanja Brdar, Joan Masó, Yoni Gavish, Danny Hooftman, James Bullock

Abstract: This Deliverable provides a roadmap to expansion of BESTMAP towards a operational pan-European modelling platform, as well as explore via pilot analyses several areas for improvement and future research. Considering new case studies, we analyse the locations where models parameterized in those regions can transfer to cover the most area. We conclude that in future case studies, they should be located in northern Spain, north-west Italy, central Italy, Montenegro/Albania, and Bulgaria. Testing if one can model water quality at the European scale, our modelling shows the NDR model (used in BESTMAP CS work) has generally good performance at EU scale, despite it being a rather simple process-based model. There is an overestimation of Nitrogen at low N, and underestimation of Phosphate at high P, which need to be considered in future work.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144610

Authors: Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Joan Maso

Abstract: The BESTMAP dashboard, a pivotal element of the H2020 BESTMAP project, stands as a vital instrument for disseminating project findings and fostering informed decision-making processes. This platform enables exploration, analysis, and reporting on the outcomes of biophysical models, offering users valuable insights into various environmental factors. This deliverable offers a comprehensive overview of the dashboard's architecture, outlining its seamless integration into diverse environments. It also provides updates on the dashboard's final status, its content, and the creation of e-learning courses aimed at guiding users in effectively utilizing the tools and features available within the dashboard.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144609

Authors: Pavel Stoev, Boris Barov, Gabriela Popova, Maria Mincheva, Milica Trajković, Dajana Vujaklija, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, James Bullock, Paul Evans, Tomáš Václavík, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Anna Cord, Stephanie Roilo

Abstract: In order to enhance the visibility of BESTMAP project and its outcomes and to explore potential common activities and complementarities with other projects, initiatives, networks, and policy makers at EU level, the Plan of Engagement is developed and it will act as the strategy for creating a bridge between BESTMAP and all the other relevant projects or institutions. This document is an updated version of the Milestone 12 Plan of Engagement and it will serve as a strategic channel of relationship-building processes with identified related parties from now on. External relationships and engagement with relevant parties is a continuous process between BESTMAP and other parties. Therefore, the Plan of Engagement is considered as a living document that will be extended and changed as the engagement with all parties evolved.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144185

Authors: Tomáš Čejka, Paul Evans, James Bullock, Guy Ziv, Stephanie Roilo, Tomáš Václavík

Abstract: Insights into potential policy outcomes may be biased if based on an unrepresentative selection of case study information. As case studies are a central element of the BESTMAP project, evaluating their representativeness in the wider EU context is one of the major tasks of WP5 - Upscaling. In this Deliverable, we first briefly describe the principles of meta-models of ecosystem services and biodiversity that were developed as part of Task 5.2 to upscale predictions of ecosystem services beyond case studies. Second, we report on the development of a distance metric used to determine case study representativeness, i.e. the degree of similarity in conditions between BESTMAP case studies and NUTS3 regions across Europe. Third, we describe the transferability diagrams that we used to obtain the relationship between the predictive power of the meta-models and the distance metric, which were then used to determine the threshold within the distance metric (similarity of conditions) that corresponds to a model prediction that we considered reliable (R 2>0.5 ). Fourth, for each ecosystem service and biodiversity, we present a series of transferability maps based on the set threshold to identify the transferability potential of BESTMAP models to NUTS3 regions across Europe. Finally, we discuss the limitations and challenges of our approach used to determine case study representativeness and the transferability potential of ecosystem service models.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144184

Authors: Josie McCulloch, Jiaqi Ge, Paul Evans

Abstract: This document presents the generalised linear model (GLM) and agent-based model (ABM) that were developed in the H2020 project BESTMAP to model and predict the uptake of Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES) in the European Union. The deliverable is based on the work done in Work Package 4.1 (WP4.1) – Agent-Based Modelling and Analysis of BESTMAP. This deliverable comprises a description of the particular implementation of the ABM including a discussion of how and why the European Union model differs from the case study-specific models described in Deliverable 4.1. The link to the model’s code on GitLab is provided. Furthermore, data requirements and potential limitations with respect to data accessibility are outlined. The ABM code is accompanied by a model description in a structured form following the ODD+D protocol (Müller et al., 2013) in the Appendix. The deliverable focuses on the model development and how the GLM and ABM are linked. As an outlook, research questions that can be answered with the models, model limitations and potential further extensions are discussed. Additionally, it is briefly discussed how the ABM outputs will enhance the biophysical modelling upscaling, which is the other part of Task 5.2

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144183

Authors: Paul Evans, Tomáš Čejka, Tomáš Václavík, Guy Ziv, Stephanie Roilo, James Bullock

Abstract: In this Deliverable, the outputs from the BESTMAP biodiversity and ESS models, necessary for this Deliverable, are briefly described. Second, the data used for meta-modelling is listed. Third, the process behind meta-modelling - the main focus of this Deliverable - is described in detail, specifying the logic of the technique, the steps that were taken within the context of this work, and how the models were fitted and tested. Fourth, we present the results of the meta-models in terms of the number of times different predictors were significant, to give an idea of the important predictors. Finally, the challenges that were faced are discussed, as well as the final potential uses for the outputs.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144087

Authors: Tomáš Václavík, Tomáš Čejka, Marek Bednář, Meike Will, Stephanie Roilo, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Katharina Schneider, Bartosz Bartkowski, Nastasija Grujic, Sanja Brdar, Predrag Lugonja, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Annelies Broekman, Rosemary Wool, Arjan Gosal, Chunhui Li, George Breckenridge, Jodi Gunning, Guy Ziv

Abstract: This document provides a summary of the systematic analyses conducted across BESTMAP five CS as part of the activities in Work Packages (WP) 1, 2, 3 and 4. First, we describe the main qualitative findings obtained from farmers during the semi-structured interview campaigns regarding their attitudes towards the implementation of agri-environmental schemes (AES). Second, we elaborate on the results from the follow-up online questionnaire which included the Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) to investigate farmers’ personal views, socio-economic background and especially their preferences for specific AES contract characteristics which were subsequently used to inform the parameterization of CS agentbased models (ABMs). Third, we summarise the similarities and differences in the types of farms that occur in each CS, using the Farming System Archetypes typology based on several categories of farm specialisation and economic size. Fourth, we quantify the main results of the biophysical models of WP3 tailored specifically for each CS, comparing the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services calculated for the scenario of the current AES implementation with ecosystem service values calculated for a scenario simulating no AES adoption. Finally, we synthesise the main findings of the ABMs developed in WP4, specifically investigating the effects of four AES policy scenarios (advisory support, high payment rates, short contracts and low bureaucracy) as compared to the status-quo scenario of the current AES adoption rates

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144086

Authors: Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Stephanie Roilo, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Katharina Schneider, Tomáš Václavík, Arjan Gosal, Rosemary Wool, George Breckenridge, Jodi Gunning, Guy Ziv

Abstract: Most of the agricultural policies, such as the new CAP, or the European Union Sustainable Development Goals, already present their list of associated indicators to monitor impacts. As BESTMAP biophysical models aim to map the impacts of these types of policies, each of the model outputs have a range of associated policy indicators. This deliverable includes the results of an exhaustive review of policy indicators from different sources linked to agricultural practices, associated with or translated to BESTMAP model results. In some cases, BESTMAP models return an output that can be directly considered an indicator. In other cases, BESTMAP model results can support partially existing indicators.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144085

Authors: Meike Will, Birgit Mueller, Chunhui Li, Jiaqi Ge, Nastasija Grujic

Abstract: This deliverable provides a report on the agent-based models (ABMs) for each of the case studies, developed in the Work Package 4 (WP4) – Agent-Based Modelling and Analysis of BESTMAP. In particular, it includes a description of how the models can be accessed and which input data is needed. This document is accompanied by a description of each case study model in a structured form (see Appendix) which follows the ODD+D protocol (Müller et al., 2013). Deviations from the main processes as described in Milestone M6 (First versions of ABMs for CS) are discussed for each case study.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144084

Authors: Michael Beckmann, Miene-Marie Gastinger, Birgit Mueller, Anne Paulus, Meike Will, Anna Cord, Stephanie Roilo, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Fanny Langerwisch, Tomáš Václavík, Marek Bednář, Guy Ziv, Arjan Gosal

Abstract: The Case Study Base Layer, described in this deliverable, is a harmonised geospatial database spanning across the five case study areas of BESTMAP: South Moravia (Czech Republic), Mulde (Germany), Humber (Great Britain), Backa (Serbia), and Catalonia (Spain). It is based on the Preliminary Case Study Base Layer (MS3) and includes geospatial information on climatic and soil conditions, biodiversity, land use/land cover (including crop types), farm structure and socio-economic data. It serves as a base for biophysical ecosystem service (ES) models as well as socio-economic statistical models. Thereby, the Case Study Base Layer will be crucial for mapping Farming System Archetypes (FSAs) and for building a common agent-based modeling (ABM) framework across all case studies. This report accompanies the data in Deliverable D3.1 and describes the compilation, harmonization, meta-data structure, secure storage and access of case study baye layer data using the BESTMAP instance of the UFZ GeoNetwork

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e144083

Authors: Michael Beckmann, Lena Friedrich, Miene-Marie Gastinger, Anne Paulus, Tomáš Václavík, Chunhui Li, Guy Ziv, Paul Evans

Abstract: The European Base Layer, described in this deliverable, is a harmonised geospatial database spanning across Europe. It builds upon the infrastructure created for the Case Study Base Layer (D3.1) and includes geospatial information on climatic and soil conditions, biodiversity, land use/land cover (including crop types) data. It serves as a base for all modeling activities in BESTMAP’s WP5 including biophysical ecosystem service (ES) models. Thereby, the European Base Layer will be crucial for mapping Farming System Archetypes (FSAs) and for building a common agent-based modeling (ABM) framework across Europe. This report accompanies the data in Deliverable D3.2 and describes the compilation, harmonization, meta-data structure, secure storage and access of case study Base Layer data using the BESTMAP instance of the UFZ GeoNetwork.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e139777

Authors: Luciana Frazão, Joana Alves, Miguel Moreira, Paula Castro, Maria João Martins, Anabela Paula, António Gouveia, Helena Freitas

Abstract: Defined as the benefits derived from nature to humans, the Ecosystem Services (ES) concept clarifies how ecosystems contribute to human well-being. Despite its relevance, integrating this concept into decision-making processes remains a challenge. Participatory approaches have proven crucial in developing mechanisms for managing, conserving, sustainably using and valuing ES. This work aimed to analyse the perceptions of Portuguese Biosphere Reserves’ (BR) managers regarding the ES provided by these territories through a participatory workshop. During the workshop, each participant specified the most relevant ES provided by the BR. The study identified three key ES: "Cultivated terrestrial plants (including fungi, algae) grown for nutritional purposes", "Characteristics of living systems that enable scientific investigation or the creation of traditional ecological knowledge" and "Characteristics of living systems that enable education and training". Additionally, participants discussed perceived threats, opportunities and potential solutions to enhance the value of these key ES in these areas. "Climate change" and "Pollution" were identified as the most significant threats, while "Climate adaptation", "Quality of life" and "Sustainable agriculture" emerged as the main opportunities. Solutions to address threats and maximise opportunities include the establishment of a closer, systematic and articulated relationship within BR to promote sustainability and resilience. Overall, the workshop was positively evaluated and deemed productive. It was also considered a powerful tool to foster collaboration towards a more holistic promotion of BR' sustainable governance, benefitting the environment, communities and the economy.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e135978

Authors: Emily Veltjen, Pieter Asselman, Wim Baert, Steve Baeyen, Lise Beirinckx, Liselot Breyne, Dimitri Brosens, Tim Claerhout, Sari Cogneau, Karen Cox, Laura Cuypers, Lynn Delgat, Philippe Desmeth, Jordi de Raad, Lore Esselens, Maria-Rose Eves Down, Philippe Helsen, Frederik Leliaert, Kenny Meganck, Zjef Pereboom, Nathalie Smitz, Gontran Sonet, Maarten Trekels, An Vanden Broeck, Charlotte Van Driessche, Aaike De Wever

Abstract: DNA collections are a valuable type of Natural Science collection, enabling the validation of past research, serving as a source for new genomic studies and supporting ex situ conservation. The DiSSCo Flanders DNA collection working group, aiming to advance and "unlock" their DNA collections, identified the need for: 1) actively sharing best practices regarding the management of DNA collections; and 2) providing guidance on how to bring theory into practice. By combining best practice examples from within the working group with available literature and brainstorming ideas, the working group co-created two outputs, referred to as: the "Challenges" and the "Key". The Challenges are a list of obstacles to DNA collection management, which shape the structure of the linked Key and can also be used to spark discussion amongst stakeholders. The Key is a tool that guides users through the maturation process of their DNA collection in a standardised way. It stimulates holistic growth, breaks down the needed work into manageable steps and helps to decide priorities during the process. Furthermore, the Key facilitates communication with both internal stakeholders and external DNA collection managers. The Key distinguishes itself from other self-assessment tools in several ways: it includes (re)investigation of the collection’s purpose and context; it is specialised for DNA collections; it delivers concrete goals linked to relevant information and shared experience; and it is inclusive, targeting all Natural Science DNA collections, regardless of their context or size.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e140142

Authors: Elpida Besi, Georgia Chantzi, Florian Grossmann, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla, Rositsa Stoeva

Abstract: Within the REST-COAST (Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity) project, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) is a partner focused on the Black Sea region, where the project has Foros Bay as a prominent Pilot Site. Nevertheless, the project features Pilot Sites across Europe spanning West Europe (Arcachon Bay, Rhone Delta and Ebro Delta), North Europe (Wadden Sea and Vistula Lagoon) and East-Central Europe (Venice lagoon, Sicily Lagoons and Nahal Dalia). The project, as summarised in this booklet, investigates the technical, financial, planning, management, governance, and engagement aspects required for large scale coastal restoration. Which technical possibilities are there? What are the political and financial hurdles? How can they be overcome? To find answers, we combine field data, numerical tools and stakeholder requirements to enhance the application of coastal restoration in the nine project Pilots and beyond. The present booklet reports the application of project insights to the Black Sea region and discusses how some of REST-COASTs strategies can be efficiently transferred there.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e133454

Authors: Yann Hautier, Kathryn Barry, Mariet Hefting, Marijke van Kuijk, Edwin Pos, Betty Verduyn, Rola Johannes, George Kowalchuk, Merel Soons

Abstract: Extreme climate events such as floods and droughts are becoming increasingly frequent and intense across the world. Future climate scenarios predict both an increase in individual extreme events, as well as chronic changes in climatic seasonality. Yet, the combined and relative effects of these pressures on ecosystems remain unknown. Concurrently, human-induced ecological disruption is accelerating species extinction rates, which are estimated to be 100 to 1000 times greater than pre-human levels. This is alarming as greater biological diversity is thought to buffer ecosystem functioning against extreme climate events, thereby safeguarding the provisioning of essential ecological services that contribute to human well-being. However, how and to what extent biodiversity buffers ecosystems against climate variability remains unclear. We recently constructed experimental grassland communities in a mesocosm-based field design representing a realistic gradient of plant diversity. Both extreme events (drought and flood) and a change in seasonality of precipitation are manipulated in a full factorial design to quantify the effects of future seasonal shifts and extremes in precipitation. We will: 1) determine to what extent higher biological diversity ensures that grasslands can continue to provide multiple ecosystem services even in the context of climate change and 2) unravel the fundamental mechanisms by which this is achieved including species asynchrony and positive species interactions. Results of our experimental approach will advance our understanding of the buffering potential of plant diversity and contribute to the development of strategies for sustainable service provisioning of our ecosystems in the face of climate change.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e136661

Authors: Jean-Philippe Jenny, Laurent Millet, Ronny Lauerwald, Fanny Colas, Hélène Masclaux, Yves Prairie, Pierre Regnier, Adam A. Ali, Fabien Arnaud, Nuno Carvalhais, Vincent Chanudet, Emmanuel Chapron, Patrick Durand, Isabelle Domaizon, Etienne Dambrine, Mathieu Dellinger, David Etienne, Jérome Gaillardet, Didier Galop, David Gateuille, Charline Giguet-Covex, Olivia Itier-Desgué, Didier Jezequel, Emilie Lyautey, Laurent Marquer, Florence Mazier, Théo Mazure, Erwan Messager, Jérôme Poulenard, Damien Rius, Pierre Sabatier, Georges-Marie Saulnier, Anaëlle Simonneau, Laura Soares, Viet Tran-Khac, Valérie Verneaux, Philippe Ciais

Abstract: Lentic waters are biogeochemical reactors, producing and receiving carbon (C) originally fixed by the terrestrial and aquatic biosphere, which is then buried in sediments or respired back to the atmosphere in the forms of carbon dioxide (CO2) and one of the more potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane (CH4). Additionally, lakes serve as archives of terrestrial and aquatic carbon processes within their sediments, enabling the reconstruction of historical changes spanning thousands of years. These changes encompass alterations in land cover, indicated by pollen records, soil carbon erosion and shifts in lake productivity resulting from changes in land use and climate. Both the burial of C in lakes and the emissions of GHGs are recognised as important components of Earth's climate system, yet they remain poorly understood and constrained due to inadequate quantities and qualities of observations. In the case of GHG emissions from lakes, observations are often sporadic, failing to capture the significant spatial and temporal variations in emissions across diverse lentic systems. To address this challenge, process-based models that incorporate the interconnected biogeochemical processes occurring within lakes and their watersheds would arguably be the best tool to extrapolate from site-level observations to regional and finally global scales, to quantify the anthropogenic impact on these fluxes and to reconstruct long-term shifts in emissions and burial due to changes in land cover and climate. However, the development and evaluation of such models is hampered by the lack of observations in sufficient quality. In this project, we bring together a unique consortium of specialists in aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry, palynology, sedimentology and modelling of terrestrial and aquatic biogeochemistry. This project will put forth a national programme of systematic, long-term observations of lake GHG and C cycling processes of unmet detail, consistency and quality. First, at 40 pilot sites spanning typological and environmental gradients, there will be a comprehensive data acquisition endeavour to evaluate biological processes and mesological factors influencing the sequestration or recycling of organic carbon. This effort will be complemented with a synthesis of existing data (WP1). Second, based on well-dated sediment records, which include both newly-acquired and synthesised existing data, variability of lake C burial and their climate and land-use controls will be reconstructed over the past 150 years (WP2). For 15 of these pilot sites, reconstruction will go back until the mid-Holocene (5,000 years BP), allowing us to shed light on the anthropogenic perturbation of the C cycle in this earlier part of human history, which is commonly excluded from this type of research due to lack of information. The activities of these first two WPs will result in an open-source national database, guaranteeing valorisation of our research far beyond this project. In WP3, we will use the land surface model (LSM) ORCHIDEE C-lateral to assess C cycling in the terrestrial biosphere and the mobilisation of biospheric C into lakes, which is possible due to an explicit representation of soil C leaching and erosion processes and a downscaling scheme permitting us to assess C exports from watersheds at sub-grid scale. While LSMs are used to assess evolution of biospheric C budgets from the beginning of the Industrial Period, we will use it to hindcast the evolution since the mid-Holocene, using lake sediment records for model validation. Moreover, we will develop a new process-based lake C model supported by the database established in WPs 1 and 2, which we will couple to ORCHIDEE C-lateral to simulate lake C burial and GHG emissions in response to climate and processes in the lake watershed. This model set-up will first be used to better constrain contemporary large-scale lake GHG emissions and to disentangle the anthropogenic perturbation of these fluxes from the natural background flux. These estimates will be revolutionary, as they will allow attributing part of lake GHG emissions to anthropogenic emissions for national GHG budget reporting. Then, these models will be emulated to reconstruct evolution of lake GHG budgets and C budgets of the whole lake watershed since the mid-Holocene. While simulations will first be performed at the scales of France and Europe, the development of international partnerships to implement observations from other biomes (WP4) will finally support simulations at the global scale.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e129357

Authors: Christiane Werner, Ulrike Wallrabe, Andreas Christen, Laura Comella, Carsten Dormann, Anna Göritz, Rüdiger Grote, Simon Haberstroh, Mazin Jouda, Ralf Kiese, Barbara Koch, Jan Korvink, Jürgen Kreuzwieser, Friederike Lang, Julian Müller, Oswald Prucker, Alexander Reiterer, Jürgen Rühe, Stefan Rupitsch, Helmer Schack-Kirchner, Katrin Schmitt, Nina Stobbe, Markus Weiler, Peter Woias, Jürgen Wöllenstein

Abstract: Global climate change threatens ecosystem functioning worldwide. Forest ecosystems are particularly important for carbon sequestration, thereby buffering climate change and providing socio-economic services. However, recurrent stresses, such as heat waves, droughts and floods can affect forests with potential cascading effects on their carbon sink capacity, drought resilience and sustainability. Knowledge about the stress impact on the multitude of processes driving soil-plant-atmosphere interactions within these complex forest systems is widely lacking and uncertainty about future changes extremely high. Thus, forecasting forest response to climate change will require a dramatically improved process understanding of carbon and water cycling across various temporal (minutes to seasons) and spatial (leaf to ecosystem) scales covering atmosphere, biosphere, pedosphere and hydrosphere components.Many relevant processes controlling carbon and water exchange occur at small scales (e.g. rhizosphere, single leaf) with a high spatial and temporal variability, which is poorly constrained. However, interactions and feedback loops can be key players that amplify or dampen a system’s response to stress. Moreover, spatial and temporal scaling rules for these non-linear processes in structurally and functionally diverse ecosystems are unknown. Legacy effects, for example, altered response after previous stress and retarded recovery of forests after climate extremes, are not captured in state-of-the-art models. Currently, we are lacking the appropriate and interconnected measurement, data assimilation and modelling tools allowing for a comprehensive, real-time quantification of key processes at high spatio-temporal coverage in heterogeneous environments. Moreover, since climate impacts are highly unpredictable with respect to timing and location, future research will require novel mobile, easily deployable and cost-efficient approaches. ECOSENSE, therefore, assembles expertise from environmental and engineering sciences, both being excellently paired at the University of Freiburg.Our interdisciplinary research project will investigate all relevant scales in a next-generation ecosystem research assessment (ECOSENSE). Our vision is to detect and forecast critical changes in ecosystem functioning, based on the understanding of hierarchical process interaction. In the first phase, ECOSENSE will explore these process interactions by investigating pools and fluxes of water and carbon, i.e. CO2 exchange, isotope discrimination and volatile organic compounds (VOC), as well as stress indicators by remotely and in situ sensed chlorophyll fluorescence.To address these research tasks, ECOSENSE will develop, implement and test a distributed, autonomous, intelligent sensor network, based on novel microsensors tailored to the specific needs in remote and harsh forest environments. They will measure the spatio-temporal dynamics of ecosystem pools and fluxes in a naturally complex structured forest system with minimal physiological impact. Measured data will be transferred in real-time into a sophisticated database, which will be explored for process analysis, conducted by Artificial Intelligence and close to real-time process-based ecosystem models for now- and forecasting applications. Thereby, ECOSENSE will: i) break new ground for integrative ecosystem research by identifying hierarchies and interactions of abiotic and physiological processes of forest carbon and water exchange, ii) provide a profound understanding of complex ecosystem responses to environmental stressors and iii) enable the prediction of process-based alterations in ecosystem functioning and sustainability.Our novel ECOSENSE toolkit, tested and validated in controlled climate extreme experiments and our ECOSENSE Forest, will open new horizons for rapid assessment in vast and remote ecosystems. Thereby, ECOSENSE will allow for a unique avenue of data acquisition and, consequently, for unprecedented scale-crossing ecosystem understanding and modelling.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e130555

Authors: Toke Thomas Høye, Pavel Stoev, Pierre Bonnet, W. Daniel Kissling

Abstract: The MAMBO project is developing novel monitoring tools to enhance knowledge of the state of European biodiversity. Through its demonstration sites and stakeholder engagement, MAMBO is showcasing its new technologies' effectiveness and added value. It thus provides critical input on how biodiversity-related monitoring efforts can be coordinated at the EU level. As such, MAMBO has the potential to improve the ecological monitoring landscape in Europe and beyond substantially. MAMBO contributes to the aims of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 by ensuring better coordination and streamlining of biodiversity observations in Europe.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e125086

Authors: Bekir Afsar, Kyle Eyvindson, Tuomas Rossi, Martijn Versluijs, Otso Ovaskainen

Abstract: Forests are crucial in supporting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. Understanding forest biodiversity dynamics under different management strategies and climate change scenarios is essential for effective conservation and management. This paper introduces the Forest Biodiversity Dynamics Prototype Digital Twin (pDT), integrating forest and biodiversity models to predict the effects of management options on forest ecosystems. The primary objective is to identify optimal management strategies that promote biodiversity, focusing on conservation and adaptation to different climate conditions. We start with the case of Finnish forests and bird species and plan to expand to include more European countries and a variety of species as the pDT is further developed.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e125192

Authors: Desalegn Chala, Erik Kusch, Claus Weiland, Carrie Andrew, Jonas Grieb, Tuomas Rossi, Tomas Martinovic, Dag Endresen

Abstract: Amidst population growth and climate-driven crop stresses such as drought, extreme weather, fungal and insect pests, as well as various crop diseases, ensuring food security demands innovative strategies. Crop wild relatives (CWR), wild plants in the same genus as the crop as well as wild populations belonging to the same species as the crop, offer novel genetic resources crucial for enhancing crop resilience against these stress factors. Here, we introduce a prototype digital twin (pDT) to aid in searching and utilising CWR genetic resources. Using the MoDGP (Modelling the Germplasm of Interest) tool, the pDT enables mapping geographic areas where stress-tolerant CWR populations can be found. With its graphical user interface, it offers flexibility in selecting genetic resources from CWR tailored to enhance resilience of various crops against diverse stress factors.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e129447

Authors: Néstor Fernández, José Manuel Álvarez-Martínez, Lluís Brotons, Ana Ceia-Hasse, Marcel Buchhorn, César Capinha, Benoît O. L. Demars, Carlos Guerra, Ute Jandt, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro, W. Daniel Kissling, Maria Lumbierres, Andres Marmol-Guijarro, Henrique M. Pereira, Anne Lyche Solheim, Judy Shamoun-Baranes, Bruno Smets

Abstract: This report discusses the potential synergies of the EBVs developed in each showcase, in conjunction with existing environmental policies, for a comprehensive assessment of European biodiversity.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e128926

Authors: Irene Calderon Sanou, Carlos Guerra, Graciela Rusch, Sergei Põlme, Joachim Maes, Néstor Fernández

Abstract: The Deliverable discusses the critical role of soil in supporting terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and global climate regulation. It highlights that a significant portion of European soils are currently unhealthy, which has far-reaching consequences, including risks to human health, the environment, and the economy. Soil degradation affects food security, water quality, climate change, and biodiversity. It also emphasizes the importance of soil monitoring in Europe to ensure sustainable land management, preserve biodiversity, and mitigate environmental challenges. Healthy soils are essential for agriculture, food security, and climate resilience. The European Union (EU) recognizes the importance of soil health in addressing the food needs of a growing global population increasing the need for improved soil monitoring. It also discusses the role of advanced remote sensing technologies in soil monitoring and mentions initiatives and projects focused on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This Deliverable highlights the showcase in soil restoration and climate change mitigation that is aimed at developing soil essential biodiversity variables to test the capacity of current datasets and monitoring frameworks to provide relevant information on the distribution and future trends of key soil biodiversity variables. The development process also stakeholder engagement in the context of selecting essential biodiversity variables (EBVs). Two main approaches were used: a working group involving researchers and targeted meetings with institutional stakeholders. Key meetings were held with stakeholders from organizations such as the European Environmental Agency, the Joint Research Center, and German soil and biodiversity monitoring agencies. These meetings aimed to gather input and insights on the selection of EBVs. The stakeholder engagement process revealed three key points: i) the importance of using readily available and open data to ensure data continuity and promote transparency and accessibility (this includes data from sources like the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) and GBIF, as well as point data from the LUCAS sampling framework); ii) the need for diversity in modeling approaches, incorporating multiple data sources and levels of expertise (the goal is to showcase the potential use of existing information and allow various stakeholders to identify their roles in producing soil-based EBVs for different functions or ecosystem services); and iii) the importance of including climate and land use prediction data in modeling frameworks when possible. Overall, the stakeholder engagement process emphasized the significance of data accessibility, diverse modeling approaches, and the incorporation of relevant future data in the selection and development of essential biodiversity variables. Furthermore, the Deliverable discusses the existing gap in the EU's legal framework concerning soil management and highlights the proposed Soil Monitoring Law as a comprehensive framework to address this gap. The outcomes of this Deliverable align with several EU environmental policy initiatives, such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Finally, it proceeds with the selection of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) for soil-related monitoring within the EuropaBON initiative. Three primary soil-related EBVs have been chosen: 'Functional Composition of soil biota' and 'Community Biomass of soil microbes' and ‘Taxonomic diversity’. These EBVs belong to the 'Community Composition' class within the 'Terrestrial' realm category.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e128550

Authors: Martin Baptist, Richard Marijnissen, Grzegorz Różyński, Rosaria Ester Musumeci, Massimiliano Marino, Laura Borzi, Agata di Stefano, Morgane Jolivet, Alice Stocco, Fabienne Horneman, Silvia Rova, Silvia Torresan, Elisa Furlan, Caterina Dabalà, Francesca Coccon, Andrea Critto, Fabio Pranovi, Ferran Bertomeu, Carles Ibáñez, Nuno Caiola, Elitsa Hineva, Nataliya Andreeva, Petya Eftimova, Bogdan Prodanov, Valentina Doncheva, Nikolay Valchev, Shylee Berg, Mathis Cognat

Abstract: This deliverable presents the generation of EUNIS habitat maps for Europe as a whole and for each of the pilot areas in REST-COAST. Subsequently, it presents the assignment of semi-quantitative scores for the contribution of each EUNIS (sub)habitat to the five key ecosystem services applying the rank scale 0 (none), 1 (very low contribution), 2 (low contribution), 3 (medium contribution), 4 (high contribution) to 5 (very high contribution). It also describes the assignment of the IUCN Red List of Habitats to each of the depicted EUNIS (sub)habitats in the pilot areas. And finally, to assess coastal system behaviour and restoration effects on ecosystem services and biodiversity gains under climate change, a homogenised score card methodology is presented to overcome the problem of comparing minor changes (some percents) with major changes (tens of percents) in the total scores for ESS or BDV in each pilot area.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e127123

Authors: Nico Eisenhauer, Cordula Vogel, Luiz A. Domeignoz Horta, Ana Bonato Asato, Zarah Janda, Simone Cesarz

Abstract: Soil is the basis for life on Earth as we know it. Healthy and stable soil is a prerequisite for well-functioning terrestrial ecosystems and has, thus, been proposed to play a key role in plant diversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. The overall objective of this sub-project is to study multidimensional soil stability as affected by plant diversity in a long-term plant diversity experiment. We designed three coordinated work packages (WPs) to comprehensively assess soil multistability to environmental fluctuations and climate extremes by considering the biological, chemical and physical dimensions that are key for soil functioning. We will use all unique facilities and approaches of the Jena Experiment Research Unit by combining synthesis of long-term data in the Main Experiment and the ΔBEF Experiment with performing new soil analyses in the DrY Experiment, the ResCUE Experiment and a joint CoMic Experiment, to gain a better mechanistic understanding of plant diversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. In close collaboration with other sub-projects, we will assess biological, chemical and physical soil properties and stability indicators that will be used to calculate soil multifunctionality and multistability indices. In WP1, we will build on three unique datasets to explore short-term and long-term effects of plant diversity on the stability of soil (microbial) properties. In WP2, we will combine different datasets and approaches to explore if plant diversity effects on the magnitude and stability of soil properties increase with abiotic and biotic stresses. In WP3, we will combine measurements of the above-mentioned dimensions of soil stability to explore if plant diversity increases the stability of multiple soil properties under hot drought. This sub-project is at the heart of the Research Unit by testing the overarching hypotheses outlined in the Coordination Proposal of the Jena Experiment, contributing to all main experiments, sharing data and performing joint sampling campaigns with all sub-projects and, at the same time, introducing a novel concept of soil multistability as affected by plant diversity and climate extremes. We propose to use a combination of simple, high-throughput (e.g. bait-lamina test) and more sophisticated methods (e.g. extracellular polymeric substances analyses) to be able to investigate temporal dynamics of soil processes and their mechanistic basis. Taken together, the results of the three WPs will provide new insights into the stabilising mechanisms of soil properties in the long term and in relation to climate extremes through plant diversity.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e128158

Authors: Helge Bruelheide, Ute Jandt, Néstor Fernández, Andres Marmol-Guijarro, Bruno Smets, Marcel Buchhorn, Lori Giagnacovo, Giorgia Milli, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro, Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez

Abstract: The report demonstrates the potential workflows to leverage monitoring data on biodiversity to assess the status of two selected habitats of the Habitats Directive, Nardus grasslands (EU habitats directive Annex I 6230*) and forest dominated by Fagus sylvatica on acidic soils (habitat 9110).

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e128109

Authors: Anne Lyche Solheim, Benoît O. L. Demars, Marit Mjelde, Jannicke Moe, Andres Marmol-Guijarro, Sophie Mentzel, Jan-Erik Thrane, Jes Rasmussen, Benno Dillinger

Abstract: This report provides a showcase of selected EBVs related to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and possible synergies with other EU policies. The report consists of two major parts: the species level EBV on macrophyte species in Nordic lakes and the community structure EBVs for phytoplankton in lakes and benthic invertebrates in rivers based on their deviation from natural conditions measured by Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR-values). The macrophytes species level part is produced by Benoit Demars at NIVA supported by a number of co-authors, including data providers (see frontpage), while the community structure EBVs based on EQR values are produced by Jannicke Moe, Sophie Mentzel, Jan-Erik Thrane and Anne Lyche Solheim at NIVA. All EIONET data providers of EQR-values reported to WISE-2 are kindly acknowledged.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e128042

Authors: Camino Liquete, Dimitrios Bormpoudakis, Joachim Maes, Ian McCallum, W. Daniel Kissling, Lluís Brotons, Tom Breeze, Alejandra Moran, Maria Lumbierres, Leonie Friedrich, Sergi Herrando, Anne Lyche Solheim, Miguel Fernandez, Néstor Fernández, Tim Hirsch, Laurence Carvalho, Petteri Vihervaara, Jessi Junker, Ivelina Georgieva, Ingolf Kühn, Roy Van Grunsven, Aino Lipsanen, Guillaume Body, Hilary Goodson, Jose Valdez, Aletta Bonn, Henrique M. Pereira

Abstract: Observations are key to understanding the state of nature, the drivers of biodiversity loss and the impacts on ecosystem services and ultimately on people. Many EU policies and initiatives call for unbiased, integrated and regularly updated data on biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, biodiversity monitoring efforts are spatially and temporally fragmented, taxonomically biased and not integrated across Europe. EuropaBON has addressed this gap by developing an EU-wide framework for biodiversity monitoring. With this deliverable, EuropaBON proposes 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 trainings when necessary. Such a centre represents one of the key solutions to overcome the critical challenges of biodiversity monitoring in Europe. Having this integrated and continuous monitoring capacity would allow more timely and efficient interventions that would optimise our capacity to revert biodiversity loss and prevent environmental degradation. It would also increase the value-added to the data flows, reaching high-value outputs with some existing low-value inputs. This deliverable offers a critical analysis of the existing monitoring landscape in Europe, extracting key messages about the main challenges, lessons learned and possible solutions. Based on a comprehensive analysis of needs and, most importantly, on an inclusive consultation process, the deliverable designs an EBOCC that tackles the key biodiversity monitoring challenges. The proposal specifies the mission, the tasks, the most urgent topics, the main policies and the key stakeholders that the EBOCC should serve and focus on during the first stage of its implementation. It also includes detailed analyses about governance models and potential costs. With this proposal, EuropaBON fosters the setting up and testing an operational EBOCC that could address the urgent need for coordination, integration, harmonisation and strengthening of biodiversity data collection and analysis, in order to inform policy-making at local, national, European and international level.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e126021

Authors: Sergi Herrando, Sara Fraixedas, Guillem Pocull, Dani Villero, Anna Gamero, David Martí, Verena Keller, Petr Voříšek, Alena Klvaňová, Gabriel Gargallo, Lluís Brotons

Abstract: This deliverable shows, using farmland birds as a demonstrative case study, how the existing European network of bird monitoring schemes could be used to regularly update the distribution of terrestrial breeding birds across the whole of EU and neighbouring countries. In addition, it shows how changes in distribution could be assessed on frequent intervals suitable for informing on the achievement of EU environmental policy targets.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e121871

Authors: Sharif Islam, Dario Papale, Lucia Vaira, Ilaria Rosati, Johannes Peterseil, Christian Pichot

Abstract: This paper presents a use-case conducted within the ENVRI FAIR project, examining challenges and opportunities in deploying FAIR-aligned (ensuring Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) scientific name-matching services across Environmental Research Infrastructures (RIs). Six services were tested using various name variations, revealing inconsistencies in match types, status reporting and handling of canonical forms and typos. These diversities pose challenges for RI data pipelines and interoperability. The paper underscores the importance of standardised tools, enhanced communication, training, collaboration and shared resources. Addressing these needs can facilitate more effective FAIR implementation within the ENVRI community and biodiversity research. This, in turn, will empower RIs to seamlessly integrate and leverage scientific names, unlocking the full potential of their data for research and policy implementation.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e121032

Authors: Jens Krömer, Gabriela Popova, Katja Bühler, Peter Lindblad

Abstract: The 2018 EU Bioeconomy Strategy aims to create a sustainable, circular, and low-emissions economy, based on the use of renewable biological resources. The strategy focuses on the development of new biobased products and markets, the promotion of sustainable and efficient use of resources, and the support of research, innovation, and skills development in the bioeconomy sector. The main objectives of the strategy are to: - Accelerate the deployment of bio-based products and services to reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels and promote the transition to a circular economy; - Optimise the use of renewable biological resources to ensure food security, while also protecting the environment and biodiversity; - Promote sustainable and efficient use of natural resources, reduce waste, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions; - Develop innovative, sustainable, and competitive bio-based industries and value chains that create jobs and support economic growth, particularly in rural areas; - Support research, innovation, and skills development in the bioeconomy sector to drive technological advancements, enhance the competitiveness of the EU’s bio-based industries, and address societal challenges such as climate change, food security, and public health. The EU Horizon 2020 PROMICON project is a pioneering initiative that directly addresses the objectives of the 2018 EU Bioeconomy Strategy. By focusing on the production of biopolymers, energy carriers, feedstocks, and antimicrobial molecules from natural microbiomes, the project is promoting the sustainable production and use of renewable biological resources while also supporting research and innovation in the bioeconomy sector.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e114366

Authors: Edmund Schiller, Karin Wiltschke-Schrotta, Eva Häffner, Jutta Buschbom, Frederik Leliaert, Breda Zimkus, John Dickie, Suzete Gomes, Chris Lyal, Daniel Mulcahy, Alan Paton, Gabi Droege

Abstract: We present two different typologies of legal/contractual information in the context of natural history objects: the Biodiversity Permit/Contract Typology categorises permits and contracts, and the Typology of Legal/Contractual Terms for Biodiversity Specimens categorises the terms within permits and contracts. The Typologies have been developed under the EU-funded SYNTHESYS+ project with the participation of experts from outside the consortium. The document further addresses a possible technical integration of these typologies into the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo). The implementation in the DiSSCo data model is outlined and a concrete use case is presented to show how conditions, e.g. the Typology of Legal/Contractual Terms, can be introduced into the DiSSCo Electronic Loans and Visits System (ElViS). Finally, we give an outlook on the next steps to develop the typologies into a standard that supports compliance with legal and contractual obligations within the wider community of natural science collections.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e117217

Authors: Salomé Landel, Gaël Lymer, Markus Pasterk, Michel Guiraud, Katharine Worley

Abstract: A key consideration during the preparatory phase project DiSSCo Prepare – which laid the foundations for the future Research Infrastructure DiSSCo (Distributed System of Scientific Collections) – was the need to establish a small number of alternative viable financial contribution models and a scalable formula which could be presented to potential funders, with a view to obtaining the minimum financial contribution necessary for DiSSCo to operate, as well as considering how the RI could grow with increased national funding.This report briefly explains the ERIC funding framework – as chosen for DiSSCo – and its legal constraints, in order to explain the key role played by national member contributions in the viability of an ERIC. An essential annex of the statutes that will be signed by all members of the ERIC is the member fee calculation. A proposal for the DiSSCo member fee calculation is set out in this document and is based on three main indicators: economic power (GDP), annual spending in research and development and population size. In the context of DiSSCo – and to ensure the ERIC can function – these indicators are connected to a fixed baseline fee of €50,000, in order to guarantee a minimum significant annual contribution from each participating country and avoid contributions that will be more expensive to manage than to benefit from. This baseline is multiplied by contribution factors which propose different ways to weight the various indicators.The method is established on an ideal scenario, whereby all 27 EU members, as well as the UK, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland sign the DiSSCo statutes and agree to the proposed member contribution calculation, amounting to €4.5 million for the annual budget of the ERIC. This scenario remains highly unlikely; therefore, a scaled approach has been envisaged, meaning the initial engagement of some countries will allow DiSSCo to begin its operation and implement its business strategy, whilst the growth of the ERIC and its activities is likely to evolve proportionally to the number of national members it is able to engage.This report also looks at the ways in which funding could be distributed amongst the DiSSCo members in order to implement decentralised services.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.10.e118241

Authors: Dimitrios Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Wouter Addink, Eva Alonso, Jose Alonso, Ana Casino, François Dusoulier, Vânia Ferreira, Jonas Grieb, Quentin Groom, Sharif Islam, Urmas Kõljalg, Gaël Lymer, Karol Marhold, Carole Paleco, Stefaan Pijls, Serge Scory, Ben Scott, Claus Weiland, Katharine Worley

Abstract: The Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) is a pan-European Research Infrastructure (RI) initiative. DiSSCo aims to bring together natural science collections from 175 museums, botanical gardens, universities and research institutes across 23 countries in a distributed infrastructure that makes these collections physically and digitally open and accessible for all forms of research and innovation. DiSSCo RI entered the ESFRI roadmap in 2018 and successfully concluded its Preparatory Phase in early 2023. The RI is now transitioning towards the constitution of its legal entity (an ERIC) and the start of its scaled-up construction (implementation) programme. This publication is an abridged version of the successful grant proposal for the DiSSCo Transition Project which has the goal of ensuring the seamless transition of the DiSSCo RI from its Preparatory Phase to the Construction Phase (expected to start in 2025). In this transition period, the Project will address five objectives building on the outcomes of the Preparatory Phase project:1) Advance the DiSSCo ERIC process and complete its policy framework, ensuring the smooth early-phase Implementation of DISSCo;2) Engage & support DiSSCo National Nodes to strengthen national commitments;3) Advance the development of core e-services to avoid the accumulation of technical debt before the start of the Implementation Phase;4) Continue international collaboration on standards & best practices needed for the DiSSCo service provision; and5) Continue supporting DiSSCo RI interim governance bodies and transition them to the DiSSCo ERIC formal governance.The Project’s impact will be measured against the increase in the RI's overall Implementation Readiness Level (IRL). More specifically, we will monitor its impact towards reaching the required level of maturity in four of the five dimensions of the IRL that can benefit from further developments. These include the organisational, financial, technological and data readiness levels.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e118155

Authors: Teodor Metodiev, Gabriela Popova

Abstract: As a foundation of the future communication activities, a set of dissemination and branding tools and materials is crucial to be established within the first months of the project. Accordingly, a project logo and website were developed in the first 4 months of the PROMICON life-cycle, which form the backbone of both project branding and public visibility. In addition, various dissemination materials such as a PROMICON brochure and a poster were produced in high quality print versions for rising awareness at events. All of the materials can be found on the media center section of the website and are available to anyone interested. Document templates were also produced and made available to the consortium, in order to facilitate future dissemination and reporting activities such as letters, milestone and deliverable reports, as well as PowerPoint presentations. Accounts have been also set in two major social media channels, Twitter and Facebook, to ensure the widest possible impact and outreach of PROMICON related results, news and events, and to engage the interested parties in a virtual community. The long‐term impact of the project's results will be secured by maintaining the website for a total of 9 years – 4 years of the project duration and additional 5 years after the end of the PROMICON life-cycle.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e116951

Authors: Toke Høye, Tom August, Mario V Balzan, Koos Biesmeijer, Pierre Bonnet, Tom Breeze, Christophe Dominik, France Gerard, Alexis Joly, Vincent Kalkman, W. Daniel Kissling, Teodor Metodiev, Jesper Moeslund, Simon Potts, David Roy, Oliver Schweiger, Deepa Senapathi, Josef Settele, Pavel Stoev, Dan Stowell

Abstract: EU policies, such as the EU biodiversity strategy 2030 and the Birds and Habitats Directives, demand unbiased, integrated and regularly updated biodiversity and ecosystem service data. However, efforts to monitor wildlife and other species groups are spatially and temporally fragmented, taxonomically biased, and lack integration in Europe. To bridge this gap, the MAMBO project will develop, test and implement enabling tools for monitoring conservation status and ecological requirements of species and habitats for which knowledge gaps still exist. MAMBO brings together the technical expertise of computer science, remote sensing, social science expertise on human-technology interactions, environmental economy, and citizen science, with the biological expertise on species, ecology, and conservation biology. MAMBO is built around stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange (WP1) and the integration of new technology with existing research infrastructures (WP2). MAMBO will develop, test, and demonstrate new tools for monitoring species (WP3) and habitats (WP4) in a co-design process to create novel standards for species and habitat monitoring across the EU and beyond. MAMBO will work with stakeholders to identify user and policy needs for biodiversity monitoring and investigate the requirements for setting up a virtual lab to automate workflow deployment and efficient computing of the vast data streams (from on the ground sensors, and remote sensing) required to improve monitoring activities across Europe (WP4). Together with stakeholders, MAMBO will assess these new tools at demonstration sites distributed across Europe (WP5) to identify bottlenecks, analyze the cost-effectiveness of different tools, integrate data streams and upscale results (WP6). This will feed into the co-design of future, improved and more cost-effective monitoring schemes for species and habitats using novel technologies (WP7), and thus lead to a better management of protected sites and species.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e116070

Authors: Dimitrios Malamataris, Anastasia Tsavdaridou, Dimitra Banti, Athanasios Malliaras, Apostolos Karalis, Nikolaos Theocharis, Christodoulos Michos, Antonios Mazaris

Abstract: Natural resources conservation is considered indispensable for a sustainable future. A thorough managerial analysis of the current and future conservation and availability to meet future demands is both necessary and challenging. As water of adequate quantity and good quality is required for a favourable condition of natural ecosystems and for agricultural production, a comprehensive analysis which would consider hydrological, environmental and agricultural dimensions is needed to properly address their interactions and potential impacts. This study presents a Water-Ecosystems-Food (WEF) nexus methodological flamework aiming at identification and mitigation of critical challenges. The framework is tested in a highly productive water basin in north Greece, the Kokkinorema River Bain, which is also characterised by intense agriculture practices. The presented methodological approach was developed in the context of a natural resources sustainability scheme adapted by the national funded AgroClim project. The selection and prioritisation of the most efficient measures, including Nature-based Solutions, would be driven by a Decision Support System (DSS) tool which will feed upon ecological, social, economic and legislative information. The proposed DSS will also incorporate future climate scenarios to evaluate and address expected future water scarcity, ecosystems degradation and reduced agricultural productivity issues. The proposed methodology for addressing nexus challenges could be transferred to any other natural resources-stressed water basin with similar characteristics.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e116061

Authors: Ioannis Vogiatzakis, Mario Balzan, Evangelia Drakou, Stelios Katsanevakis, Emilio Padoa-Schioppa, Elli Tzirkalli, Savvas Zotos, Xana Álvarez, Mart Külvik, Catarina Fonseca, Aristides Moustakas, Javier Martínez-López, Peter Mackelworth, Dejan Mandzukovski, Liana Ricci, Bojan Srdjevic, Mirela Tase, Theano Terkenli, Shiri Zemah-Shamir, George Zittis, Paraskevi Manolaki

Abstract: European islands are hotspots of biological and cultural diversity, which, compared to mainland, are more vulnerable to climate change, tourism development, uncontrolled land-use changes and the consequences of financial crisis. These drivers of change have increasingly resulted in severe impacts on socio-economic and environmental parameters. Projected climate, land-use and socio-economic change will impact on islands’ biodiversity, ecosystem services and, in turn, on the quality of life of island inhabitants. Even if the existing methods can adequately predict the abovementioned changes of the larger islands, this is not the case for small and medium-size islands, where there is a need for refinement. Although ecosystem services (ES) assessments have been carried out worldwide in different geographical areas, islands are still under-represented. Despite the recognised islands’ importance and vulnerability, efforts to date have focused solely on the pressures they face. Still, we know little about ES supply, flow and demand and their spatio-temporal variability, whilst integrated approaches that consider ES cross-island realms (terrestrial, marine and their interface) remain scarce. Even more under-represented are studies that explore the telecoupled relationship amongst islands and their mainland counterparts. Moreover, the current conceptual approaches guiding ES mapping and assessment need further refinement to account for the complex manifestations of nature and culture arising from peoples’ interaction with island spaces. This paper discusses the creation of a platform for coordinated interdisciplinary research on several aspects of mapping and assessment of ES in small and medium European islands in order to synthesise and strengthen the knowledge base for conservation of island realms and contribute to their sustainable development.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e115454

Authors: Helen Hardy, Lisa French, Josh Humphries, Sabine von Mering, Peter Giere, Frederik Berger, Anne Koivunen, Jonas Grieb, Martin Vipp, Vincent Smith

Abstract: As a highly decentralised research infrastructure, the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) will need to develop cross-institutional teams, adopting work practices where individual staff are intensively working collectively on common tasks in a distributed environment. These flexible and distributed working practices will be essential to the delivery of the research infrastructure across a wide range of delivery partners and a geographically dispersed set of scarce resources and skills, particularly in more technical roles. Since work to consider secondment and distributed working in DiSSCo was first envisaged, there has been a step change in distributed working owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns or other restrictions to where work could take place. This report examines distributed team working practices and how they have changed, through interviews with a range of key roles across DiSSCo Prepare institutions. It briefly examines key project management and technical team delivery techniques. It documents how some of these approaches have been piloted within DiSSCo Prepare for the development, testing and delivery of DiSSCo Policy and Digital Maturity tools. Finally, bringing this together with previous work on secondment policies and practices for DiSSCo, we make recommendations about how secondment and distributed team working can be approached to enhance DiSSCo capabilities and the likelihood of successful implementation of the research infrastructure.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115410

Authors: Fausto Favero, Lieke Hüsken, Jochen Hinkel, Heleen Vreugdenhi, Umberto Pernice, Michael Sedlmeier

Abstract: This deliverable is the first contribution of Work Package 3 to the REST-COAST Project. The overarching purpose of REST-COAST is to provide the tools to address some of the key challenges faced by coastal ecosystems restoration. To achieve this objective, REST-COAST will improve coastal restoration practice and techniques through new hands-on restoration pilot projects, co-design effective governance arrangements and policies, and generate new tools and data for risk reduction assessment. In addition to these activities, Work Package 3 will design innovative financial arrangements and bankable business plans to support the implementation and thescaling up of coastal ecosystem restoration.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115409

Authors: Gabriela Popova, Iliyana Demirova, Boris Barov

Abstract: The main goals of WP6 Dissemination, exploitation and social transformation tools, are to establish and maintain a distinct project identity, as well as to maximise the impact of project results by marketing andcommunicating them to stakeholders and the broader public. To ensure the efficient communication, Pensoft has developed a number of promotional materials reflecting the REST-COAST corporate identity, aswell as a project website.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115391

Authors: Ruth Delzeit, Simone Markoff, Alena Schmidt, Birgit Mueller, Meike Will, Chunhui Li, Jodi Gunning, Guy Ziv

Abstract: This deliverable report provides an integration guide on how information gained in BESTMAP’s agent-based model can be used in the standard economic model to improve the assessment of agricultural policies in the European Union. First, the models used in the BESTMAP are explained. The integration guide discusses in detail the preconditions and challenges when linking agent-based models with standard economic models such as partial and general equilibrium models. As a result of an expert workshop, six challenges are identified. The report also presents suggestions on how to make use of the finding and presents a way forward to integrate the two types of models.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115390

Authors: Milica Trajković, Dajana Vujaklija, Pavel Stoev, Anna Sapundzhieva, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning

Abstract: Deliverable 6.3 Communication and Dissemination plan comprises actions, tools and channels to be used throughout the BESTMAP project scope. The purpose of this document is to outline the strategy, to define means of communication, tools and actions that will be done within the BESTMAP project in order to reach a wide range of stakeholders. This plan is a living document and will be officially updated in month 24 (D6.8). The first chapter of the Communication and Dissemination Plan explains the wider context of the project and highlights how the project duration and geographical scope impact the communication and dissemination activities. The second chapter presents communication and dissemination strategy including definition of objectives and target audiences, communication tools and key messages. The third chapter presents AGRIMODELS cluster, while the fourth chapter explains Social Media Strategy. The aim of the fifth chapter is to emphasize the importance of project partners’ involvement in communication and dissemination activities, and the sixth chapter showcases the list of relevant conferences for presentation of the BESTMAP project. Seventh chapter presents an action plan for communication and dissemination activities while a list of references can be found in chapter eight.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115389

Authors: Stephanie Roilo, Anna Cord, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Katharina Schneider, Predrag Lugonja, Arjan Gosal, Rosemary Wool, George Breckenridge, Jodi Gunning, Guy Ziv

Abstract: This document describes the interrelationships between the ecosystem services, biodiversity and socio-economic outputs modelled in the Work Package 3 (WP3), to identify bundles of co-occurring services. Furthermore, this document presents an analysis of how different types of Agri-Environmental Measures (AEM) drive trade-offs and synergies among different services. The analysis spans two AEM adoption scenarios, one without AEM and one reflecting the current AEM adoption levels, for all five Case Studies (CS) of BESTMAP.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115388

Authors: Guido Riembauer, Markus Metz, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning, James Bullock, Paul Evans, Tomáš Václavík, Fanny Langerwisch, Marek Bednář, Sanja Brdar, Predrag Lugonja

Abstract: This deliverable provides an overview of all work conducted in the context of Activity 5.3.1 (Developing remote sensing indicators) with respect to Farming System Archetype (FSA) Mapping (Task 5.3). This work is based on the FSA definition and mapping in ‘D2.2 - Conceptual Framework’ and ‘D3.5 - Farming System Archetypes for each CS’ and investigates the potential of remote sensing methods to inform different dimensions of FSAs. Findings from this analysis will contribute to the BESTMAP roadmap (Task 5.4). Specifically, methodologies for crop type mapping, crop yield estimation, and field boundary mapping are investigated in different case study regions and their relevance for FSAs are shown.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115387

Authors: Fanny Langerwisch, Tomáš Václavík, Marek Bednář, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning, Arjan Gosal, Anne Paulus, Sanja Brdar, Predrag Lugonja, Stefanija Stojkovic, Stephanie Roilo, Anna Cord

Abstract: This deliverable provides an overview of the methods and data used for developing the Farming System Archetypes (FSAs) in the five case studies - Humber, Mulde, SouthMoravia, Bačka and Catalonia. Additionally, it discusses limitations as well as problems and presents solutions. The FSAs are a generalized typology of farming systems that are assumed to have similar response to policy change. FSAs are a major component of the BESTMAP modelling architecture because they provide linkages between many aspects of the project, especially connecting the biophysical and agent-based modelling in the case studies (CS), based on local data (e.g. IACS/LPIS, for explanation see Methodology), with the modelling of policy effects at the EU level, based on FADN micro-data within the FADN regions. The FSA framework defines the main farm characteristics determined by two main dimensions: firstly farm specialization and secondly economic size, both calculated and mapped for each farm in the CSs. ‘Farmer agents’ who belong to the same FSA are then assumed to have similar decision patterns regarding the adoption of agri-environmental schemes, based on the relationships revealed in the CS agent-based models.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115386

Authors: Felix Wittstock, David Hötten, Sofia Biffi, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Bořivoj Šarapatka, Marek Bednář, Minučer Mesaroš

Abstract: This deliverable presents a Summaries of data, obstacles and challenges from interview campaigns of the H2020 BESTMAP project. It aims at documenting the BESTMAP interview campaigns carried out to obtain data on farmers’ decision-making with regard to agri-environmental schemes (AES). It covers a detailed description of methodology, reporting on the concrete steps taken to collect and analyze interview data. It also discusses obstacles and challenges to BESTMAP interview campaigns. Finally, the deliverable presents the main qualitative and quantitative findings of the interview analysis, with a focus on qualitative content analysis of open interview questions.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115385

Authors: Ruth Delzeit, Simone Markoff, Sneha Thube

Abstract: This deliverable report elaborates on the development and results of a set of policy scenarios that represent the outcomes of Task 2.4. After clarifying the objective of the deliverable, key features of the DART-BIO model are explained, followed by a definition of two biofuel scenarios in which the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and in addition global biofuel policies are implemented. Further, two specifications of international climate policies are defined and their implementation explained. In the result section, the impacts of these policies on the EU’s agricultural markets and land-use change are illustrated. The results show that with the RED including a ban on palm-oil based biodiesel in place, EU’s rapeseed production and therewith also land used to cultivate rapeseed rises, while also imports of other vegetable oils increase. Land-use change outside the EU is limited. Adding biofuel policies in non-EU regions causes global land use-change towards more cropland used for biofuel feedstock (e.g. soybeans, palm fruit) at the expense of pasture land and crops not used for biofuel production. When implementing climate policies, the conversion of pasture land on the global average is reduced. Depending on the specification of climate policies (having a CO2 or all GHG emission reduction target), land-use change is affected differently. When only considering CO2 emissions, more biofuels and feedstock are imported into the EU, resulting in less area (-3 percentage points) devoted to rapeseed production compared to a situation with biofuel policies but no climate policy. Adding all GHG emissions to the reduction targets leads to a reduction of 1 percentage point in rapeseed areas in the EU since emission pricing reduces demand for livestock production. The results can serve as input into Agent-Based Modelling in case studies across the EU, changing land-use patterns and opportunity costs of participation in agri-environmental schemes.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115384

Authors: Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Joan Masó Pau, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning

Abstract: Dashboards for data visualisation and decision-making are information management tools that visually display, analyse and provide metrics of data, for better decisions and understanding improvement.Dashboards provide critical reporting of spatialised data and associated metrics information and are essential for displaying model results, guiding decisions and better navigating the landscape. The main aim of the dashboards is to quickly gain insights into the most relevant results of the data displayed. The main added value for users is that information is transformed into knowledge which is useful for decisions on policy making.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115383

Authors: Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning, Tomáš Václavík, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Birgit Mueller, Meike Will, Anna Cord, Stephanie Roilo, James Bullock, Paul Evans, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Joan Masó Pau

Abstract: This deliverable provides a General Framework for the BESTMAP Policy Impact Assessment Modelling (BESTMAP-PIAM) toolset. An update of the framework will be provided later in the project in Deliverable 2.4. The BESTMAP-PIAM is based on the notion of defining (a) a typology of agricultural systems, with one (or more) representative case study (CS) in each major system; (b) mapping all individual farms within the case study to a Farm System Archetype (FSA) typology; (c) model the adoption of agri-environmental schemes (AES) within the spatially-mapped FSA population using Agent Based Models (ABM), based on literature and a survey with sufficient representative sample in each FSA of each CS, to elucidate the non-monetary drivers underpinning AES adoption and the relative importance of financial and non-financial/social/identity drivers; (d) linking AES adoption to a set of biophysical, ecological and socio-economic impact models; (e) upscaling the CS level results to EU scale; (f) linking the outputs of these models to indicators developed for the post-2020 CAP output, result and impact reports; (g) visualizing outputs and providing a dashboard for policy makers to explore a range of policy scenarios, focusing on cost-effectiveness of different AES.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115382

Authors: Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning, Anna Cord, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Tomáš Václavík, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, James Bullock, Paul Evans, Milica Trajković

Abstract: This document is the first version of the Data Management Plan of the H2020 BESMAP project. The Data Management Plan is intended as a living document and updated versions of this document will be produced in month 18 (D1.4) and month 36 (D1.6). The scope of the Data Management Plan is to describe the data management life cycle of all data sets that will be collected, processed or generated by the BESTMAP project. This document outlines how research data will be handled during the BESTMAP project, and after the project is completed. This Data Management Plan describes what data will be collected, processed or generated and what methodology and standards will be applied, whether and how this data will be shared and/or made open, and how it will be curated and preserved.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115381

Authors: Pavel Stoev, Anna Sapundzhieva, Teodor Georgiev, Margarita Grudova, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning

Abstract: To promote and disseminate the BESTMAP research across stakeholders and the general public, and to raise awareness of the project findings, BESTMAP launched a website at the initial phase of the project. This report describes in detail the purpose, creation process and content of the BESTMAP website – the project’s key tool for successful dissemination, communication and knowledge transfer. The deliverable also describes the current and future implementation and maintenance of the website.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e115172

Authors: Mark Brown, Matthias Albrecht, Pilar De la Rúa, Sara Hellström, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Denis Michez, Francesco Nazzi, Robert Paxton, Edward Straw, Dimitry Wintermantel, Simon Potts

Abstract: Managed bees and other pollinators are exposed to a wide variety of stressors and these often act in combination. Historically, most risk assessments and research have focused on the impacts of individual stressors on honey bees. However, there is broad scientific consensus that there is a need for a systems-based risk assessment approach and a post-approval monitoring system. This should consider: multiple interacting stressors; a variety of pollinator species (including different subspecies, sexes, castes and life history stages); field studies as well as laboratory studies; and a diversity of end-points (molecular, physiological, behavioural, developmental, reproductive and colony health). The PoshBee project has made a significant step in our understanding of how the interactions between agrochemicals, pathogens and nutrition impact different bee species.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e114548

Authors: Louise Ahl, Luca Bellucci, Philippa Brewer, Pierre-Yves Gagnier, Elspeth Haston, Laurence Livermore, Sofie De Smedt, Helen Hardy, Henrik Enghoff

Abstract: There are approximately 1.5 billion specimens kept in European Natural History Collections. The mission for the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) is to unite all these specimens into a one-stop e-science infrastructure of digital specimens. This is a monumental digitisation task and criteria for how to prioritise this effort are, therefore, crucial for the success of the project. In this report, we have reviewed the literature and designed and conducted surveys of the digitisation plans and criteria used by DiSSCo Partners to understand the prioritisation criteria used in the digitisation of natural history collections. As an attempt to provide some guidance for the digitisation of specimens, we suggest that an organisation (e.g. DiSSCo or an individual institution) that is planning to digitise natural history collections considers four categories of prioritisation criteria: Relevance, Data quality, Cost and Feasibility.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e114370

Authors: Mohamed Ahusan, Nuria Rico-Seijo, Farah Amjad, Erika Gress, Shafiya Naeem, Toufiek Samaai, Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Lucy Woodall, Paris Stefanoudis

Abstract: The Nekton Maldives Taxonomic Workshop took place at the Maniyafushi Research Station in the Maldives between 12 and 23 February 2023. This workshop had two primary objectives. Firstly, it aimed to identify species from biological samples and underwater imagery collected during the Nekton Maldives Mission in 2022. Secondly, it sought to facilitate training and knowledge exchange sessions between early career researchers from the Maldives and international taxonomists. These sessions were designed to share knowledge and introduce fundamental taxonomy concepts and enhance practical identification skills for common reef benthic groups and major zooplankton taxonomic groups. A total of 24 people from 10 different countries were directly or indirectly involved with the workshop comprising nine taxonomic experts, eleven trainees and four organisers. Collectively, we identified 278 biological specimens including potentially undescribed species of hydroids, black corals, sponges and octocorals, 318 morphotypes for underwater footage and zooplankton composition congruent with previous reports from the Indian Ocean Region. Next steps will involve depositing the specimens into a more a permanent facility to facilitate the process of specimen description and knowledge transfer.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e114825

Authors: Carles Ibáñez, Alba Alemany, Ferran Bertomeu, Silvia Frias, Judith Molero, Roberto Merciai, Laura Puertolas

Abstract: Coastal regions provide some of the most productive and biodiverse environments with an important and often underappreciated carbon storage potential. At the same time, they are among the areas of highest population density, natural assets, and cultural heritage in the world, yet are experiencing significant social, economic and environmental challenges, exacerbated by climate change and human pressures.The Rest-Coast Project (Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity) is an EU Horizon 2020 research project (Grant agreement No. 101037097) whose overall goal is to address with effective and innovative tools the key challenges faced by coastal ecosystem restoration across Europe. The approach chosen for this project will deliver a highly interdisciplinary contribution, with the demonstration of improved practices and techniques for hands-on ecosystem restoration across several pilot sites, supported by the co-design of innovative governance and financial arrangements, as well as an effective strategy for the dissemination of results.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e114824

Authors: Carla Danelutti, Emmi Lindqvist, Maria del Mar Otero, Mindert de Vries, Albert Vos, Nuno Caiola, Vicente Gracia, Nil Alvarez, Laura Puertolas, Jaime Ordonez, Silvia Torresan, Caterina Dabalà, Francesca Coccon, Grzegorz Różyński, Nikolay Valchev, Nataliya Andreeva, Elitsa Hineva, Olivier Boutron, Rosaria Ester Musumeci, Massimiliano Marino, Christophe Briere, Julien Dalle, Margot Defoort-Levkov, Margot Ahr, Yael Salame-Rubin, Simon Nemtzov, Avi Uzan

Abstract: Coastal regions provide some of the most productive and biodiverse environments with an important and often underappreciated carbon storage potential. At the same time, they are among the areas of highest population density, natural assets and cultural heritage in the world, yet are experiencing significant social, economic and environmental challenges, exacerbated by climate change and human pressures.The REST-COAST project (Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity) will demonstrate to what extent upscaled coastal restoration can provide a low-carbon adaptation, reducing risks and providing gains in biodiversity for vulnerable coastal ecosystems, such as wetlands or sea grass beds. By overcoming present technical, economic, governance and social barriers to restoration upscaling, REST-COAST will develop the large scale river-coast connectivity and increase the nearshore accommodation space for the resilient delivery of coastal ecosystem services (ESs). The selected ESs (risk reduction, environmental quality and fish provisioning) touch urgent coastal problems such as the erosion/flooding during recent storms or the accelerating coastal habitat degradation that seriously affects fisheries and aquaculture. Combining new techniques, risk assessments, innovative financial/governance arrangements and homogeneous metrics for ESs and biodiversity, REST-COAST will develop a systemic approach to coastal restoration based on a scalable coastal adaptation plan.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e114653

Authors: Anna Cord, Stephanie Roilo, Michael Beckmann, Anne Paulus, Katharina Schneider, Predrag Lugonja, Tijana Nikolić, Fanny Langerwisch, Marek Bednář, Tomáš Václavík, Paul Evans, Arjan Gosal, Rosemary Wool, George Breckenridge, Guy Ziv, Jodi Gunning

Abstract: This deliverable provides a report on the biodiversity and ecosystem services (ESS) models as well as the socio-economic statistical model, generated in the Work Package 3 (WP3) - Farming System Archetypes of BESTMAP. A general overview of the research goals and guiding principles under which the models were developed is given, followed by a detailed description of the four biophysical models (biodiversity, food and fodder, carbon sequestration and water quality) and of the socio-economic model, each with case study (CS) examples. This document is accompanied by model factsheets (see Appendix) which loosely follow the structure of the ODMAP (Overview, Data, Model, Assessment and Prediction) protocol developed by Zurell et al. (2020). The deliverable also discusses the obstacles and challenges encountered during the model adaptation and implementation in the different CS, and how the model outputs will be used in various other tasks within the project.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e113906

Authors: Dimitrios Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Eva Alonso, Wouter Addink, Maria Judite Alves, Ana Casino, Luís Curral, Henrik Enghoff, Michel Guiraud, Helen Hardy, Jana Hoffmann, Salomé Landel, Carole Paleco, Mareike Petersen, Serge Scory, Vincent Smith, Claus Weiland, Karsten Wesche, Matt Woodburn

Abstract: The Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) is a new world-class Research Infrastructure (RI) for Natural Science Collections. The DiSSCo RI aims to create a new business model for one European collection that digitally unifies all European natural science assets under common access, curation, policies and practices that ensure that all the data is easily Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR principles). DiSSCo represents the largest ever formal agreement between natural history museums, botanic gardens and collection-holding institutions in the world.DiSSCo entered the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures in 2018 and launched its main preparatory phase project (DiSSCo Prepare) in 2020. DiSSCo Prepare is the primary vehicle through which DiSSCo reaches the overall maturity necessary for its construction and eventual operation. DiSSCo Prepare raises DiSSCo’s implementation readiness level (IRL) across the five dimensions: technical, scientific, data, organisational and financial. Each dimension of implementation readiness is separately addressed by specific Work Packages (WP) with distinct targets, actions and tasks that will deliver DiSSCo’s Construction Masterplan. This comprehensive and integrated Masterplan will be the product of the outputs of all of its content related tasks and will be the project’s final output. It will serve as the blueprint for construction of the DiSSCo RI, including establishing it as a legal entity.DiSSCo Prepare builds on the successful completion of DiSSCo’s design study, ICEDIG and the outcomes of other DiSSCo-linked projects such as SYNTHESYS+ and MOBILISE.This paper is an abridged version of the original DiSSCo Prepare grant proposal. It contains the overarching scientific case for DiSSCo Prepare, alongside a description of our major activities.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e113378

Authors: Helen Hardy, Laurence Livermore, Paul Kersey, Ken Norris, Vincent Smith

Abstract: UK natural science collections hold over 137 million items, an unrivalled source of data about 4.56 billion years of planetary development and hundreds of years of biological change, including the differences made by humans — but the scientific, commercial, and societal benefits of these collections are constrained by the limits of physical access, and by highly fragmented digitisation efforts with less than 10% digitally available. Following work with Frontier Economics in 2021, which showed potential for £2 billion in benefits to the UK economy from digitising all UK natural science collections, in 2022–23 the Natural History Museum London worked, with analytical support from McKinsey and Company, to understand the impact of what has already been digitised and shared by UK natural science collections — what is the demand for these data, what are they used for, and how does this deliver efficient, effective and impactful research?This study focuses on usage via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the largest source of relevant usage data, examining 7.6 million records from twelve UK institutions. While these UK collections data are just 0.3% of total GBIF occurrences, they are cited in 12% of peer reviewed publications citing GBIF data, showing the disproportionate impact of UK collections data and the historical, geographical, and taxonomic richness that they bring. Researchers have already benefited from more than £18 million of efficiency savings from digital UK specimen data. Data from natural science collections held in the UK are uniquely impactful resources, vital to a future in which people and planet thrive, and a step change in the pace of digitisation is needed to unlock their potential for researchers, policymakers, and society.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e108808

Authors: Sharif Islam, James Beach, Elizabeth R. Ellwood, Jose Fortes, Larry Lannom, Gil Nelson, Beth Plale

Abstract: In the first decades of the 21st century, there has been a global trend towards digitisation and the mobilisation of data from natural history museums and research institutions. The development of national and international aggregator systems, which focused on data standards, made it possible to access millions of museum specimen records. These records serve as an empirical foundation for research across various fields. In addition, community efforts have expanded the concept of natural history collection specimens to include physical preparations and digital resources, resulting in the Digital Extended Specimen (DES), which also includes derived and related data. Within this context, the paper proposes using the FAIR Digital Object (FDO) framework to accelerate the global vision of the DES, arguing that FDO-enabled infrastructures can reduce barriers to the discovery and access of specimens, help ensure credit back to contributors and increase the amount of research that incorporates biodiversity data.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e112382

Authors: Bryony Willcox, Deepa Senapathi, Mark Brown, Simon Potts

Abstract: In the real world, pollinators face multiple interacting pressures, and so response options must be tailored to this. To date, most attention has been on characterising the risks to managed pollinators from single stressors, though recently more attention has been paid to risks from multiple stressors (e.g., pesticides, pathogens and poor nutrition). The PoshBee project has developed a policy brief providing recommendations on options that mitigate against multiple stressors.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e108807

Authors: Stefano Larsen, Jose Manuel Alvarez-Martinez, Jose Barquin, Maria Cristina Bruno, Laura Concostrina Zubiri, Luca Gallitelli, Micael Jonsson, Monika Laux, Giorgio Pace, Massimiliano Scalici, Ralf Schulz

Abstract: Europe has committed to upscale ecosystems protection to include 30% of land and sea. However, due to historical overexploitation of natural assets, the available area for biodiversity protection is severely limited. Riparian zones are natural ecotones between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, contributing disproportionately to regional biodiversity and providing multiple ecosystem functions and services. Due to this and their branching geometry, riparian networks form a vast system of ‘blue-green arteries’ which physically and functionally connect multiple ecosystems over elevation gradients, despite covering a relatively small area of the basin. Hence, RIPARIANET argues that developing approaches able to optimise the spatial conservation of natural stream-riparian networks represent a flagship example of biodiversity protection in the EU. Although the integrity of riparian zones is fundamental for the achievement of multiple EU environmental objectives, the lack of a standardised framework for biodiversity assessment and protection across Member States has led to extensive impairment of riparian areas and frequent stakeholder conflicts.The main objective of RIPARIANET is to leverage the increasing resolution of remote sensing information to provide practitioners with evidence-based guidance and approaches to biodiversity conservation. Key questions include: i) how can we remotely assess riparian integrity and identify areas which provide effective connectivity allowing species biodiversity and ecosystem functions to persist through meta-ecological processes? ii) how can we disentangle the influence of local- and network-scale stressors and processes on riparian biodiversity to better implement river basin management schemes? iii) to what extent do currently existing protected areas in rivers account for the geometry of riparian networks and their multifunctionality?We will address these questions in riparian networks within six river basins in Europe, including Boreal, Continental, Alpine, Temperate and Mediterranean systems. First, we will gather local needs and interests from key stakeholders together with satellite imagery and GIS environmental data for all basins. Then, riparian and river ecosystems functions will be modelled and ecological hotspots will be identified through a GIS-based multi-criteria approach, including stakeholder inputs. Then, we will collect in situ data to assess multiple biodiversity and stressors at the local scale and, subsequently, scale-up this information to the network scale using geostatistical tools and advanced modelling. This knowledge will be conveyed to managers at local and EU scales in the form of decision-support tools allowing decision-makers to identify protection gaps and ecological hotspots along riparian networks, based on multiple biodiversity, functional and connectivity criteria.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e110501

Authors: Konrad U. Förstner, Anke Becker, Jochen Blom, Peer Bork, Thomas Clavel, Marius Dieckmann, Alexander Goesmann, Barbara Götz, Thomas Gübitz, Franziska Hufsky, Sebastian Jünemann, Marie-Louise Körner, Manja Marz, Ulisses Nunes Da Rocha, Jörg Overmann, Alfred Pühler, Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann, Alexander Sczyrba, Jens Stoye, Justine Vandendorpe, Thea Van Rossum, Alice McHardy

Abstract: Microbes – bacteria, archaea, unicellular eukaryotes, and viruses – play an important role in human and environmental health. Growing awareness of this fact has led to a huge increase in microbiological research and applications in a variety of fields. Driven by technological advances that allow high-throughput molecular characterization of microbial species and communities, microbiological research now offers unparalleled opportunities to address current and emerging needs. As well as helping to address global health threats such as antimicrobial resistance and viral pandemics, it also has a key role to play in areas such as agriculture, waste management, water treatment, ecosystems remediation, and the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of various diseases. Reflecting this broad potential, billions of euros have been invested in microbiota research programs worldwide. Though run independently, many of these projects are closely related. However, Germany currently has no infrastructure to connect such projects or even compare their results. Thus, the potential synergy of data and expertise is being squandered. The goal of the NFDI4Microbiota consortium is to serve and connect this broad and heterogeneous research community by elevating the availability and quality of research results through dedicated training, and by facilitating the generation, management, interpretation, sharing, and reuse of microbial data. In doing so, we will also foster interdisciplinary interactions between researchers. NFDI4Microbiota will achieve this by creating a German microbial research network through training and community-building activities, and by creating a cloud-based system that will make the storage, integration and analysis of microbial data, especially omics data, consistent, reproducible, and accessible across all areas of life sciences. In addition to increasing the quality of microbial research in Germany, our training program will support widespread and proper usage of these services. Through this dual emphasis on education and services, NFDI4Microbiota will ensure that microbial research in Germany is synergistic and efficient, and thus excellent. By creating a central resource for German microbial research, NDFDI4Microbiota will establish a connecting hub for all NFDI consortia that work with microbiological data, including GHGA, NFDI4Biodiversity, NFDI4Agri and several others. NFDI4Microbiota will provide non-microbial specialists from these consortia with direct and easy access to the necessary expertise and infrastructure in microbial research in order to facilitate their daily work and enhance their research. The links forged through NFDI4Microbiota will not only increase the synergy between NFDI consortia, but also elevate the overall quality and relevance of microbial research in Germany.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e109816

Authors: Erik Szamosvári, László Nagy, Heino Konrad, Norbert Móricz, Lambert Weißenbacher, Anita Bálint, Anikó Neuvirthné Bilics, Marcela van Loo

Abstract: Adequate adaptions and actions to combat anthropogenic climate change (CC) are significant challenges of the 21st century. In Europe, according to the European Environmental Agency, warming of around 2°C is expected under the moderate climate scenario (RCP 4.5) by the end of the century, but the pessimistic RCP 8.5 scenario project an increase of up to 6°C. In addition to the rise in temperature, changes in precipitation and increased frequency of extreme weather events are predicted. New environmental conditions affect tree species and habitats differently; thus, forest biodiversity and local tree species compositions probably will be altered in many regions in the future. The effects may be manifold: some tree species may persist, locally adapt and migrate, while others may disappear from given regions and be replaced by native or non-native species. The native forests of the Austrian-Hungarian border region are particularly affected by the climate change. To mitigate the consequences of anthropogenic climate change to preserve forest biodiversity for future generations and to enable their use, deliberate and planned human interventions and actions are essential. These require transnational or even global efforts since nature and climate do not recognise man-made borders.The REIN-Forest project (Interreg V-A Austria-Hungary Programme - ATHU150), a bilateral project between Austria and Hungary, aimed to establish harmonised protection measures for the conservation of native forests in Northern, Central and Southern Burgenland, Vienna, Vienna Umland-South, Lower Austria South, Graz and Eastern Styria, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Vas and Zala counties (the so-called programme area). In the scope of this project, international cooperation between three project partners: the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW, Austria), the Forest Research Institute – University of Sopron (SOE ERTI, Hungary) and the Vas County Government Office (VVÖH, Hungary) was established. Previous results and outputs of the SUSTREE project (Interreg Central Europe CE614), such as: a) Transnational delineation model of conservation and forest seed transfer zones in climate change, b) Report of intraspecific response function and derivation of climate transfer limits, SusSelect data, recommendations and c) Application of the species distribution models for the delineation of seed transfer zones/models in Central Europe, were put into practice during the project, focusing on two native deciduous forest tree species of the Austrian-Hungarian border region: European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.).During the REIN-Forest project, the following joint documents were prepared and several activities were implemented:1. Model-based document on the current state and future perspectives of European beech and sessile oak forests;2. Bilateral strategy for the transfer of forest reproductive material (FRM) and its use in the Austrian-Hungarian border region;3. Establishment of altogether six demonstration sites (three in each country) with local and climate-adapted FRM of European beech and sessile oak for long-term monitoring;4. Management and monitoring plan of the demonstration sites;5. Joint bilingual communication strategy, which included informative programmes and meetings with professionals, locals and schools and also education material for further use.REIN-Forest focused on using scientific results and outputs in the field of applied forestry and awareness-raising. Besides strategies, recommendations and reports that would facilitate forest managers' decisions for the future in the border region, events and workshops were offered for forestry practitioners, school pupils and the public and a short film and educational materials were published.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e109120

Authors: Maria Lumbierres, W. Daniel Kissling

Abstract: The EuropaBON project aims to co-design a European Biodiversity Observation Network by utilising Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) as the foundation for its monitoring system. To co-design the workflow steps for each EBV, the project organised a virtual workshop to engage a diverse group of experts and stakeholders. The workshop focused on describing various workflow components, identifying future needs for EBV implementation and specifying the relative importance of different monitoring techniques for each EBV. With 520 participants from 49 countries, the workshop benefited from a large stakeholder engagement and a wide range of expertise across realms, EBV classes, monitoring techniques and workflow components. During the 3-day workshop (2 hours per day), participants captured different workflows components (i.e. data collection and sampling, data integration and modelling), specified current EU or national initiatives and identified emerging tools and future needs for all 70 currently proposed EBVs. By the end of the workshop, all 70 templates of EBV workflows contained details about workflow components and future needs. Specific future needs for data collection and sampling highlighted by participants were to increase sampling efforts (e.g. number of sites, geographic coverage, sampling frequency and taxonomic scope), to develop and better incorporate novel monitoring techniques (e.g. eDNA, remote sensing and digital sensors) and to create new or improved sampling designs at a European scale. For data integration, combining and harmonising data from diverse sources and data collectors and developing standards and protocols were mentioned as key needs. For modelling, participants especially highlighted the need to develop spatially-explicit models or improve other types of existing models, ideally with open-source software and code. Next steps for designing EBV workflows are to analyse the gathered workshop information, to provide detailed descriptions of EBV workflows and to formulate specific recommendations for the development of a European Biodiversity Observation Network. Recommendations for each monitoring technique (structured in-situ monitoring, citizen science, digital sensors, genetics, satellite remote sensing and aerial remote setting) will also be identified. The gathered information will contribute to the co-design of the European Biodiversity Observation Network and to supporting the establishment of a Biodiversity Monitoring Coordination Centre in Europe.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e109168

Authors: Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, David Martí Pino, Lluís Brotons

Abstract: This report describes the database on biodiversity monitoring initiatives at the European level collected by EuropaBON (WP3 - task 3.1; EuropaBON biodiversity database from hereon) and the web-based platform (website) that contains it. The website serves the dual purpose of being the platform for data entry, as well as to allow the visualisation and quick consultation of the collected data. This report also gives a brief summary of the data collected up to the date of delivery of the report (end November 2021). Previous efforts on collecting information on existing monitoring efforts in Europe have concentrated in describing programs using a generalist approach that has received criticism because of lack of completeness even for well documented groups such as birds. Including all available information on monitoring in Europe at any spatial scale is difficult because of the high number of unlinked initiatives, specially at local scales, and the dynamic nature of these projects both in terms of the emergence of new efforts and the disappearance of old ones. To address this challenge, the EuropaBON project focusses on the monitoring network concept and aims at identifying, with priority, those monitoring efforts that are coordinated and especially those in which this coordination is consistent at a supranational level and at the European scale. Coordination in the context of monitoring is related to the integration of data and information across scales which is the underlying concept of a future successful biodiversity monitoring network in Europe.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e107578

Authors: Alex Vermeulen, Dick Schaap, Angeliki Adamaki, Tjerk Krijger, Raul Bardaji, Andreu Fornos, Ivan Rodero, Damien Boulanger, Cathrine Myhre, Richard Rud, Zois Zogopoulos, Claudio D’Onofrio, Gwenaelle Moncoiffé

Abstract: The Environmental Research Infrastructure (ENVRI) community is a cluster of European research infrastructures focused on the environment and Earth system science. The ENVRI-FAIR project aims to advance the FAIRness of their data and services with emphasis on interoperability and connect the ENVRI community to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). In this article, we present a proposal for a science project that will develop and launch a dashboard for environmental indicators as a contribution from the ENVRI cluster to the EOSC platform. The dashboard will provide easy access to environmental data and services from multiple research infrastructures and disciplines and support interdisciplinary Earth system science and societal challenges. The proposal describes the objectives, implementation, impact, and dissemination measures of the project, as well as the partners involved and the target groups that can benefit from the dashboard service. We explain how the dashboard will showcase the usefulness and relevance of the observations provided by the research infrastructures, and how it will engage a larger community of researchers and potential data providers in co-creation processes. We also discuss how the dashboard will make use of existing and new EOSC services and resources, and how it will contribute to several EU initiatives and directives related to the environment and climate change.

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DOI: 10.3897/rio.9.e107220

Authors: Dimitrios Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Eva Alonso, Wouter Addink, Ana Casino

Abstract: The Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) is a new world-class Research Infrastructure (RI) for Natural Science Collections. The DiSSCo RI aims to create a new business model for one European collection that digitally unifies all European natural science assets under common access, curation, policies and practices that ensure that all the data is easily Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR principles). DiSSCo represents the largest ever formal agreement between natural history museums, botanic gardens and collection-holding institutions in the world.DiSSCo entered the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures in 2018 and launched its main preparatory phase project (DiSSCo Prepare) in 2020. DiSSCo Prepare is the primary vehicle through which DiSSCo reaches the overall maturity necessary for its construction and eventual operation. DiSSCo Prepare raises DiSSCo’s implementation readiness level (IRL) across the five dimensions: technical, scientific, data, organisational and financial. Each dimension of implementation readiness is separately addressed by specific Work Packages (WP) with distinct targets, actions and tasks that will deliver DiSSCo’s Construction Masterplan. This comprehensive and integrated Masterplan will be the product of the outputs of all of its content related tasks and will be the project’s final output. It will serve as the blueprint for construction of the DiSSCo RI, including establishing it as a legal entity.DiSSCo Prepare builds on the successful completion of DiSSCo’s design study, ICEDIG and the outcomes of other DiSSCo-linked projects such as SYNTHESYS+ and MOBILISE.This paper is an abridged version of the original DiSSCo Prepare grant proposal. It contains the overarching scientific case for DiSSCo Prepare, alongside a description of our major activities.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e106369

Authors: Christos Arvanitidis, Ron Dekker, Andreas Petzold, Niklas Blomberg, Giovanni Lamanna, Rudolf Dimper, Cristina Isabel Huertas Olivares, Ana Mellado, Matthew Viljoen, Sally Chambers, Montserrat González, Sophie Viscido

Abstract: The Special Collection of articles on the Science Projects of the EOSC Future project, funded by the European Commission, refers to one of the essential components of the project. This editorial article explains how the Science Projects fit to the EOSC Future, the way their concept has been developed and evolved during the preparation and the implementation of the project and it also makes an introduction to the templates developed by the Science Projects as a plan to carry out their activities.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e105599

Authors: Tom Breeze, Miguel Fernandez, Ian McCallum, Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, Henrique Pereira, Jessi Junker

Abstract: Financial factors are among the most widely cited bottlenecks around biodiversity monitoring but are relatively poorly studied, compared to monitoring methodologies. The existing body of literature on the cost-effectiveness of monitoring focuses heavily on the hypothetical costs of generating data rather than the practical realities of undertaking and managing monitoring. To address this we used a combination of surveys and semi-structured interviews with 67 biodiversity monitoring managers to provide an in-depth exploration of 1) what are the main rivers of their costs, 2) how different factors affect their cost-effectiveness in generating biodiversity monitoring data, 3) What is the scale and economic value of volunteer labor and 4) what are the main cost bottlenecks and spending priorities. Analysis of these responses demonstrates that monitoring efforts are able to generate more data at a lower cost when they have a) higher numbers of volunteers, b) greater densities of sites and c) monitor a wider range of taxa and habitats. Volunteer labour was worth millions of Euros to these organizations, sometimes more than their total costs. Total budgets and volunteer recruitment and retention were the main cost related bottlenecks among respondents, while staff recruitment was the highest priority for new spending.  The results and discussion around them highlight the challenges faced by biodiversity monitoring organizations, particularly in recruiting and retaining qualified staff for the long-term. We produce a series of nine key messages and six recommendations for policy-markers and funders going forward.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e105600

Authors: Maria Dornelas, Cher Chow, Robert Patchett, Tom Breeze, Lluís Brotons, Pedro Beja, Laurence Carvalho, Ute Jandt, Jessi Junker, W. Daniel Kissling, Ingolf Kühn, Maria Lumbierres, Anne Lyche Solheim, Marit Mjelde, Francisco Moreira, Martin Musche, Henrique Pereira, Leonard Sandin, Roy Van Grunsven

Abstract: The goal of this task was to identify and characterise novel methods for biodiversity monitoring, and to assess their suitability for large scale deployment across Europe. To address this goal we combined extensive literature searches with expert consultation, namely using a survey and through an online workshop. The outcome of our searches is summarised in a metadatabase, which includes 282 methods or method components, which have been classified according to EBV classes addressed, target taxa, and broad method type the method relates to. We then consulted experts within the EuropaBON network and beyond, on the advantages and challenges associated with each of these novel methods, as well as their technology readiness level. In combination, our approaches revealed a wealth of novel methods and a highly active research field, with extensive emerging innovation on several fronts. However, it also revealed high variability in technology readiness, with lack of validation being a prevalent hurdle yet to be overcome for many applications of these methods (i.e. for some taxa and in some environments). Moreover, the opportunities for expansion in observations created by these novel approaches open new challenges associated to the standardisation, integration and storage of biodiversity monitoring data. Finally, the expansion of observations should take a designed approach, in order to deliver on its potential to improve representation and resolution of biodiversity monitoring, and should aim to complement rather than replace human observations. 

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e104881

Authors: David Kleijn, Ignasi Bartomeus, Vincent Bretagnolle, Kati Häfner, Felix Herzog, Jochen Kantelhardt, Erik Öckinger, Simon Potts, Giulia Riedo, Anna Sapundzhieva, Lena Luise Schaller, Nikol Yovcheva

Abstract: Agricultural expansion and intensification are key drivers of biodiversity decline. There is mounting evidence that modern farming impacts the effectiveness of protected areas as one of the key instruments of biodiversity conservation through, for example, eutrophication, pesticide emissions or increasing access to remote areas [1]. This is increasingly acknowledged and in many countries conservation efforts now include farmed lands and engage farmers to enhance biodiversity on their lands. This benefits farmland biodiversity which, especially in Eurasia, supports some highly threatened species groups [2]. However, farmland biodiversity is also functionally important as it provides a wide range of ecosystem services. Examples are natural pest regulation, pollination, carbon sequestration, human well-being, water purification and cultural services. Agricultural management influences the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services and therefore, contributes to food security and mankind’s ability to sustain itself in the mid to long term. There is clear evidence that enhancing farmland biodiversity promotes the delivery of specific ecosystem services [3]. For example, enhancing wild pollinators and natural enemies through the provision of semi-natural habitat enhances productivity of many crops [4, 5]. However, only a few ecosystem services, such as pollination, pest control and nutrient cycling, may provide private benefits to farmers. Other services, such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, health benefits and water purification, are public goods which are poorly captured by markets [6].

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e104251

Authors: Hannah Moersberger, Juliette G. C. Martin, Jessi Junker, Ivelina Georgieva, Joachim Maes, Ian McCallum, Henrique M. Pereira, Aletta Bonn

Abstract: In order to assess user and policy needs related to biodiversity monitoring and data, the EuropaBON project invited national experts to fill in this survey in August 2021. The survey was tailored to the national level and aimed at identifying current monitoring efforts, data flows from collection to reporting, data uptake by policymaking, challenges and roadblocks, as well as biodiversity variables and indicators for a desirable future. On behalf of the European Commission (DG Environment) and EuropaBON, the surveys were sent out to all national focal points of the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) as well as key national agencies. Eionet is a partnership network of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its 38 member and cooperating countries to gather and develop data, knowledge, and advice to policy makers about Europe's environment. The results of our surveys form the basis for the analysis of the EuropaBON User and Policy Needs Assessment (DOI) and inform the design of the Europa Biodiversity Observation Network and its work programme. We published the original responses of survey sections A and B in the annex of the User and Policy Needs Assessment. Responses of section C were synthesised in the assessment.

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DOI: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e103765

Authors: Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, Pedro Beja, Sara Fraixedas, Sergi Herrando, Jessi Junker, W. Daniel Kissling, Maria Lumbierres, Anne Lyche Solheim, Gabriel Miret, Jannicke Moe, Francisco Moreira, Henrique Pereira, Joana Santana, Dani Villero, Lluís Brotons

Abstract: The EuropaBON project seeks to design a European Biodiversity Observation Network to monitor the status and trends of European biodiversity and ecosystems in the coming years. To accomplish this, the project has brought together biodiversity monitoring experts and other relevant stakeholders from various sectors (policy, NGO, academia, business, citizen science) from all over Europe. These have agreed on a list of 70 Essential Biodiversity Variables (Deliverable 4.1) that should enable tracking the progress of biodiversity-oriented policy instruments and provide information on changes in biodiversity at different levels.

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