BioMonitor4CAP

Description

The main goal of the international research project "BioMonitor4CAP" is to provide modern biodiversity monitoring systems for agriculture in order to identify strategies that achieve the best possible biodiversity conservation and thus support results-based policies in European agricultural landscapes for the protection of biodiversity. 

About half of Europe's land area is used for agriculture. Intensive land use is one of the main causes of habitat and biodiversity loss in the EU. The EU's strategies "Biodiversity 2030" and "Farm to Fork" aim to stop the loss of biodiversity while ensuring human well-being. However, it is still unclear how these strategies will be implemented effectively, as there is currently no results-based monitoring of the changes.

Effective and objectively assessable methods are needed to monitor and visualize biodiversity loss or recovery over time.

Objectives

• Evaluate, develop, test, and validate reliable, efficient, and cost-effective biodiversity monitoring systems that can be applied both on agricultural land and in Natura 2000 sites requiring special protection.
• Provide farmers and the interested public with knowledge, methods, and tools to promote the transformation of agricultural systems.
• Develop predictive models to provide advice on adaptive management practices to enhance on-farm biodiversity internationally and support the development of EU biodiversity policy.

To achieve these goals, different approaches are applied within the BioMonitor4CAP project:

• Combine classical indicator systems with technology-based approaches that include acoustic, optical, and molecular methods.
• Assess the diversity of target species and habitats in five European regions representing the main agro-ecological regions of the EU, as well as in a region in Peru that represents one of the world's biodiversity hotspots.
• Engage various stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of the new developed monitoring systems.

A total of 23 partner organizations from 10 European countries and Peru are part of the project, which is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program. The multidisciplinary project team consists of ecologists, agronomists, ornithologists, entomologists, soil scientists, biochemists, geospatial data experts, data scientists, acoustic data experts, social scientists, economists and conservationists.

LIB will be the BioMonitor4CAP project coordinator and will contribute its expertise in molecular, optical and acoustic methods and indicators for monitoring insect and bird diversity, especially in the work package " Developing, testing and calibrating farmland biodiversity monitoring systems".

Location