Projektlaufzeit: 01.02.2024-31.01.2027

Projektbearbeitung: NN., Prof. Florian Jansen

Auftraggeber: DFG

Reversing the biodiversity crisis requires precise quantification of the spatial patterns and temporal trends of biodiversity loss, as well as knowledge of links to the main drivers of global change. Monitoring the trajectory of biodiversity is therefore a cornerstone of EU environmental legislation. Following the establishment of the Natura 2000 network, a system has been established for monitoring the change in extent and quality of more than 230 habitat types, together with the status and trends of more than 1,000 species identified by the Habitats Directive (HD) depending on these habitats. While the current reporting system of HD’s Annex 1 habitats has proved principally useful, the assessments are not yet well harmonised across countries. In particular, there is a lack of empirical data on biodiversity change detail and on habitat quality and extent. Thus, there is significant room for improvements.
MOTIVATE aims at improving the characterisation and reporting on the state and trends of European habitats and plant biodiversity, in order to provide a deeper understanding of the pressures and drivers underlying biodiversity changes in Europe. To do this, MOTIVATE will integrate expertise and techniques across different knowledge domains, namely vegetation science, biodiversity modelling, remote sensing and human geography. At its core, MOTIVATE will leverage a database of vegetationplot time series that the members of the proposed research team have already compiled in a community-owned initiative called ReSurveyEurope, integrating on-the-ground data with ongoing monitoring under the HD. These data will be used to produce both habitat- and species-specific assessments of plant biodiversity status and trends. MOTIVATE will also develop workflows for upscaling these results using remote sensing and for attributing drivers to the observed changes based on biodiversity modelling. In addition, MOTIVATE will establish pipelines to collect additional vegetation-plot time series in the future, and invest in capacity-building to secure the involvement of future generations in the continued sampling of time-series. Knowledge exchange among multiple stakeholders will help understanding how biodiversity data can be integrated with broader public perceptions. This will improve how monitoring data is put into practice by decision-makers. Critical to MOTIVATE’s mission is co-designing a data information platform that facilitates future reporting of biodiversity change indicators together with national conservation agencies. This platform will link local time series to spatial information on habitat extent and potential drivers from remote sensing, and to the institutional HD reporting schemes. This will improve data standardisation and accessibility for nature conservation managers and decision makers. In summary, MOTIVATE strives to develop a novel, integrated, transboundary, transdisciplinary and transgenerational approach to biodiversity monitoring.

Partner:
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
University of Vienna
University of Oviedo
University of Bologna
Università degli Studi Roma
Masaryk University
Oulun Yliopisto