| | | | | | | Advanced biodiversity monitoring for results-based and effective agricultural policy and transformationNewsletter #1 | September 2023 | |
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| | | | | | Dear Reader,
welcome to our first BioMonitor4CAP project newsletter. Learn more about our consortium, our goals, as well as current and upcoming activities.
Stay updated on news and developments in the project with our biannual newsletter.
Subscribe here. | |
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| | About BioMonitor4CAP
| Agriculture impacts habitat and species diversity in agricultural landscapes of the EU in different ways. To better detect changes in biodiversity within these landscapes, advanced systems are required for effective monitoring and evaluation of the farmers` efforts towards biodiversity conservation and enhancement.
The BioMonitor4CAP project will combine traditional biodiversity monitoring and indicator systems with novel technologies to
- develop, test and validate advanced biodiversity monitoring systems,
- monitor diversity of targeted species and habitats,
- demonstrate and showcase monitoring systems to farmers within 5 European regions and Peru.
BioMonitor4CAP goals
The ultimate goal of BioMonitor4CAP is to assess, develop, test, validate, and support implementation of effective, affordable, and reliable methods, tools, and technologies to monitor biodiversity of agricultural areas or farmland.
The developed technologies will be used by farmers to quickly, easily and reliably collect biodiversity data from their fields and, if necessary, initiate biodiversity enhancement measures. Such biodiversity monitoring systems can support the implementation of results-based policies in European agricultural landscapes.
For further information visit the project website w w w. biomonitor4CAP. eu. | |
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| | The BioMonitor4CAP consortium
| | The BioMonitor4CAP project involves 23 partners in 10 European countries and Peru. It works with a multi-disciplinary team consisting of ecologists, agronomists, ornithologists, entomologists, soil scientists, biochemists, geo-spatial data experts, acoustic data experts, data scientists, social scientists and economists, and conservationists. | |
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| | | | | | These are the partners in the consortium:
• Bangor University, Great Britain
• Bayer AG, Germany
• British Trust for Ornithology, Great Britain
• Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Bulgaria
• Czech Society for Ornithology, Czech Republic
• Farm Europe, Belgium
• Food4Sustainability, Portugal
• Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, Germany
• German Agricultural Society (DLG e.V.), Germany
• Industrieverband Agrar e.V., Germany
• Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgaria
• Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development Polish Academy of Sciense, Poland
• Kärnten University of Applied Science, Austria
• Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Germany
• Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Germany
• Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Finland
• NatureMetrics, Great Britain
• School of Agribusiness in Lomza, Poland
• Scientific University of the South, Peru
• Space4Good B.V., Netherlands
• Spreewald Biosphere Reserve, Germany
• Stiftung Universität Hildesheim,Germany
• University of Helsinki, Finland
If you want to know more about the BioMonitor4CAP partners and their role within the project click here.
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| | BioMonitor4CAP news: Field visits of major research sites
| For the purpose to strengthen biodiversity on agricultural farms as well as to support the development of the EU biodiversity policies the BioMonitor4CAP project performs research and demonstrates developed biomonitoring approaches at multiple sites in Europe and Peru representing agricultural land, grassland, and agroforestry farming systems.
In total the project manages 22 sites varying in their purpose:
- Major Research Sites in Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal are selected for high-intensity research activities starting in 2023,
- Selected Research Sites in Austria, Finland, Germany, Peru, Portugal, and Poland are selected for research activities starting 2024 ensuring geographical coverage and/or allow assessment of specific species and habitats,
- Demonstration Sites in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, are selected for demonstration and training activities starting in 2025.
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| | | | | To prepare for the start of the research activities in 2023, the respective team members responsible for field trial development, implementation and testing, visited all of the five Major research sites. The UNESCO Spreewald Biosphere Reserve in Germany was the first site visited. Martina Clausen and Nils Borchard from DLG met Nico Heitepriem from the Landesamt für Umwelt Brandenburg (LfU) to learn more about the local farming systems and environmental monitoring schemes on site. In June traps and cameras were set up in one of the visited field to be tested. | |
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| | | | | | | Next, the DLG team together with Ameli Kirse from the LIB visited local project partners Nicky Petkov (Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds) and Dragan Chobanov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) in Bulgaria. The major goal of this field trip was to visit and select suitable research sites and to discuss how to manage field work and collaborative research activities on site. Field work testing out audio and camera devices as well as soil sampling started in June. | |
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| | | | | | Our project partners in Portugal, Daniela Fonseca, Ricardo Chagas, and Cesare Neto from Food4Sustainability welcomed representatives of each Portuguese research site as well as the research implementation team members from the DLG and the LIB in Lisbon. Together they visited test sites within the Montado cork oak forest system of the Campanhia das Lezirias farm, where monitoring devices were set up to be tested in July. | |
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| | | | | | At the end of May, Martina Clausen (DLG) and Ameli Kirse (LIB) met project partners David Noble and Adham Ashton-Butt from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) as well as David Brown, the local partner on site from the NationalTrust on the Purbeck Peninsula in the UK. Together they visited four field sites representing coastal pastures grazed by sheep and cows that are surrounded by hedges. As farmland-associated bird species are of high interest in this region acoustic monitoring systems were set up to be tested and validated here. | |
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| | | | | | | Lastly, in June, team members from the DLG and the LIB, together with Malu Avila from NatureMetrics, project partners from the University of Helsinki and linked partners of the Finish Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), visited the last of BioMonitor4CAP's major research sites in Finland. Here, multiple trap types and acoustic devices were installed as well as soil samples were taken for eDNA analyses. | |
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Upcoming Activities
| Within the project
- Give an overview of methods/indicators of biodiversity and their relation/integration into CAP and other policies
- Starting research activities on the sites in Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal
Upcoming events
- AGRITECHNICA, 12-18 November 2023, Hanover (Germany)
AGRITECHNICA is the showcase for the global agricultural machinery industry and the forum for future crop production issues. Benefit from the know-how of international agricultural industry authorities and discuss current issues, trends and strategies with agricultural experts.
» Read more
- Inhouse Farming – Food & Feed Show, 12-18 November 2023, Hanover (Germany)
Controlled Environment Agriculture – global food security through new agricultural production systems is one of the central tasks of the future.
» Read more
- DLG Feldtage, 11-13 June 2024, Erwitte/Lippstadt (Germany)
Crop production out of the box – a look beyond one’s own field and new thinking of agricultural practices.
» Read more
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| | | | | Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or [name of the granting authority]. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Copyright 2023 BioMonitor4CAP Project. All rights reserved. | |
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