Guidance note on specifications for cross-scale inclusion of harmonised biodiversity monitoring protocols

Guidance no e on speci ica ions o
c oss-scale inclusion o ha monised
biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocols
Signi icance o Thema ic Hubs and common speci ica ions
EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP
Co- unded by
he Eu opean Union
2
G an Ag eemen numbe
101052342
P ojec ac onym
Biodi e sa+
P ojec ull name
The Eu opean Biodi e si y Pa ne ship
Biodi e sa+ du a ion
7 yea s
Biodi e sa+ s a da e
1s Oc obe 2021
Deli e able i le
D2.20 Guidance no e on speci ica ions o c oss-scale
inclusion o ha monised biodi e si y moni o ing p o o-
cols: Signi icance o Thema ic Hubs and common
speci ica ions
Au ho s
Michelle Sil a del Pozo (OFB), Gaby Re ig (DFG),
Julia Seebe (BOZEN), Senem Onen Ta an ini (MUR),
Guillaume Body (OFB)
Con ibu o s / Re iewe s
Cécile Mandon (FRB), Pe e i Vihe aa a (MoE_FI),
Helen Kollai (UFZ), Vic o ia Beaz Hidalgo (EC-REA)
Wo k package i le
WP2 P omo e and suppo ansna ional biodi e si y
moni o ing
Task o sub- ask i le
Sub ask 2.2.1: Ha monise ope a ionalised p o ocols
and in en o y me hods ac oss egions and coun ies
Lead pa ne
O ice F ançais de la Biodi e si é (OFB)
Da e o publica ion
Augus 2025
Disclaime
Co- unded by he Eu opean Union. Views and opin-
ions exp essed a e howe e hose o he au ho (s) only
and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean
Union. Nei he he Eu opean Union no he g an ing
au ho i y can be held esponsible o hem.
Pic u e c edi s
Co e , p45: © Ma ine Po eneu e
P3: Unsplash – Jean Wimme lin
P4, 11, 15: © Paul Rou ey ol
P7, 17, 37: © Jo ann G a e
P8-9, 12-13: © Pie e Thi ie
P16, 28, 32-33, 61: © Michelle Sil a del Pozo
P19: © Rémi Ge be
P21: Unsplash - Nils Bouilla d
P22-23: Unsplash - Madu Dou ado
P25: Unsplash - Pascal Van de Vendel
P27: Unsplash - Benjamin L Jones
P38-39: Unsplash - Monika Sojcako a
P41: Unsplash - E ik Ka i s
P42-43: Unsplash - Paulius D agunas
P46-47: Unsplash - Kenny Goossen
Back co e : Unsplash - Amaya Al is
Ci a ion
Sil a del Pozo, M., Re ig, G., Seebe , J., Onen Ta an ini,
S., Body, G. (2025). Guidance no e on speci ica ions
o c oss-scale inclusion o ha monised biodi e si y
moni o ing p o ocols: Signi icance o Thema ic Hubs
and common speci ica ions. Biodi e sa + epo .
Acknowledgemen s
This epo d aws on he aluable con ibu ions o
many indi iduals and o ganiza ions. We a e pa icu-
la ly g a e ul o he expe s who dedica ed hei ime
and insigh s h ough nume ous in e iews, discus-
sions, and esponses o ou su ey. We ex end ou
since e hanks o all who pa icipa ed in he “Expe
wo kshop on he common minimum equi emen s o
a biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocol”, held on Ap il 2-3,
2025, in Mon pellie , F ance. Thei ac i e pa icipa-
ion and eedback we e c ucial o he de elopmen
o ou indings. Finally, we would like o exp ess ou
deepes g a i ude o ou pa ne s om Biodi e sa+
and MARCO-BOLO (MARine COas al BiOdi e si y
Long- e m Obse a ions) o hei collabo a i e spi i
and unwa e ing suppo h oughou his p ojec .
Layou
Thibau Lochu
To con ac Biodi e sa+
[email p o ec ed]
Websi e
www.biodi e sa.eu
Follow us
@Biodi e sa.eu
@Biodi e saPlus
3
Wha is Biodi e sa+
The Eu opean Biodi e si y Pa ne ship, Biodi e sa+, suppo s excellen esea ch
on biodi e si y wi h an impac o policy and socie y. Connec ing science, policy
and p ac ice o ans o ma i e change, Biodi e sa+ is pa o he Eu opean
Biodi e si y S a egy o 2030 ha aims o pu Eu ope’s biodi e si y on a pa h o
eco e y by 2030. Co- unded by he Eu opean Commission, Biodi e sa+ ga he s
81 pa ne s om esea ch unding, p og amming and en i onmen al policy ac o s
in 40 Eu opean and associa ed coun ies o wo k on 5 main objec i es:
1. Plan and suppo esea ch and inno a ion on biodi e si y h ough a sha ed
s a egy, annual join calls o esea ch p ojec s and capaci y building ac i i ies
2. Se up a ne wo k o ha monised schemes o imp o e moni o ing o biodi e -
si y and ecosys em se ices ac oss Eu ope
3. Con ibu e o high-end knowledge o deploying Na u e-based Solu ions and
alua ion o biodi e si y in he p i a e sec o
4. Ensu e e icien science-based suppo o policy-making and implemen a ion
in Eu ope
5. S eng hen he ele ance and impac o pan-Eu opean esea ch on biodi e si y
in a global con ex
Mo e in o ma ion a : h ps://www.biodi e sa.eu/
4
Lis o ac onyms
ACCOBAMS: Ag eemen on he Conse a ion o Ce aceans o he Black Sea,
Medi e anean Sea and con iguous A lan ic A ea
ASCOBANS: Ag eemen on he Conse a ion o Small Ce aceans o he Bal ic,
No h Eas A lan ic, I ish and No h Seas
CBD: Con en ion on Biological Di e si y
EBOCC: EU Biodi e si y Obse a ion Coo dina ion Cen e
EBV: Essen ial Biodi e si y Va iable
EIONET: Eu opean En i onmen In o ma ion and Obse a ion Ne wo k
EU: Eu opean Union
EUNIS: Eu opean Na u e In o ma ion Sys em
FAIR: Findabili y, Accessibili y, In e ope abili y and Reusabili y o da a
FAO: Food and Ag icul u e O ganiza ion o he Uni ed Na ions
GBF: Kunming-Mon eal Global Biodi e si y F amewo k
GBIF: Global Biodi e si y In o ma ion Facili y
GEO: G oup on Ea h Obse a ions
GEO BON: G oup on Ea h Obse a ions Biodi e si y Obse a ion Ne wo k
HELCOM: Bal ic Ma ine En i onmen P o ec ion Commission – also known as
he Helsinki Commission
ICES: In e na ional Council o he Explo a ion o he Sea
ICG-COBAM: In e sessional Co espondence G oup on he Coo dina ion o
Biodi e si y Assessmen and Moni o ing
INTERREG: Eu opean Te i o ial Coope a ion
IPBES: In e go e nmen al Science-Policy Panel on Biodi e si y and Ecosys em
Se ices
IUCN: In e na ional Union o he Conse a ion o Na u e
LIFE: Financial Ins umen o he En i onmen - EU’s unding ins umen o he
en i onmen and clima e ac ion
MSFD: Ma ine S a egy F amewo k Di ec i e
NGO: Non-Go e nmen al O ganiza ion
OBIS: Ocean Biodi e si y In o ma ion Sys em
OSPAR: Con en ion o he P o ec ion o he Ma ine En i onmen o he No h-
Eas A lan ic - also known as he Oslo and Pa is Con en ions
SMART: Speci ic, Measu able, Achie able, Rele an , Time-bound
WFD: Wa e F amewo k Di ec i e
5
Table o con en s
Execu i e Summa y 6
1. In oduc ion 8
1.1 Con ex and objec i es 10
1.2 Scope o he epo 10
1.3 Rela ionship wi h he Biodi e sa+ guide on ha monising biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocols ac oss scales 10
2. Mapping and cha ac e isa ion o moni o ing communi ies 12
2.1 Wha migh be conside ed a moni o ing communi y? 14
2.1.1 De ini ion used by Biodi e sa+ 14
2.1.2 Key cha ac e is ics o moni o ing communi ies 14
2.1.3 Thei ole in biodi e si y da a collec ion and ha monisa ion 14
2.2 Me hodology o mapping moni o ing communi ies 15
2.2.1 Explo ing he moni o ing landscape 15
2.2.2 Su ey o exis ing moni o ing communi ies 15
2.2.3 O he exis ing ca alogs and mapping e o s 16
2.3 Resul s: o e iew o moni o ing communi ies in Eu ope 17
2.3.1 Cha ac e isa ion and app oxima e numbe o moni o ing communi ies in Eu ope 17
2.3.2 S uc u al di e si y 19
3. Common minimum equi emen s o biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocols 22
3.1 Me hodological basis 24
3.2 De ining minimum equi emen s 26
3.2.1 Founda ions o ha monisa ion 26
3.2.2 Key elemen s o a moni o ing p o ocol: ha monisable elemen s, ocus on he Sampling Design 27
3.2.3 Add essing key challenges 30
3.2.4 Remaining issues & open ques ions 31
4. Concep ual amewo k o c oss-scale ha monisa ion: Biodi e sa+ p oposal o Thema ic Hubs 32
4.1 Thema ic Hubs as guides o collabo a ion: wha a e hey? 34
4.2 P oposed in eg a ion s a egies o ha monised moni o ing p o ocols 36
5. Conclusions and ecommenda ions 38
5.1 Thema ic Hubs and ecommenda ions o u u e wo k and p ac ice 40
5.2 S eng hening collabo a ion wi hin and ac oss communi ies 40
5.3 Nex s eps 41
Re e ences 42
Annexes 46
ANNEX 1. Su ey on he moni o ing communi ies 48
ANNEX 2. Lis o he moni o ing communi ies & iden i ied ne wo ks 49
ANNEX 3. Expe wo kshop on he common minimum equi emen s o a biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocol:
de ail o he collec i e in elligence ac i i ies and esul s 56

6
Execu i e Summa y
The Eu opean Biodi e si y Pa ne ship, Biodi e sa+,
con inues i s guiding e o s in ha monising exis ing biodi-
e si y moni o ing p o ocols and in eg a ing biodi e si y
in o ma ion ac oss scales. This epo builds di ec ly on
p e ious guidance, ad ancing discussions on s a egies
o e ec i e ha monisa ion by p o iding p ac ical insigh s
o s akeholde s aiming o align moni o ing e o s ac oss
di e se e i o ies and scales.
This documen i s maps and cha ac e izes he exis ing
landscape o biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies
ac oss Eu ope. We de ine hese communi ies as hema ic
expe ne wo ks, comp ising a di e se collec i e o s ake-
holde s dedica ed o speci ic biodi e si y domains (e.g.,
pollina o s, ma ine mammals, soil biodi e si y) ope a ing
ansna ionally ac oss a leas wo Eu opean coun ies.
Ou indings con i m ha hese communi ies, despi e
a ying deg ees o coo dina ion, ep esen a solid and
dynamic base o expe ise, ac i ely engaged in ope a-
ional moni o ing and i al o d i ing ha monisa ion.
Complemen ing his, he epo de ines common
minimum equi emen s o biodi e si y moni o ing
p o ocols. This c ucial elemen iden i ies which aspec s
o moni o ing p o ocols a e mos c i ical o ha monise –
such as moni o ing objec i es, co e a iables measu ed,
e minal sampling uni s, and epo ing o ma s – ad o-
ca ing o a s a egic alignmen o key elemen s a he
han igid s anda disa ion. This app oach ensu es me h-
odological consis ency necessa y o compa abili y and
s a is ical obus ness, while s ill allowing he lexibili y
equi ed o accommoda e di e se na ional and local
con ex s.
While de ining hese minimum equi emen s is unda-
men al, hei e ec i e and consis en applica ion ac oss
a ious scales necessi a es a obus concep ual ame-
wo k ha can acili a e coo dina ed ac ion and in eg a ion.
Recognising ha achie ing c oss-scale ha monisa ion
demands mo e han aligning isola ed p o ocols, ou wo k
iden i ies he need o a common ounda ion ha allows
di e se moni o ing e o s o in e ope a e meaning ully.
Ou conclusion is ha o e ec i ely le e age he exis ing
expe ise wi hin moni o ing communi ies and ensu e
he cohe en applica ion o minimum equi emen s,
Biodi e sa+ p oposes he de elopmen o Thema ic
Hubs (see chap e 5). These hubs a e en isioned as
expe -d i en, c oss-scale pla o ms ha se e as guides
o collabo a ion, suppo ing s uc u ed dialogue, he
alignmen o p o ocols, and echnical exchange wi hin
and be ween moni o ing communi ies. They o m a c i -
ical componen o a coo dina ed ye dis ibu ed a chi ec-
u e, connec ing na ional, egional, and Eu opean e o s,
aligning wi h he manda e o Na ional Biodi e si y
Moni o ing Coo dina ion Cen es, and o he o e a ching
coo dina ion led by he Eu opean Biodi e si y Obse a ion
Coo dina ion Cen e (EBOCC).
Ul ima ely, his p oposed amewo k s i es o align
di e se s akeholde s’ in e es s and es ablish a obus
ne wo k ha acili a es collabo a ion, da a sha ing,
and enhances he quali y, compa abili y, and u ili y o
biodi e si y moni o ing da a ac oss all scales, signi i-
can ly s eng hening Eu ope’s capaci y o e ec i e
conse a ion.
7
8
1
In oduc ion
9
16
Challenges and possible biases
While he su ey p o ided aluable ini ial insigh s,
se e al me hodological limi a ions and challenges we e
iden i ied:
}Recep ion and esponse Bias: As pa icipa ion was
olun a y, he e may be an o e ep esen a ion o well-
es ablished o English-speaking communi ies wi h
s onge links o Eu opean p ojec s o ne wo ks.
}Language Cons ain s: The su ey was a ailable only
in English, po en ially limi ing pa icipa ion om non-
English-speaking egions o s akeholde s.
1. Eu opaBON Moni o ing da abase : h ps://moni o ing.eu opabon.o g/moni o ing/
}Disciplina y and Geog aphic Gaps: Despi e dissemi-
na ion e o s, we likely did no each all ele an
biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies ac oss Eu ope—
pa icula ly hose in unde ep esen ed disciplines (e.g.,
mic obio a, u ban biodi e si y) o in coun ies wi h less
in ol emen in EU- unded biodi e si y esea ch.
These limi a ions sugges ha he su ey esul s ep e-
sen only a pa ial snapsho o he Eu opean biodi e si y
moni o ing landscape. Con inued e o s a e needed o
expand ou each and build a mo e comple e pic u e o
exis ing communi ies.
2.2.3 O he exis ing ca alogs and mapping e o s
In addi ion o he p ima y su ey, he mapping p ocess
le e aged o he ele an da abases and li e a u e
sou ces:
}Eu opaBON’s In en o y o Moni o ing Ini ia i es1
(Mo án-O dóñez e al., 2023) : This esou ce was used
o c oss- e e ence known communi ies and iden i y
ins i u ional-le el moni o ing schemes ac oss Eu ope.
}Scien i ic Li e a u e and G ey Li e a u e Re iew: A
a ge ed e iew o published and g ey li e a u e
helped unco e in o ma ion on communi y s uc u e,
da a lows, and ansna ional collabo a ions no
cap u ed h ough su ey esponses.
These complemen a y sou ces helped o alida e he
su ey esul s, ill in hema ic gaps, and ensu e a mo e
comp ehensi e unde s anding o biodi e si y moni o ing
communi ies and hei cu en o po en ial con ibu ions
o ha monisa ion e o s.

17
2.3 Resul s: o e iew o moni o ing communi ies in
Eu ope
2. IUCN global ecosys em ypology 2.0 : h ps://iucn.o g/ esou c-
es/publica ion/iucn-global-ecosys em- ypology-20
2.3.1 Cha ac e isa ion and app oxima e numbe o moni o ing
communi ies in Eu ope
An ini ial mapping iden i ied app oxima ely 60 es ab-
lished biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies ope a ing a
a Eu opean o b oade scale (Fig.1 & Fig.2). This numbe
is likely an unde es ima e, as he mapping is based on
publicly a ailable and easily accessible in o ma ion. The
lis should he e o e be iewed as indica i e a he han
comp ehensi e. I you' e awa e o o he communi ies no
on his lis , o i you' e pa o one and don' see i iden-
i ied, please eel ee o con ac us; you inpu would
g ea ly help us expand and e ine his mapping.
Fo many biodi e si y opics, mul iple communi ies o
ne wo ks exis (see Annex 2 o he ull lis ). These o en
eme ge due o egional dis inc ions o di e ing policy
and his o ical con ex s. Fo example, wi hin he ma ine
mammal communi y, ne wo ks such as ASCOBANS
(Ag eemen on he Conse a ion o Small Ce aceans
o he Bal ic, No h Eas A lan ic, I ish and No h Seas)
and ACCOBAMS (Ag eemen on he Conse a ion o
Ce aceans o he Black Sea, Medi e anean Sea and
con iguous A lan ic A ea) ope a e in pa allel, each wi h a
speci ic egional ocus, bu wi h some le el o coo dina-
ion o mu ual awa eness.
This mapping ocused p ima ily on communi ies wi h a
Eu opean scope—de ined as ope a ing ansna ionally
ac oss a leas wo Eu opean coun ies. Some g oups also
unc ion a he global le el; in such cases, we included
hem only when hei in luence and collabo a ion we e
clea ly ele an o he Eu opean biodi e si y moni o ing
landscape.
To acili a e a clea e unde s anding o exis ing e o s
and suppo u u e s a egies o coo dina ion and ha mo-
nisa ion, we cha ac e ised moni o ing communi ies using
he ollowing ypologies:
Moni o ing communi ies can be i s classi ied by he
ecological ealm hey ocus on:
}Te es ial: e.g., insec s, o es s, bi ds.
}F eshwa e : e.g., aqua ic mac oin e eb a es, esh-
wa e ish, ponds.
}Ma ine: e.g., ma ine mammals, sea u les, ben hic
habi a s.
Wi hin each ealm, communi ies can be u he dis in-
guished by hema ic scope o ocal axa (e.g., soil biodi-
e si y, la ge ca ni o es, pollina o s, o seabi ds). Some
hemes na u ally span mul iple ealms (e.g., sho e bi ds,
amphibians and ep iles which may use bo h e es ial
and ma ine o e es ial and eshwa e habi a s. Same
goes o in e ace habi a s, such as mang o es o pea -
lands), and communi ies may need o be lexibly ca ego-
ized o e lec his ans- ealm na u e, such as done in
he IUCN2 (Kei h e al., 2020).
18
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(
(
F
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W
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)
)
•FW Fish
•FW Mac oin e eb a es
•Salmon
•S u geon
•FW ecosys ems
•Lakes
•Danube Ri e
•Rhine Ri e
M
M
A
A
R
R
I
I
N
N
E
E
•Cephalopods
•Coas al/ ocky ish
•Elasmob anch
•Fish
•Jelly ish
•Mac oalgae
•Ma ine mammals
•Phy oplank on
•Posidonia
•Sea Tu les
•Seabi ds
•Zooplank on
•Ben hic habi a s
•Co al ee
•Pelagic habi a s
•Seag ass
•Bal ic sea
•Black sea
•Medi e anean sea
•No h A lan ic
T
T
E
E
R
R
R
R
E
E
S
S
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A
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•Ba
•Bi d
•Bu e ly
•Fungi
•Ibex
•La ge Ca ni o es
•Lynx
•Mammals
•Pollina o s
•Rap o s
•S ag Bee le
•Alpine
ecosys ems
•Dunes
•Fo es
•G assland
•Soil
•Alps
•Ca pa hians
•Py enees
I
I
N
N
T
T
E
E
R
R
F
F
A
A
C
C
E
E
•Amphibians & ep iles
•In asi e Alien Species
•Wade s (sho ebi ds)
•Wa e bi ds
•Lagoons
•Mang o es
•Pea lands
•Ponds
•We lands
•A c ic
•Cen al and Eas e n
Eu ope
O
O
T
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H
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,
,
U
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N
N
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I
N
N
•DNA/Genomics
•Mic oo ganisms
Figu e 1: Lis o he iden i ied es ablished biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies, classi ied by ealm ( e es ial, ma ine,
eshwa e , in e ace) and ocus ( axa, habi a , egion)
0
10
20
30
40
Taxa
Habi a s
Regions
O he
F eshwa e Ma ine Te es ial In e ace O he
Figu e 2: Es ima ed numbe and p opo ion o biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies by ealm ( e es ial, ma ine, esh-
wa e , in e ace) and ocus ( axa, habi a , egion)
19
2.3.2 S uc u al di e si y
Le el o de ini ion o he heme
The cla i y and consis ency wi h which a moni o ing
communi y de ines i s scope is an impo an c i e ia o
e icien engagemen . This can be assessed a h ee
le els:
»Well-de ined: The communi y has a clea ly a icula ed
and commonly unde s ood scope (e.g., “ma ine u les”
de ined by a sha ed lis o species and me hods and
p o ocols used o moni o ing hem).
»Mode a ely de ined: The scope is somewha clea , bu
bounda ies may a y be ween coun ies o ins i u ions
(e.g., “small mammals” may include di e en species
depending on con ex ).
»Poo ly de ined o b oad: The hema ic ocus is ague,
o o e lapping wi h se e al o he communi ies (e.g.,
“biodi e si y in o es s” wi hou speci ying axa o
unc ions).
Ma u i y and o ganisa ion o he communi y
Communi ies also di e in hei deg ee o ma u i y and
o ganisa ion which induces isibili y and ins i u ion-
alisa ion. This can be exp essed h ough he ollowing
ca ego ies:
»Key ac o s a us: The communi y is ecognised na ion-
ally o in e na ionally as a e e ence o leade o i s
moni o ing heme (e.g., in o ming indica o s, eeding
in o in e na ional assessmen s).
»S uc u ed and coo dina ed: The communi y has an
es ablished iden i y, leade ship, communica ion chan-
nels, and egula collabo a i e ac i i ies (e.g., wo king
g oups, con e ences).
»Eme ging o in o mal: A loosely connec ed g oup wi h
hema ic o e laps bu limi ed coo dina ion o sha ed
in as uc u e.
20
S uc u e and go e nance
Biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies in Eu ope a e highly
di e se in s uc u e and go e nance (Fig.3). Based on ou
mapping, hey can be g ouped in o he ollowing b oad
ca ego ies:
1. Expe G oups
These a e o en con ened by Eu opean o in e na ional
ins i u ions (e.g. OSPAR, HELCOM, ICES) o p o ide
scien i ic ad ice, de elop indica o s, coo dina e assess-
men s, o guide da a collec ion p o ocols. Expe g oups
a e ypically composed o specialis s nomina ed by
na ional au ho i ies, esea ch ins i u es, o obse e
o ganisa ions. Thei ou pu s a e o en di ec ly in eg a ed
in o policy p ocesses, such as he EU Ma ine S a egy
F amewo k Di ec i e (MSFD) o he Con en ion on
Biological Di e si y (CBD).
2. NGOs and olun ee -based ne wo ks
Nume ous moni o ing e o s a e led o suppo ed by
NGOs and ci izen science communi ies. These ne wo ks
o en ha e wide geog aphic each and long- e m da a
se ies. Examples include he Eu opean Bi d Census
Council (EBCC), Bu e ly Conse a ion Eu ope (BCE),
and he Eu opean Mycological Associa ion. Thei wo k
complemen s ins i u ional moni o ing by illing gaps in
spa ial co e age and axonomic scope and o en con ib-
u es o Eu opean-le el indica o s (e.g. h ough EIONET o
Eu os a ).
3. Ins i u ional pa ne ships
These include o mal collabo a ions be ween esea ch
ins i u ions, en i onmen al agencies, and na ional minis-
ies. Many a e suppo ed h ough EU unding ins umen s
(e.g. LIFE, Ho izon Eu ope, INTERREG) and con ibu e o
sha ed me hodologies and da abases.
4. In e go e nmen al and ag eemen -based
ne wo ks
Some moni o ing communi ies ope a e unde o mal
in e na ional ag eemen s o con en ions. Fo example:
»PoMS (Pollina o Moni o ing Scheme) – ini ia i e ha
is in o ming EU-le el design o pollina o moni o ing
s a egies.
»Gene al Fishe ies Commission o he Medi e anean –
a FAO body coo dina ing ishe y- ela ed moni o ing in
he Medi e anean and Black Sea.
»ASCOBANS / ACCOBAMS – egional ag eemen s
ocused on ce acean conse a ion and moni o ing.
»Be n Con en ion Expe G oups – which also o e see
moni o ing e o s o speci ic species g oups.
These communi ies o en hold an o icial o ad iso y ole
in suppo ing Membe S a es’ epo ing obliga ions and
he implemen a ion o egional o global biodi e si y
a ge s.
Expe g oups
38,0%
NGOs
27,3%
In e go e nmen al
12,4%
Ins i u ional pa …
22,3%
Figu e 3: P opo ion o ypes o go e nance (expe s g oups, NGOs, ins i u ional pa ne ships, In e go e nmen al and
ag eemen -based ne wo ks) o he iden i ied biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies
21
No all hema ic communi ies ope a e in he same way
o wi h he same in luence. We can dis inguish wo main
ypes:
1. Ins i u ionalized ne wo ks o wo king g oups wi h
S ong EU Manda es
These include, o example, Eu opean Commission
wo king g oups o ask o ces es ablished unde EU
di ec i es o amewo ks. They a e:
»Highly o malized and poli ically ecognized;
»O en ca y obliga o y guidance o s ong no ma i e
in luence on na ional implemen a ion;
»Conside ed au ho i a i e e e ence bodies ac oss EU
Membe S a es.
2. Communi ies om Regional Ag eemen s o
Scien i ic Ne wo ks
These a e expe g oups o pla o ms ope a ing unde
egional con en ions, in e na ional pa ne ships, o scien-
i ic communi ies. Thei cha ac e is ics include:
»Va ied isibili y and capaci y ac oss coun ies;
»Volun a y engagemen and non-binding
ecommenda ions;
»Some imes no ecognized as key ac o s by all na ional
au ho i ies, bu s ill aluable o scien i ic c edibili y,
inno a ion, and illing hema ic gaps.
These c i e ia help p io i ise which communi ies migh be
immedia ely eady o engage in ha monisa ion e o s,
and which may need addi ional suppo o build coo di-
na ion capaci ies.
While ha monisa ion is mos e ec i e a he scale o
indi idual communi ies, an impo an ques ion emains:
can we iden i y common elemen s ac oss di e se moni-
o ing p o ocols ha could be ha monised ega dless
o he speci ic communi y? This leads us o de ine he
common minimum equi emen s o biodi e si y moni-
o ing—essen ial ounda ional elemen s ha can p o ide
a sha ed baseline o all ini ia i es.

22
3
Common minimum
equi emen s o biodi e si y
moni o ing p o ocols
23
24
3.1 Me hodological basis
De ining common minimum equi emen s is a cen al
s ep owa d achie ing ha monisa ion o biodi e si y
moni o ing ac oss spa ial and go e nance scales. These
equi emen s a e no in ended o en o ce ull s anda di-
sa ion bu a he o es ablish a sha ed baseline, ensu ing
ha da a collec ed by di e en moni o ing ini ia i es a e
compa able, in e ope able, and o su icien quali y o
con ibu e o la ge -scale analyses.
The ollowing co e componen s, iden i ied ac oss key
e e ences (Oakley e al., 2003; JNCC, 2004; Elzinga e
al., 1998), a e widely ecognised as essen ial elemen s
o es ablishing common minimum equi emen s in biodi-
e si y moni o ing p o ocols:
Box 1 – I ems o a moni o ing p o ocol
• Objec i e o he moni o ing p o ocol:
`Objec : de ine he biological en i y o ecological p ocess o be moni o ed; e.g- single specimen, habi a o
p ocess.
`Scale: de e mine he spa ial dimensions, geog aphic scope, and scale o he moni o ing p og am.
`Va iables: iden i y speci ic a ibu es and/o me ics measu ed.
• Sampling design s a egy:
`Sampling uni s: de ine he basic obse a ional uni s (e.g., speci ic poin s, su ace a eas, indi iduals, g id
elemen s, plo sizes, ansec leng hs, …).
`Sampling s a egy (e.g. andom, sys ema ic, s a i ied, combined).
`Sampling equency and eplica ion (In e als, e.g. annually, a e s o m e en s,, numbe o indi idual samples
pe si e,).
`Sample size (O e all da a yield, de ines he o al an icipa ed olume o collec ed da a ac oss he en i e
p ojec )
• Field p o ocol:
`Me hod (e.g., ansec su eys, poin coun s, cap u e-ma k- ecap u e, …).
`Techniques (e.g., isual obse a ion, emo e sensing, acous ic moni o ing, apping).
`Calenda : iming and scheduling o da a collec ion ac i i ies, ime du ing he season, ….
`Equipmen /Tools (e.g., came as, ne s, binocula s, …). T anspo and s o age o samples.
• Analysis p o ocol
`Me hods o analysing collec ed da a, de ining app op ia e including s a is ical echniques and modeling
app oaches. o add ess he esea ch ques ions.
`Da a wo k low
`Sha ing o aw da a, agg ega ing da a.
• Da a s o age and managemen
`De elop a good da a managemen plan (DMP) ha ho oughly desc ibes how he da a a e going o be
handled, om he sampling o he analysis, s o age and publica ion.
`Sys ems o o ganising, s o ing, and secu ing collec ed da a.
`S anda dised o ma s o da a en y and me ada a documen a ion.
`Pla o ms o public access and da a sha ing (e.g., na ional da abases).
While a ious ini ia i es and ne wo ks (e.g., GEO
BON, Eu opaBON, EU Na u e Di ec i es epo ing)
ha e p o ided guidance o amewo ks on biodi e si y
moni o ing, e y ew s udies o ools o e p ac ical, ope -
a ionalised de ini ions o common minimum equi emen s
ha can be implemen ed ac oss di e se con ex s.
25
Expe Wo kshop: objec i es and s uc u e
To add ess his gap and ad ance he de ini ion o
common minimum equi emen s, Biodi e sa+ o ganised
an expe wo kshop ocused speci ically on iden i ying
which elemen s o biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocols a e
mos c i ical o ha monise, and how o de ine lexible ye
obus minimum equi emen s.
The wo kshop (Ap il 2-3, 2025) b ough oge he a ound
30 expe s—including ep esen a i es om a ious
moni o ing communi ies, s a is icians, and coo dina o s
o Biodi e sa+ pilo p ojec s— o collabo a i ely explo e
and de ine minimum equi emen s o biodi e si y moni-
o ing p o ocols. A pa icula emphasis was placed on
sampling design and s a is ical in eg a ion, as hese a e
key o enhancing he in e ope abili y o biodi e si y da a.
The wo kshop was s uc u ed using collec i e in elli-
gence me hods o s imula e c ea i e hinking, knowledge
exchange, and consensus-building.
Full de ails o he wo kshop s uc u e, exe cises, and
esul s a e a ailable in Annex 3.
Why ocus on sampling design?
The wo kshop delibe a ely ocused on sampling design,
a ounda ional componen o any biodi e si y moni o ing
p o ocol. Se e al easons jus i ied his choice:
1. Sampling design go e ns da a compa abili y:
Di e ences in spa ial scale, sampling e o , equency,
o eplica ion can signi ican ly a ec he in e p e -
abili y and in eg a ion o moni o ing esul s.
2. I is ela i ely independen o axonomic g oups (unlike
he ield p o ocols): While species iden i ica ion o indi-
ca o s may di e , many p inciples o good sampling
design (e.g., s a i ica ion, andomisa ion, empo al
consis ency) a e applicable ac oss axa and habi a s.
3. I is o en o e looked in ha monisa ion e o s: While
he e is a endency o ocus on indica o selec ion o
axonomic s anda ds, sampling design is less isible
bu jus as c ucial o ensu ing da a obus ness and
in e ope abili y.
4. I enables lexibili y: By se ing minimum equi emen s
o design— a he han p esc ibing one p o ocol—
we allow di e en communi ies and coun ies o
adap hei me hods while main aining a ha monised
backbone.
By ocusing on sampling design, we aimed o de ine a
p ac ical and c oss-cu ing en y poin o ope a ional-
ising ha monisa ion.
32
4
Concep ual amewo k o
c oss-scale ha monisa ion:
Biodi e sa+ p oposal o
Thema ic Hubs

33
34
Achie ing c oss-scale ha monisa ion o biodi e si y
moni o ing equi es mo e han aligning isola ed p o o-
cols; i calls o a common ounda ion ha allows di e se
moni o ing e o s o in e ope a e meaning ully ac oss
scales. This includes es ablishing a sha ed unde s anding
o minimum equi emen s, and os e ing in e -communi y
expe ise o guide echnical alignmen wi hou losing he
ele ance o place-based app oaches. While he ele an
uni o ha monisa ion is o en he moni o ing communi y
i sel , hese communi ies cu en ly ope a e wi h a ying
deg ees o coo dina ion, scope, and me hodological
ma u i y. S ill, hey ep esen a solid and dynamic base
o expe ise al eady ac i e ac oss Eu ope. To build on
his exis ing landscape, we p opose he de elopmen o
Thema ic Hubs. These hubs se e as c oss-scale pla -
o ms ha suppo s uc u ed dialogue, alignmen o
p o ocols, and echnical exchange wi hin and be ween
moni o ing communi ies. In his Biodi e sa+ p oposal o
Thema ic Hubs, we a e building on Eu opaBON p oposal
o an EU Biodi e si y Obse a ion Coo dina ion Cen e
(Lique e e al., 2024), which in oduces Thema ic Hubs
as es ablished communi ies o expe s, ha se e as he
backbone o EBOCC's echnical and ope a ional ame-
wo k, ocusing on speci ic biodi e si y a iables and
d awing membe s om compe en na ional and in e -
na ional ins i u ions, scien i ic expe s, and la ge-scale
moni o ing schemes.
To enable c oss-scale ha monisa ion o biodi e si y moni-
o ing, a coo dina ed ye dis ibu ed a chi ec u e is essen-
ial, one ha connec s na ional, egional, and Eu opean
e o s while espec ing hema ic and ecological speci ici-
ies. This a chi ec u e should also align wi h he manda e
o he Na ional Biodi e si y Moni o ing Coo dina ion
Cen es (Fig.4). Wi hin his landscape, Thema ic Hubs
play a key ole as echnical and collabo a i e s epping
s ones, guiding bo h ha monisa ion and in eg a ion
p ocesses.
• Manda e
• Recogni ion
• Funding
• T ansna ional
expe ne wo k
• Ha monised
p ac ices
• Ha monisa ion ad ice
• New echniques
• Common s anda ds
• Resul s
• Feedback
• Reques o
ad ice/needs
Thema ic Hubs
EBOCC
EU Biodi e si y
Obse a ion
Coo dina ion Cen e
Thema ic Hub
T ansna ional ne wo k o expe s
Scien i ic echnical expe ise
Bes p ac ice exchange
Na ional biodi e si y moni o ing schemes
Na ional
Cen e
Na ional
Cen e
Na ional
Cen e
Na ional
Cen e
Na ional
Cen e
Figu e 4 Thema ic Hubs in he ansna ional go e nance o biodi e si y moni o ing.
4.1 Thema ic Hubs as guides o collabo a ion: wha a e hey?
Thema ic Hubs a e expe -d i en communi ies cen e ed
a ound speci ic biodi e si y domains—such as pollina-
o s, soil biodi e si y, o ma ine mammals. They ope a e
as pla o ms o coo dina ion and knowledge exchange,
whe e expe s con e ge o:
}De ine moni o ing objec i es o hei hema ic ocus;
}De elop and align s anda ds on p o ocols and ools;
}P oduce a Eu opean scale ends and biodi e si y
in o ma ion and align hem ac oss scales;
}Sha e bes p ac ices and lessons lea ned;
}Facili a e da a ha monisa ion and in eg a ion wi hin
and beyond hei hema ic a ea;
}Se e as en y poin s o he wide biodi e si y obse a-
ion sys em, especially o s akeholde s less connec ed
o Eu opean coo dina ion bodies.
These communi ies o m he echnical backbone o
hema ic moni o ing and con ibu e o he o e a ching
coo dina ion led by he Eu opean Biodi e si y Obse a ion
Coo dina ion Cen e (EBOCC).
35
Example o exis ing Thema ic Hubs
The OSPAR biodi e si y expe g oups se e as an excellen illus a ion o how Thema ic Hubs can unc ion e ec i ely in
p ac ice.
Box 2 – OSPAR Biodi e si y Expe G oups
OSPAR biodi e si y expe g oups b ing oge he specialis s om Con ac ing Pa ies and obse e o ganisa ions o
sha e knowledge, de elop indica o s, and coo dina e biodi e si y moni o ing ac oss he No h-Eas A lan ic. These
g oups include expe s om go e nmen agencies, academia, and NGOs, o e ing a mix o applied and scien i ic
pe spec i es ha help p oduce ou pu s ele an o egional conse a ion policy.
Mos o he cu en g oups ha e been ac i e since he 2011 OSPAR wo kshop on MSFD biodi e si y desc ip o s.
Thei wo k is coo dina ed by ICG-COBAM (In e sessional Co espondence G oup on he Coo dina ion o Biodi e si y
Assessmen and Moni o ing), which helps align app oaches, acili a e discussions and suppo collabo a ion.
Al hough expe g oups a e in o mal (no go e ned by speci ic ules unde OSPAR’s Rules o P ocedu e), hey a e
expec ed o ope a e consis en ly wi h o he OSPAR subsidia y bodies and ollow he Commission's code o conduc .
A guidance documen also ou lines hei oles and ways o wo king.
Con ac ing Pa ies a e eques ed o: (i) suppo an ac i e na ional engagemen in he ele an expe g oups and
ICG-COBAM h ough ensu ing dedica ed expe ime o con ibu e o wo k and p o iding esou ces o a end wo k-
shops and mee ings and ca y ou ela ed wo k, which as a guide would equa e o a minimum o 2 weeks pe expe
pe yea ; ii) suppo expe s’ wo k o de elop moni o ing and assessmen me hods ha a e o he bene i o all pa ies,
and; iii) acili a e he equi ed da a lows o indica o de elopmen and assessmen s.
Wha expe g oups do:
• De elop indica o s and in eg a ed assessmen me hods
• Suppo p epa a ion o obus , egionally ele an assessmen s
• De ine da a needs in line wi h OSPAR’s da a managemen s anda ds (OSPAR Ag eemen 2024-03)
• Con ibu e o wide OSPAR wo k, such as Regional Ac ion Plans
How hey wo k:
• Expe s a e nomina ed by Con ac ing Pa ies o obse e s and a e encou aged o con ibu e ac i ely o all g oup
asks
• Each g oup has a lead (o leads), who acili a es discussions and ensu es he g oup s ays aligned wi h i s
objec i es
• Con ac ing Pa ies collec i ely ensu e ha one o mo e expe s ha e he esou ces o lead each expe g oup.
• Wo kload should be sha ed among all membe s, wi h Con ac ing Pa ies suppo ing hei expe s acco dingly
• G oup leade ship is o a ed o balance e o and p omo e equi able geog aphical and gende ep esen a ion
• Mee ings a e usually online, wi h in-pe son mee ings held annually when possible
Cu en Expe G oups:
• Ma ine mammals
• Ben hic habi a s
• Pelagic habi a s
• Fish
• Ma ine bi ds
• Sea Tu les
• Non-Indigenous Species
Re e ence:
OSPAR Commission. (2024). Guidance on esponsibili ies and ways o wo king in he biodi e si y expe g oups (BDC
24/12/01, Annex 15; OSPAR Ag eemen 2024-08). h ps://www.ospa .o g/documen s? =58065
Ha ing explo ed he ounda ional concep o Thema ic
Hubs as expe -d i en communi ies, he nex s ep is o
ou line how hese hubs can be s a egically in eg a ed
in o a b oade amewo k o ha monised moni o ing
p o ocols. The success o such an in eg a ion hinges on
le e aging exis ing, well-es ablished biodi e si y moni-
o ing communi ies, as ou p elimina y mapping e o s
ha e clea ly shown. To ully empowe hese hubs, i 's
essen ial ha hey ecei e an o icial manda e, ensu ing
s ong links o he EBOCC and na ional biodi e si y moni-
o ing coo dina ion cen e s. This comp ehensi e in eg a-
ion s a egy, ocusing on in e -communi y cohe ence
wi hin EBOCC, will be i al o ensu ing da a compa a-
bili y and consis ency, such as h ough he applica ion
o common minimum equi emen s ac oss all hema ic
a eas.
36
4.2 P oposed in eg a ion s a egies o ha monised moni o ing
p o ocols
In eg a ion s a egies mus balance op-down coo -
dina ion wi h bo om-up engagemen , le e aging he
s eng hs o Thema ic Hubs, na ional coo dina ion bodies,
and Eu opean ins i u ions.
Encou aging EU-wide dialogue on ha monisa ion
A key p io i y is o p omo e egula discussions on ha mo-
nisa ion and in eg a ion wi hin he b oade Eu opean
biodi e si y moni o ing landscape. These discussions
should be encou aged bo h wi hin and ac oss hema ic
communi ies o ensu e alignmen wi h o e a ching EU
biodi e si y goals and policy ins umen s. Open, inclusi e
dialogue will suppo a sha ed unde s anding o p io i-
ies, gaps, and oppo uni ies o con e gence.
Facili a ing in e ope abili y and dialogue
In e ope abili y, bo h echnical and ins i u ional, elies on
coo dina ed e o s o s anda dize and in eg a e moni-
o ing p ac ices. This equi es:
}A common language o desc ibing objec i es, a i-
ables, scales, and me hods;
}Sha ed ools and da a in as uc u es;
}Alignmen be ween policy needs and moni o ing
objec i es;
}Sus ained dialogue be ween p ac i ione s, esea che s,
and decision-make s.
Thema ic Hubs play a cen al ole in acili a ing his
dialogue, ac ing as b idges be ween domain-speci ic
expe ise and wide coo dina ion mechanisms.
Common minimum equi emen s as a ha monisa ion s a egy
One e ec i e s a egy o c oss-scale ha monisa ion is
o de ine common minimum equi emen s o moni o ing
p o ocols. Such minimum equi emen s ensu e base-
line compa abili y, while s ill allowing o na ional and
egional lexibili y. They p o ide a ounda ion upon which
mo e complex o ailo ed p o ocols can be buil , enabling
in e ope abili y wi hou imposing uni o mi y.
Es ablishing baseline moni o ing p o ocols
Baseline p o ocols a e essen ial o p oducing cohe en
long- e m da a. These p o ocols should:
}Be de eloped in collabo a ion wi h Thema ic Hubs and
na ional expe s;
}Be adap able o local ecological and logis ical con ex s;
}De ine he minimum da a equi ed o es ablish a eli-
able moni o ing baseline.
In he long e m, Thema ic Hubs a e en isioned o
ac as s a egic pa ne s o he Eu opean Biodi e si y
Obse a ion Coo dina ion Cen e, o embed echnical
cohe ence and c oss- hema ic consis ency in o he wide
Eu opean biodi e si y moni o ing sys em.
Thei collabo a i e unc ion suppo s:
}Facili a ing collabo a ion ac oss coun ies and sec o s;
}De eloping and sha ing me hodological s anda ds,
ools, and p o ocols;
}De ining moni o ing p io i ies and a ge s o hei
espec i e opics;
}Ensu ing da a ha monisa ion and in eg a ion wi hin
and beyond hei ocal a eas;
}Se ing as en y poin s o b oade biodi e si y obse -
a ion ne wo ks.
37
Linking Thema ic Hubs wi h coo dina ion s uc u es
The in eg a ion o moni o ing e o s equi es a s ong
connec ion be ween Thema ic Hubs, he EBOCC, and
na ional coo dina ion cen e s (e.g., Na ional Biodi e si y
Moni o ing Coo dina ion Cen es).
}Many na ional cen e s hos expe s who a e di ec ly
in ol ed in Thema ic Hubs, enabling knowledge
ans e and alignmen .
}Na ional cen e s a e expec ed o wo k closely wi h he
EBOCC, ensu ing ha ha monisa ion pa ame e s—
ag eed a he EU le el wi h he suppo o Thema ic
Hubs—a e e ec i ely ans e ed and implemen ed
na ionally.
}Na ional Biodi e si y Moni o ing Coo dina ion Cen es
should play a s a egic ole in en o cing ha monisa ion,
wi h he au ho i y o ad ise and suppo he up ake o
ha monised p o ocols.
}I is an icipa ed ha Na ional Biodi e si y Moni o ing
Coo dina ion Cen es will include ep esen a i es
om majo Thema ic Hubs, ein o cing eedback loops
be ween na ional and hema ic coo dina ion le els.
Enabling s uc u es: communi y acili a ion and esou ces
To suppo and sus ain his in eg a ion p ocess, he e is a
s ong need o :
}An o icial manda e: I 's i al ha Thema ic Hubs
ecei e o mal ecogni ion om he Eu opean
Commission and pa icipa ing coun ies. This manda e
legi imises hei ole, empowe s hei ac ions, and
ensu es hei ou pu s a e in eg a ed in o he b oade
Eu opean biodi e si y moni o ing landscape;
}A acili a o o communi y manage ole: someone
asked wi h connec ing ac o s ac oss hubs, na ional
cen e s, and EU coo dina ion bodies;
}Budge s o suppo in-pe son collabo a ion;
}Dedica ed esou ces o suppo :
»P o ocol ha monisa ion, g ounded in bo h gene ic
p inciples and eal-wo ld cons ain s;
»Capaci y building and quali y assu ance;
»Eu opean-le el syn hesis and analysis o moni-
o ing da a.
Towa ds c oss-sec o in eg a ion
Finally, ha monised moni o ing should no be seen
in isola ion. In eg a ion s a egies o moni o ing and
assessmen should also explo e syne gies wi h adja-
cen domains, including conse a ion planning and
es o a ion e o s, ecological esea ch and inno a ion,
Na u e Based Solu ions, socie al ans o ma ion. By
connec ing moni o ing communi ies wi h hese ela ed
sec o s, i becomes possible o c ea e a mo e cohesi e
and impac ul biodi e si y knowledge sys em—one ha
suppo s e idence-based ac ion and link moni o ing wi h
ac ion ac oss Eu ope’s socio-ecological landscape.

38
5
Conclusions and
ecommenda ions
39
40
E ec i e and compa able biodi e si y moni o ing is
pa amoun o unde s anding en i onmen al change,
in o ming policy, and guiding conse a ion ac ion ac oss
Eu ope and beyond. This epo has unde sco ed ha
achie ing meaning ul ha monisa ion in biodi e si y moni-
o ing p o ocols is no me ely a echnical exe cise bu a
collabo a i e endea o . I equi es a obus amewo k
ha balances essen ial s anda disa ion wi h neces-
sa y lexibili y, os e ing us and anspa ency among
di e se s akeholde s. The p oposed Thema ic Hubs a e
cen al o his ision, o e ing a decen alised ye coo di-
na ed app oach o add ess he complexi ies o biodi e -
si y obse a ion.
5.1 Thema ic Hubs and ecommenda ions o u u e wo k and
p ac ice
Expe -d i en communi ies a e i al o de ining clea
moni o ing objec i es, de eloping and aligning ha mo-
nised s anda ds, p oducing c ucial biodi e si y in o ma-
ion a a Eu opean scale, and acili a ing da a in eg a ion.
Thema ic Hubs se e as c i ical en y poin s o s ake-
holde s, ensu ing b oade engagemen wi hin he biodi-
e si y obse a ion sys em.
Fo hese hubs o each hei ull po en ial, we ecommend:
}Fo mal Manda e and In eg a ion: O icially es ablish
Thema ic Hubs wi h a clea manda e, linking hem
explici ly o he EBOCC and ele an na ional coo -
dina ion bodies. This o maliza ion will p o ide he
necessa y au ho i y and connec i i y o e ec i e
ope a ion.
}Dedica ed Resou ces: Ensu e consis en and su icien
unding, expe ime, and logis ical suppo o each
hub. Ac i e na ional engagemen , including dedica ed
expe ime, is non-nego iable o success.
}Clea Ope a ing Guidelines: De elop comp ehensi e,
ye lexible, guidelines o hei oles, esponsibili ies,
and ways o wo king, building on success ul models.
5.2 S eng hening collabo a ion wi hin and ac oss communi ies
T ue ha monisa ion anscends echnical speci ica ions;
i h i es on s ong collabo a ion. The success o biodi-
e si y moni o ing depends on le e aging he exis ing
weal h o expe ise and dedica ion wi hin na ional and
egional communi ies.
Key ecommenda ions o s eng hening collabo a ion
include:
}In e -Communi y Cohe ence wi hin EBOCC: EBOCC
should ac i ely acili a e dialogue and coo dina ion
among di e en Thema ic Hubs and b oade biodi-
e si y communi ies. This includes ensu ing da a
cohe ence and consis en applica ion o common
minimum equi emen s ac oss di e se hema ic a eas.
While ou ocus he e is on a Eu opean scale, some o
hese Thema ic Hubs al eady ha e a wide o global
each. The e o e, Thema ic Hubs’ ole could ex end o
explo ing po en ial alignmen s and u u e in eg a ion
pa hways o hese Eu opean hubs wi h global moni-
o ing ne wo ks, such as GEO BON, allowing some o
e ol e in o global ocal poin s o speci ic biodi e si y
domains.
}Thema ic Hubs as Knowledge Exchange Pla o ms:
Es ablish obus pla o ms o egula knowledge
exchange, bes p ac ice sha ing, and lessons lea ned
be ween expe s om a ious communi ies and
hema ic a eas.
}Sha ed P inciples: Con inue o ancho all collabo a i e
e o s in sha ed p inciples o anspa ency, openness,
and us , os e ing an en i onmen whe e da a and
me hodologies can be eely exchanged and c i iqued.
}P o ocol ha monisa ion: The de ailed wo k o p o ocol
ha monisa ion will be ca ied ou by echnical expe
g oups ope a ing wi hin o alongside he Thema ic
Hubs. These g oups a e essen ial o ansla ing b oad
p inciples in o ac ionable moni o ing p o ocols. Ensu e
ha echnical expe g oups comp ise a di e se ange
o disciplines, including ecologis s, s a is icians, da a
manage s, and policy expe s, o ensu e holis ic and
p ac ical solu ions.
41
5.3 Nex s eps
To mo e hese ecommenda ions om concep o p ac-
ice, he ollowing nex s eps a e p oposed:
1. Resou ce Mobilisa ion: Secu e dedica ed inancial and
human esou ces equi ed o he sus ained ope a ion
and coo dina ion o Thema ic Hubs and suppo ing
echnical expe g oups.
2. Manda e Finalisa ion: Wo k wi h ele an Eu opean
and na ional bodies o o malize he manda e and
go e nance s uc u es o Thema ic Hubs, ensu ing
hei o icial ecogni ion and in eg a ion in o exis ing
biodi e si y obse a ion ne wo ks.
3. Communi y Engagemen Roadmap: De elop a
comp ehensi e oadmap o engaging exis ing biodi-
e si y moni o ing communi ies, ensu ing hei ac i e
pa icipa ion in he de elopmen and implemen a ion
o ha monised p o ocols.
This concep ual amewo k will be u he ope a ional-
ized and es ed in he coming yea s wi hin Biodi e sa+'s
ongoing wo k. This includes launching biodi e si y moni-
o ing pilo s, which will se e as conc e e es ing g ounds
o ha monized schemes and he unc ionali y o Thema ic
Hubs. We'll also wo k closely wi h he u u e EBOCC
pilo o es and o mula e he links be ween EBOCC and
na ional cen e s. E o s will ocus on de eloping gene ic
suppo packages o hese hubs, explo ing long- e m
sus ainable unding models o moni o ing schemes,
and c ea ing essen ial esou ces like manda es, p o ocol
s anda ds, epo ing empla es, EBV in eg a ion guide-
lines, and aining ma e ials o implemen ing a ious
elemen s. Case s udy communi ies om his p elimina y
mapping will be selec ed wi h inpu om o he Eu opean
p ojec s, wi h he inal choice based on a s a egic anal-
ysis o di e en scena ios. C ucially, Biodi e sa+ will
o ganize Biodi e si y Moni o ing Weeks—a Eu opean
con e ence on biodi e si y moni o ing o discussion and
sha ed p ac ice—s a ing in sp ing 2026 and held e e y
wo yea s. These weeks will p o ide i al pla o ms o
Thema ic Hubs o con ene, collabo a e, and d i e ha mo-
nisa ion o wa d.
By collec i ely in es ing in he es ablishmen and e ec-
i e unc ioning o Thema ic Hubs, and by os e ing a
cul u e o collabo a ion and sha ed esponsibili y, we can
signi ican ly enhance he quali y, compa abili y, and u ili y
o biodi e si y moni o ing da a ac oss Eu ope, ul ima ely
s eng hening ou capaci y o e ec i e conse a ion.
48
ANNEX 1. Su ey on he moni o ing communi ies
Mapping Biodi e si y Moni o ing Communi ies
As pa o i s b oade goal o es ablishing a ansna ional
ne wo k o na ional biodi e si y moni o ing schemes,
Biodi e sa+ iden i ied biodi e si y moni o ing commu-
ni ies as a key le el o ansna ional collabo a ion and
ha monisa ion.
A biodi e si y moni o ing communi y is de ined as a
g oup o indi iduals, o ganiza ions, and ins i u ions
in ol ed in he moni o ing o speci ic axa o habi a s (e.g
bi ds, soil biodi e si y, ba s, eshwa e ecosys ems, e c.),
o en con ibu ing o b oade conse a ion ini ia i es. This
su ey is a i s s ep o iden i y and each ou o hese
communi ies.
A e you in ol ed in - o do you know o any
biodi e si y moni o ing communi ies?
You inpu is in aluable in helping us iden i y collabo a-
i e g oups dedica ed o moni o ing biodi e si y, speci i-
cally ocusing on Eu opean-le el coo dina ion ne wo ks
wi hin hese communi ies.
Thank you o aking he ime o pa icipa e in ou su ey!
Abou Biodi e sa+: h ps://www.biodi e sa.eu/
biodi e si y-moni o ing/
A biodi e si y moni o ing communi y you know o :
[sho answe ]
Name o a Eu opean-le el coo dina ion g oup
associa ed wi h he biodi e si y moni o ing
communi y men ioned abo e (I you a e no awa e
o any, please indica e)
[sho answe ]
A con ac pe son o his communi y and/o g oup?
[sho answe ]
I you a e in ol ed in his communi y, how do
you use biodi e si y moni o ing da a and esul s?
(please p o ide examples)
[ ee ex ]
[A sec ion “+” o add ano he se o answe s → i possible
on google o ms?]
The su ey da a con ains 91 esponses wi h a o al o 8
ques ions. He e's a b eakdown o he s a is ics:
1. Gene al In o ma ion:
}To al Responses: 91
}Fully Blank o NA: 3
Numbe o o ms wi h a second se o answe s (op ional
o ill in, page 2, ques ions 5-8): 27
2. Responses pe Ques ion:
}A biodi e si y moni o ing communi y you know o :
»3 blank
»1 “no”
»F om he 87 answe s:
}Name o a Eu opean-le el coo dina ion g oup associ-
a ed wi h he biodi e si y moni o ing communi y:
»10 blank
»2 “no”
»8 “no awa e o any”
»2 “no coope a ion/coo dina ion”
»F om he 68 answe s:
> 11 imes Bi dLi e in e na ional / Bi dLi e Eu ope /
PECBMS / EBCC
> 9 imes Bu e ly Conse a ion Eu ope / BMS
> 4 imes iBOL
A con ac pe son o his coo dina ion g oup?: 23
esponses
}12 blank
}5 “no”
}F om he 74 answe s, in o al:
»2 “mysel ”, bu con ac no gi en & anonymous
su ey…
»10 link o he websi e con ac page / gene ic add ess
/ “any coo dina o ”
»4 imes Da id Roy: Bu e ly moni o ing communi y,
BMS
»2 imes Gab iela Danko a: iBOL
»2 imes Josiane Lips: Ba s (Cosci membe and
Biospeleology e e en - josiane.lips@ ee. )
»16 con ac s o Bi d communi y
»3 o Pollina o s
»9 o Bu e ly
»2 o bee les
»3 o Soil
»1 o ungi
»1 o In asi e Alien species
»1

49
ANNEX 2. Lis o he moni o ing communi ies & iden i ied ne wo ks
Theme Type Realm S a e o he
communi y ID Eu ope ID Global Type o ne wo ks
Ma ine axa
Sea Tu les Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed OSPAR STEG: Sea Tu le Expe s G oup WG / expe g oups
SWOT: S a e o he Wo ld's Sea Tu les NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
IUCN MTSG: Ma ine Tu le Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
Seabi ds Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed JWGBIRD: Join OSPAR/HELCOM/ICES Expe
G oup on Seabi ds
WG / expe g oups
Bi dLi e In e na ional NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Ma ine mammals Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed IWC: In e na ional Whaling Commission In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
HELCOM EG MaMa: Expe G oup on Ma ine
Mammals
WG / expe g oups
OSPAR OMMEG: Ma ine Mammal Expe G oup WG / expe g oups
ASCOBANS: Ag eemen on he Conse a ion o
Small Ce aceans o he Bal ic and No h Seas
In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
ACCOBAMS: Ag eemen on he Conse a ion o
Ce aceans o he Black Sea, Medi e anean Sea and
Con iguous A lan ic A ea
In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
ICES WGMME: Wo king G oup on Ma ine Mammal
Ecology
WG / expe g oups
Phy oplank on Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed HELCOM PEG: Phy oplank on Expe G oup WG / expe g oups
Zooplank on Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed HELCOM EG Zoo: Expe G oup on Zooplank on WG / expe g oups
ICES WGZE: Wo king G oup on Zooplank on
Ecology
WG / expe g oups
Elasmob anchs
[sha ks, ays and
ska es]
Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed Man a T us ’s ne wo k NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
IUCN Sha k Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
MEDLEM: Medi e anean La ge Elasmob anchs
Moni o ing
ins i u ions pa ne ship
EAA: Eu opean Elasmob anch Associa ion NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
MECO p ojec : Medi e anean Elasmob anch Ci izen
Obse a ion
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Posidonia Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed The Medi e anean Posidonia Ne wo k ins i u ions pa ne ship
Cephalopods Taxa Ma ine S uc u ed ICES WGCEPH: Wo king G oup on Cephalopod
Fishe ies and Li e His o y
WG / expe g oups
50
Jelly ish Taxa Ma ine Uns uc u ed CIESM JellyWa ch P og am ins i u ions pa ne ship
Coas al ish / ocky
ish
Taxa Ma ine Uns uc u ed HELCOM WG BioDi Expe G oup on Coas al Fish WG / expe g oups
Fish / ishe ies Taxa Ma ine Uns uc u ed Con ol Expe G oups (CEGs) o he egionalisa ion
o he Common Fishe ies Policy (CFP):Sche eningen
(No h Sea); BALTFISH (Bal ic Sea); No h-wes e n
wa e s; Sou h-wes e n wa e s
WG / expe g oups
Co espondence G oup on Moni o ing (CORMON)
Biodi e si y and Fishe ies
WG / expe g oups
Mac oalgae Taxa Ma ine Uns uc u ed HAB conso ium: Ha m ul Algal Bloom
om he In e go e nmen al Oceanog aphic
Commission (IOC) o UNESCO
WG / expe g oups
Ma ine Habi a
Seag ass
Habi a
Ma ine
S uc u ed
IUCN SSC Seag ass Species Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
C-GRASS: Coo dina ed Global Resea ch
Assessmen o Seag ass Sys em
WG / expe g oups
UN In e na ional Seag ass Expe Ne wo k ins i u ions pa ne ship
Seag assNe : Seag ass Moni o ing Ne wo k ins i u ions pa ne ship
Seag ass-Wa ch Global Seag ass Obse ing
Ne wo k
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Co al ee Habi a Ma ine S uc u ed GCRMN: The Global Co al Ree Moni o ing
Ne wo k
ins i u ions pa ne ship
Ree check NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Ree Li e Su ey NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Ben hic Habi a Ma ine S uc u ed HELCOM EG Ben hic: Expe G oup on Ben hic
Habi a s and Bio opes
WG / expe g oups
OSPAR OBHEG: Ben hic Habi a Expe G oup WG / expe g oups
ICES BEWG: Ben hos Ecology Wo king G oup WG / expe g oups
Pelagic habi a s Habi a Ma ine Uns uc u ed OSPAR Pelagic Habi a s Expe G oup WG / expe g oups
Te es ial axa
Bi d Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed Bi dLi e Eu ope Bi dLi e In e na ional NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
EBCC: Eu opean Bi d Census Council NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Pollina o s Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed EUPoMS Pollina o Moni o ing Scheme WG / expe g oups
Eu opean Habi a s Fo um (EHF) WG Pollina o s WG / expe g oups
Bu e ly Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed eBMS - Bu e ly Conse a ion Eu ope (BCE) ins i u ions pa ne ship
S ag Bee le Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed ESBMN: Eu opean S ag Bee le Moni o ing Ne wo k NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
51
Lynx Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed Linking Lynx ne wo k WG / expe g oups
SCALP p ojec - KORA Ca ni o e Ecology and
Wildli e Managemen
ins i u ions pa ne ship
Ibex Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed GSE-AIESG: Alpine Ibex Eu opean Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
EUROIBEX ( om EUROMAMMALS) ins i u ions pa ne ship
Ba Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed EUROBATS In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
Ba Li e Eu ope NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
IUCN SSC Ba Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
Mammals Taxa Te es ial Medium IUCN Species Su i al Commission (SSC)
Specialis G oups and Wo king G oups
(Bea , Bison, Canid, Cap inae, Ca , Ce acean,
Chi op e a, Dee , Lagomo ph, O e , Pinniped,
Pola Bea , P ima e, Small ca ni o e, La ge
ca ni o e)
WG / expe g oups
EUROMAMMALS ne wo k: (EURODEER,
EUREDDEER, EUROBOAR, EUROLYNX,
EUROWILDCAT, EUROIBEX, EUROJACKAL,
EURORACCOON, EUROSMALLAMMALS)
ins i u ions pa ne ship
MCE: Mammal Conse a ion Eu ope NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
MammalNe ins i u ions pa ne ship
Eu opean Mammal Founda ion: Eu opean Mammals
on Maps
WG / expe g oups
Rap o s Taxa Te es ial Uns uc u ed GRIN: Global Rap o Impac Ne wo k - The
Pe eg ine Fund
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
La ge Ca ni o es Taxa Te es ial S uc u ed IUCN SSC Wol , Bea and Ca Specialis
G oups
WG / expe g oups
LCIE: La ge Ca ni o e Ini ia i e o Eu ope IUCN
specialis g oup
WG / expe g oups
Dina ic-Balkan-Pindos Regional Pla o m on La ge
Ca ni o e
In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
KORA: Ca ni o e Ecology and Wildli e
Managemen
ins i u ions pa ne ship
WISO La ge Ca ni o es, Wild Ungula es and
Socie y Wo king G oup - WG om he Alpine
Con en ion
WG / expe g oups
Fungi Taxa Te es ial Medium EMA: Eu opean Mycological Associa ion NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
FunCC: Fungal Conse a ion Commi ee -
Fungal Specialis G oup IUCN
WG / expe g oups
52
Te es ial Habi a
G assland Habi a Te es ial Medium EU g assland wa ch - Cope nicus ins i u ions pa ne ship
EGF: Eu opean G assland Fede a ion NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Soil biodi e si y Habi a Te es ial S uc u ed GSBI: Global Soil Biodi e si y Ini ia i e ins i u ions pa ne ship
SoilBON NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
EU Soil Obse a o y (EUSO) wi h he WG biodi-
e si y & WG moni o ing, h ough LUCAS soil
Biodi e si y module
ins i u ions pa ne ship
Fo es Habi a Te es ial Uns uc u ed ICP Fo es : In e na ional Co-ope a i e P og amme
on Assessmen and Moni o ing o Ai Pollu ion
E ec s on Fo es s
In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
FOREST EUROPE: Minis e ial Con e ence on he
P o ec ion o Fo es s in Eu ope
In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
EFI: Eu opean Fo es Ins i u e In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
Fo es GEO (Global Ea h Obse a o y
Ne wo k)
ins i u ions pa ne ship
Dunes Habi a Te es ial Uns uc u ed BEACH and DUNE NETWORK - om The Coas al
Union Bal ic (EUCC)
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Alpine ecosys ems Habi a Te es ial S uc u ed GLORIA: Global Obse a ion Resea ch
Ini ia i e in Alpine En i onmen s ne wo k
ins i u ions pa ne ship
F eshwa e Habi a s
Lakes Habi a /e
cosys em
F eshwa e S uc u ed GLEON: Global Lake Ecological Obse a o y
Ne wo k
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
F eshwa e
ecosys em
Habi a /e
cosys em
F eshwa e Medium FWBON: F eshwa e Biodi e si y Obse a ion
Ne wo k
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
F eshwa e Taxa
Mac oin e eb a es Taxa F eshwa e S uc u ed GLOSAM : Global mic oin e eb a es sampling
p o ocols ask o ce (IUCN)
WG / expe g oups
Salmon Taxa F eshwa e S uc u ed NASCO: No h A lan ic Salmon Conse a ion
O ganiza ion
In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
ICES WGNAS: Wo king G oup on No h
A lan ic Salmon
WG / expe g oups
S u geon Taxa F eshwa e S uc u ed HELCOM EG STUR: Expe G oup on S u geon
Remedia ion
WG / expe g oups
DSTF: Danube S u geon Task Fo ce WG / expe g oups
WSCS: Wo ld S u geon Conse a ion Socie y NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
IUCN S u geon G oup WG / expe g oups
53
F eshwa e ish Taxa F eshwa e S uc u ed TEN-S: T ans-Eu opean Swimways Ne wo k -
We lands In e na ional
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
In e ace Taxa
Wade s
(sho ebi ds)
Taxa Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed In e na ional Wade S udy G oup (IWSG) WG / expe g oups
Wa e bi ds Taxa Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed In e na ional Wa e bi d Moni o ing - We lands
In e na ional
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Medi e anean Wa e bi ds Ne wo k NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
He pe ology
(amphibian &
ep ile)
Taxa Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
RACE: Rep ile and Amphibian Conse a ion Eu ope NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
SEH: Socie as Eu opaea He pe ologica NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
The Be n Con en ion G oup o Expe s on he
Conse a ion o Amphibians and Rep iles
WG / expe g oups
In asi e alien
species
Taxa Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
Medium EASIN: Eu opean Alien Species In o ma ion
Ne wo k - EC’s In asi e Alien Species Expe G oup
(IASEG) / Wo king G oup on In asi e Alien Species
(WGIAS)
WG / expe g oups
NOBANIS: No h Eu opean and Bal ic Ne wo k on
In asi e Alien species
WG / expe g oups
Be n Con en ion G oup o IAS Expe s WG / expe g oups
INVASIVESNET: In e na ional Associa ion o
Open Knowledge on In asi e Species ne wo k
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
IUCN ISSG: In asi e Species Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
In e ace Habi a s
Mang o es Habi a Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed Global mang o e Alliance NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Pea lands Habi a Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed IUCN CEM Pea land Specialis G oup WG / expe g oups
Global Pea lands Ini ia i e ins i u ions pa ne ship
In e na ional Pea land Socie y (IPS) - Pea lands
and Biodi e si y expe g oup
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
The In e na ional Mi e Conse a ion G oup
(IMCG)
NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Ponds Habi a Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed Eu opean Pond Conse a ion Ne wo k (EPCN) NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Ponde ul ins i u ions pa ne ship

54
We lands Habi a Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed The Global We land Wa ch ins i u ions pa ne ship
We lands In e na ional NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Medi e anean We lands Ini ia i e o he Ramsa
Con en ion (MedWe )
Ramsa - Con en ion on We lands ins i u ions pa ne ship
Lagoons Habi a Te es ial/
Ma ine /
F eshwa e
Medium Bal ic Lagoon Ne wo k (BALLOON) NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
Regions
A c ic Regions Te es ial/
Ma ine
S uc u ed Ci cumpola Biodi e si y Moni o ing
P og amme (CBMP) o he A c ic Council biodi-
e si y wo king g oup, Conse a ion o A c ic
Flo a and Fauna (CAFF)
WG / expe g oups
Alps Regions Te es ial S uc u ed Alpine Con e ence/Alpine con en ion. WG: Alpine
Ne wo k o P o ec ed A eas (ALPARC), La ge
Ca ni o es, Wild Ungula es and Socie y Wo king
G oup (WISO)
NA In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
Py enees Regions Te es ial S uc u ed Wo king Communi y o he Py enees wi h The
Py enees Obse a o y (The Py enees Clima e
Change Obse a o y (OPCC), In e eg POCTEFA)
NA ins i u ions pa ne ship
Ca pa hia Regions Te es ial S uc u ed Ca pa hian Con en ion WG Biodi e si y NA In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
Cen al and Eas e n
Eu opean egion
Regions Te es ial
/ Ma ine /
F eshwa e
S uc u ed CEEweb o Biodi e si y NA ins i u ions pa ne ship
Medi e anean sea Regions Ma ine S uc u ed UNEP/MAP–Ba celona Con en ion: Con en ion o
he P o ec ion o he Medi e anean Sea Agains
Pollu ion - Medi e anean Ac ion Plan o he Uni ed
Na ions En i onmen P og amme SPA/RAC
NA In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
CIESM Medi e anean Science Commission NA ins i u ions pa ne ship
Black Sea Regions Ma ine S uc u ed Black Sea NGO Ne wo k (BSNN) NA NGO, olun ee s ne wo k
No h A lan ic Regions Ma ine S uc u ed OSPAR - Oslo and Pa is Con en ions NA In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
Bal ic Sea Regions Ma ine S uc u ed HELCOM - Bal ic Ma ine En i onmen P o ec ion
Commission
NA In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
Danube Ri e Regions F eshwa e S uc u ed In e na ional Commission o he P o ec ion
o he Danube Ri e (ICPDR) - Moni o ing and
Assessmen Expe G oup (MA EG) & T ansNa ional
Moni o ing Ne wo k
NA ins i u ions pa ne ship
Rhine Ri e Regions F eshwa e S uc u ed In e na ional Commission o he P o ec ion o he
Rhine (ICPR) - ICPR Rhine Moni o ing P og amme
Biology
NA In e -go e nmen al / Ag eemen /
con en ion
55
O he
Mic oo ganisms o he o he Uns uc u ed The DIVERSITY OF EUKARYOTIC
MICROORGANISMS esea ch conso ium (DEMON)
ins i u ions pa ne ship
DNA / genomics o he o he S uc u ed BGE - Biodi e si y Genomics Eu ope: which
b ings oge he he iBOL Eu ope ne wo k and
The Eu opean Re e ence Genome A las (ERGA)
ne wo k
iBOL (in e na ional Ba code o Li e) ins i u ions pa ne ship
56
ANNEX 3. Expe wo kshop on he common minimum
equi emen s o a biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocol:
de ail o he collec i e in elligence ac i i ies and esul s
DAY 1
Collec i e in elligence Session: Iden i ica ion o gene ic p o ocol elemen s
ha would ensu e in e ope abili y - B ains o ming Discussions: 4 g oups
S ep 1: Ex eme Opposi e Thinking - The an i-p oblem
(15 minu es)
Each g oup is asked o imagine he wo s possible
case o he biodi e si y moni o ing p o ocol, one ha
comple ely ails a in e ope abili y. “How can we make
su e ha di e en moni o ing p o ocols a e comple ely
incompa ible?"
S ep 2: Re e se he Insigh s in o Ac ionable Solu ions
(30 minu es)
A e gene a ing ex eme examples, he g oups now
wo k on lipping hei answe s in o posi i e, ac ionable
p o ocol elemen s ha enhance in e ope abili y.
S ep 3: G oup Syn hesis & Sha ing
Each g oup p esen s hei key indings, ocusing on:
1. Top 3 "Bad P o ocol" Elemen s hey iden i ied.
2. Top 3 Re e sed "Good P o ocol" Solu ions ensu ing
in e ope abili y.
3. One conc e e ecommenda ion.
Resul s
S ep 1: Wo s -Case Scena ios – "How o Ensu e To al
Incompa ibili y?"
Ac oss all g oups, key cha ac e is ics o a bad moni o ing
p o ocol we e:
»Lack o cla i y and consensus on objec i es (why, wha ,
how o moni o )
»Unclea o inconsis en de ini ions (e.g., habi a ,
sampling uni , axonomic esolu ion)
»Incompa ible sampling designs: di e en spa ial scales,
uni s, equencies, and me hodologies
»No me ada a o da a s anda ds, leading o unusable
da ase s
»Misma ch in ools, echniques, and equipmen
»No communica ion o collabo a ion
»Legal and poli ical ba ie s o da a sha ing
»Inaccessible o expensi e me hods, no aining o
quali y con ol
»O e eliance on unpaid olun ee s wi hou sus aining
ne wo ks
S ep 2: Flipping o Ac ionable Solu ions
G oups wo ked o iden i y minimum equi emen s and
ha monisable elemen s:
Co e Elemen s o S anda dise
»Moni o ing Objec i es: Clea , sha ed pu pose ac oss
p o ocols
»De ini ions: Ag eed glossa y o key concep s (habi a ,
a ea, sampling uni , e c.)
»Me ada a Templa es: Minimum in o ma ion equi ed
o da ase usabili y
»Sampling Design: Co e s uc u e (e.g., e minal
sampling uni ), spa ial/ empo al cohe ence
»Da a Managemen : FAIR p inciples, open access whe e
possible, clea owne ship
Recommended Flexible Elemen s
»Sampling e o and equency (i wi hin de ined anges)
»Tools and me hods (as long as co e ou pu s a e
compa able)
»In eg a ion o di e en unding o policy con ex s
Key Enabling Ac ions
»Pilo s udies o explo e easibili y and a iabili y
»Capaci y building & aining sessions (including legal/
poli ical con ex s)
»In e calib a ion e o s ac oss si es/ eams
»Communi y and poli ical engagemen
»Communica ion s a egy o in e nal (scien i ic) and
ex e nal (socie al, poli ical) audiences
Conc e e Recommenda ions
1. Consensus on objec i es + de ini ions
2. De ine minimum me ada a empla e pe Thema ic Hub
3. Run EU-le el sub-pilo s udies o in o m p o ocol
design
4. Se co e sampling equi emen s while allowing me h-
odological lexibili y
5. Build s ong communica ion and capaci y suppo
ac oss s akeholde s
57
DAY 2
Collec i e In elligence Session: Ha monisable Dimensions o Sampling Design
- Theo e ical app oach
Session Fo ma :
}Wo ld Ca é Fo ma : G oups o a e e e y (20’, 15’, 15’,
15’) minu es o discuss a speci ic opic and hen come
oge he o sha e insigh s (25’).
}Solid / So / Fuzzy: This me hodology helps assess
aspec s o p o ocols ha ha e o be s ic ly s anda d-
ized (solid), hose ha can be lexible (so ), and hose
o which i migh depend om case o case o ha you
a e no su e abou ( uzzy).
G oup Topics (4 g oups):
Each g oup will ocus on one o he ollowing dimensions.
Table 1: De ining Moni o ing Objec i es
Ques ions o explo e:
}How do objec i es in luence a iable selec ion and
sampling design?
}How can we align objec i es wi h amewo ks like
Essen ial Biodi e si y Va iables (EBVs)?
Solid / So / Fuzzy Classi ica ion:
}Which aspec s mus be ixed o compa abili y?
}Whe e can p o ocols allow lexibili y?
}Wha emains unclea and needs u he discussion?
Resul s
1. Objec i es D i e E e y hing
»Objec i es a e cen al o a iable selec ion, sampling
design, spa ial and empo al esolu ion, and da a
analysis.
»They in luence wha is moni o ed (species, ai s, unc-
ions), how i is moni o ed, and a wha scale.
»Objec i es mus be clea ly de ined be o e designing
p o ocols—bu e en be o e ha , a sha ed unde -
s anding o baselines is needed.
2. Objec i es Can Va y Widely
»May di e depending on policy equi emen s, socie al
needs, o managemen goals (e.g. acking ends s.
de ec ing changes).
»Objec i es om EU na u e di ec i es may sha e he
same a iables, bu apply di e en sampling designs.
3. Challenges wi h Objec i es
»Wha cons i u es an "objec i e" can be unclea .
»Should we ha monise objec i es ac oss coun ies? This
emains a poin o discussion.
»Moni o ing e o s may be e-used o epu posed o
new objec i es, aising ques ions abou adap abili y.
Alignmen wi h F amewo ks (e.g. EBVs)
»EBVs can guide a iable selec ion and help build a
common “g amma ”.
»Howe e , EBVs a e no su icien o co e all EU legis-
la i e needs (e.g., Habi a Di ec i e equi emen s).
»Sugges ion: objec i es could ely on EBVs as a back-
bone, bu addi ional laye s a e needed o speci ic
epo ing obliga ions.
Solid / So / Fuzzy Classi ica ion
Solid (Fixed) Elemen s
»Clea de ini ion o objec i es
»Tempo al esolu ion: he le el o change o be de ec ed
»Wha is sampled (co e axa o componen s)
»Taxonomic backbone
»Co e sampling ques ions
»Wo k dis ibu ion o e ime (moni o ing hy hm)
»Fo some axa (e.g., mig a o y bi ds): ield da es
So (Flexible) Elemen s
»Spa ial si es (whe e moni o ing occu s)
»Seasonali y: may a y depending on phenology (e.g.,
blooming pe iods)
»Some aspec s o p o ocol applica ion (local
adjus men s)
Fuzzy (Unclea o Needs Discussion)
»Whe he and how o ha monise objec i es ac oss
coun ies
»Wha indica o s should be used o moni o ecosys em
s a us
»How o de ine a baseline ( e e ence poin s. heo e -
ical s a e)
»To wha ex en we can euse oppo unis ic da a o
e ol ing objec i es
Conclusion
De ining objec i es is a ounda ional and non-nego iable
s ep o ha monised biodi e si y moni o ing. While some
lexibili y is needed o local implemen a ion, a common
ocabula y, clea baselines, and s a egic alignmen wi h
amewo ks like EBVs a e essen ial o ensu e da a in e -
ope abili y and policy ele ance.
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