ive

EU BON comes to a formal end, but continues to live through its results

Coming to an end, after 4.5 years of hard work and dedicated research, the FP7-funded project EU BON leaves behind a basket of results to support the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) and assist researchers in their future studies.

The EU BON website will continue to exist and host relevant information for at least the next 5 years to ensure project results are easy to access and reuse, not only by EU BON researchers, but for anyone interested in the project or working in the field.

Among the major outcomes of the project, the biodiversity portal is now complete and will be hosted for the next years by CSIC. All EU BON’s tools, products, services and the Citizen Science gateway can be found there.

Additionally, about 15 of our tools will soon be included in the GEO BON’s BON-in-a-Box to ensure sustainability and exploitation of results.

All EU BON related publications are available via the project’s website. Moreover,  important documents are also in a dedicated piloting RIO Open Science collection, demonstrating how next-generation publishing can ensure sustainability of results coming from along the research cycle, including data, guidelines, infographics and more.

EU BON’s success could not be possible without the professional and friendly team of consortium partners and 33 associated partners, who’ve worked hard together and have contributed in various ways and with different efforts.


Credit: Dirk Schmeller





ive

How Ecosystem and Biodiversity data and knowledge can support the GEO objectives: EU BON’s session at the European GEO Workshop

The 11th European Projects GEO Workshop took place between 19-21 June 2017, in Helsinki, Finland, bringing together European stakeholders interested in and actively contributing to the Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS).

Alongside the plenary (see presentations here), the conference featured 20 sessions looking at various aspects GEOSS, its objectives and their implementation.

Among those EU BON took part in a dedicated session titled ‘How Ecosystem and Biodiversity data and knowledge can support the GEO objectives’, alongside fellow projects and initiatives, and associated partners ECOPOTENTIAL, LTER-Europe, GLOBIS-B, EKLIPSE and ENEON.


Credit: F. Wetzel

The session aimed to inform about recent developments of relevant projects that focus on Ecosystems and Biodiversity and also outline how the generated data and knowledge can support the GEO objectives and inform relevant policies on a European and global scale.  

EU BON, as a now completed project, opened the session by presenting its major products in particular the European Biodiversity Portal and how current and future projects can build on the outcomes achieved.

Overall, the session gave the opportunity to learn about the different approaches of selected EU-projects that address the mobilization, integration and analysis of biodiversity and ecosystem data, their current achievements and existing barriers. Here are some of the Key Messages that emerged from the session: 

  • For biodiversity and ecosystem approaches, European level efforts are needed to achieve comprehensive data coverage and full open access, especially for in situ data integration.
  • Existing European-level data portals and information platforms need to be sustained and considered as integration points for national and local data hubs. 
  • Systematic approaches for biodiversity are needed, which means linking biotic and abiotic data and improving harmonization efforts for the whole data cycle/ workflows from data collection, analysis and dissemination for different disciplines (SBAs). 
  • Essential (Biodiversity) Variables (EBVs) are a key concept / framework especially for monitoring / long-term observations that should be applied for all available biodiversity/ecosystem data fields.
  • Use examples from existing projects and networks as successful blueprints for bottom-up/user-driven approaches in GEOSS that relate to knowledge and user needs at the local scale. 




ive

New EU BON research reviews the most relevant sources for European biodiversity observation data to identifying important barriers and fill gaps

Recently published in Biological Conservation, the new EU BON supported paper is titled "Unlocking biodiversity data: Prioritization and filling the gaps in biodiversity observation data in Europe".
 
Abstract:
 
Large quantities of biodiversity data are required to assess the current status of species, to identify drivers of population and distributional change, and to predict changes to biodiversity under future scenarios. Nevertheless, currently-available data are often not well-suited to these purposes. To highlight existing gaps, we assess the availability of species observation data in Europe, their geographic and temporal range, and their quality. We do so by reviewing the most relevant sources for European biodiversity observation data, and identifying important barriers to filling gaps. We suggest strategies, tools and frameworks to continue to fill these gaps, in addition to producing data suitable for generating Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). Our review of data sources shows that only around a third of data-providers provide unrestricted data access. Particularly large geographic gaps exist in Eastern European countries and many datasets are not suitable for generating EBVs due to the absence of long-term data. We highlight examples built on recent experiences from large data integrators, publishers and networks that help to efficiently improve data availability, adopt open science principles and close existing data gaps. Future strategies must urgently consider the needs of relevant data stakeholders, particularly science- and policy-related needs, and provide incentives for data-providers. Hence, sustainable, longterm infrastructures and a European biodiversity network are needed to provide such efficient workflows, incentives for data-provision and tools.
 
 

 





ive

Symposium: Nature and Governance – Biodiversity Data, Science, and the Policy Interface

The EU BON project which is coordinated by the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin/Germany has started on 1 December and will continue for 4.5 years. The EU BON Kickoff Meeting will be held in Berlin from 13 to 15 February 2013.
With respect to EU BON’s objectives the International Symposium "Nature and Governance – Biodiversity Data, Science, and the Policy Interface" will be held prior to the EU BON Kickoff Meeting from 11 to 12 February in Berlin with high-ranking speakers. You are most welcome to attend the Symposium.
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is pleased to host this international symposium and will bring together high-ranking speakers and guests from worldwide to talk and discuss about these
Major Topics:
- What (data) policy needs
- The future of biodiversity information: new ways for generating, managing, and integrating biodiversity data
- How new approaches / models can link scales and disciplines
- Broadening the base and opening up: new ways to engage the public and stakeholders in biodiversity monitoring and assessments
- Résumé / conclusions
For more details, please have a look at the programme page.
The 1st day of the Symposium and the reception will be held "under the dinosaurs" in the central exhibition hall of the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin.
The 2nd day will be held in the Seminaris Conference Center in the quiet south-west of Berlin. The closing of the Symposium will be celebrated as "Come together & Ice-Breaker for EU BON Kickoff Meeting" in the nearby beautiful Large Green House of the Botanic Garden Berlin.
If you want to take part, please register at the registration page.

 





ive

Workshop: Towards a Roadmap for Research Infrastructures on Biodiversity and Ecosystem research in Europe

The Research Infrastructures Unit of DG RTD and the infrastructure project LifeWatch invites you to a 1 and ½ day workshop : "Towards a Roadmap for Research Infrastructures on Biodiversity and Ecosystem research in Europe". The workshop will take place Brussels on 19 and 20 March 2013.
The overall objective of this workshop is to develop synergies between ESFRI research infrastructures (RI), existing research infrastructures implemented as Integrating Activities (IA), Integrated Projects (IP) and Joint Programming Initiatives (JPI) which are relevant to Biodiversity and Ecosystem research.
The following topics will be discussed:
1. Synergy between the biodiversity components of different initiatives, also in view of the supporting role of the European research infrastructures in this area.
2. A strategy for the development of biodiversity research infrastructures in the next ten years in view of emerging scientific and technical challenges.

Further information: EuroMarine





ive

ALTER-Net Conference 2013: Science underpinning the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy

The primary focus of the conference will be the objectives and targets of the EU's 2020 Biodiversity Strategy, which should be realized by the end of this decade. Being a science-policy interface network, ALTER-Net wants to help the EU in realizing these targets by providing scientific knowledge, e.g. by pointing out possible weaknesses, opportunities and necessities, and by helping to find solutions and evidence-based actions.
Event web page: ALTER-Net Conference 2013.




ive

Natural History Museum Symposium, London, 3-4 June, 2013: Tropical biodiversity in the 21st century

 

A conference marking the start of the Natural History Museum’s Biodiversity Initiative has been announced to take place on 3-4 June, 2013 in the NHM, London.  A workshop of the Genomic Observatories Network will be also hosted during the conference

The conference will focus on how inter-disciplinary, genomic approaches can be developed to accelerate the study of biodiversity and function of tropical ecosystems.

More information on the conference can be found here.





ive

Biodiversity Informatics Horizons 2013

 

Biodiversity Informatics Horizons 2013 (BIH2013) is part of a continuing process that helps to structure and organise the biodiversity informatics community at the European level and beyond. BIH2013 will take place over 3 full days, from lunchtime on Tuesday 3rd September to lunchtime Friday 6th. The venue will be in Rome but is still awaiting final confirmation.

To respond to the challenges and priorities of the next decade in biodiversity and ecosystems research, structuring bottom-up and top-down interactions on informatics and cooperating across the community is now an essential activity. Cooperation avoids unnecessary duplication of activity. It helps to maximise and focus effort on building the information resources, tools and infrastructure the scientists and policymakers need. We all know the importance of this as we face environmental, societal and human health challenges on global scale. Science in support of policy to mitigate biodiversity loss due to climate and other man-made changes, to assure food security, and to combat invasive species (to give just a few examples) can only be achieved by full integration of the biodiversity research community through a commonly-shared, sustainable e-infrastructure across all sub-disciplines that reliably serves science and society alike. Hence, the need to coordinate.

Invited speakers will review challenging areas and promising technologies in biodiversity informatics, pathways to sustainable implementation and changing the community culture. A panel discussion with experts from regions of the world beyond Europe will explore opportunities for international cooperation that lead towards a sustainable global infrastructure. Demonstration and training activities, provided by some of the FP7 projects associated with the conference will allow delegates to see first-hand some of the new and exciting infrastructure building blocks that will come together to deliver the LifeWatch vision.

To read more and register for the conference, please click here.

For early registration conference fee, please register before 31 July.





ive

Biodiversity Knowledge 2nd Conference

The FP7 Coordination action BiodiversityKnowledge on "designing a network of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services to inform decision-making in Europe" is organizing its second international conference on September 24th to 26th in Berlin.
The objective of this second conference is to discuss and finalize the recommended design of a future Network of Knowledge (NoK) on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe.
Considering the importance of this future Network of Knowledge, representatives of the biodiversity and ecosystem service knowledge community - from practitioners, researchers to policy makers - are warmly invited to actively participate in this conference and to contribute to the design process of a European Network of Knowledge during 2013.
Event web page: Biodiversity Knowledge 2nd Conference





ive

Training Workshop for ENM studies (Cardiff University, UK)

Introduction to using BioVeL workflows for taxonomic refinement, biogeographic analysis, and species distribution modelling

The training workshop will teach the attendees in using the informatic tools and services developed by the BioVeL project to address research topics such as historical analyses, invasive species distribution modelling, endangered species distribution modelling, and dynamic modelling of ecologically related species. In particular, there will be  introductions to the BioVeL e-infrastructure, Taxonomic data cleaning, Taxonomic name resolution and synonym expansion, Ecological niche modelling, model testing, statistical analysis of GIS data, invasive and endangered species distribution modelling, historical comparison biodiversity from museum collections. more ...





ive

E-seminar: Data Exchange for Biodiversity Conservation in Freshwater Ecosystems: Introducing the BioFresh Platform and Data Portal

The FP7 projects BioFresh and WaterDiss2.0 are pleased to announce the E-seminar "Data Exchange for Biodiversity Conservation in Freshwater Ecosystems: Introducing the BioFresh Platform and Data Portal". The E-seminar will take place on Thursday, November 28 from 14:00 to 15:00 CET.

It will be hosted on the seminar website (http://waterdiss.eu/eseminar-biofresh) where a link will be available for it.

The E-seminar will introduce the audience to the usage of the BioFresh Platform and Data Portal, in order to ensure a better understanding of the different components. Aaike De Wever, Science Officer of BioFresh, will explain which data and information are integrated and for which contributions BioFresh is looking. Participants are encouraged to join in for a live discussion via "Citrix go to Webinar".

If you want to participate in the e-seminar, you only need to send an email to evelyn.lukat@ecologic.eu. You will receive further information via mail. If you decide on participating later, you can also simply join the seminar by following the link provided on November 28th on this website.

A few important notes:

  • The e-seminar will be conducted in English
  • The video and the questions asked during the session will be available on the websites of the BioFresh data portal and this website.

Technical details on the E-seminar:

  • When clicking on the link, the application Citrix Go To Webinar will be downloaded. Nothing will be installed on your computer. However, please make sure that your computer is able to run java applications.
  • Please make sure that the sound system on your computer works. If your sound system does not work properly, you can also dial in via phone. Please check the dial-in number for your country on this website by November 28th.

 

 

 





ive

Building Biodiversity Workflows with Taverna (Manchester, UK)

The course is a two-day hands-on training event. The course will accommodate 10-15 researchers. The program consists of introductory lectures, practical computer work, and discussions. Researchers will be contacted upon admission in order to consider their own research objectives for the course. more ...





ive

Biodiversity Day at GEO-X "From observation to decision"

Tue, 14th Jan 2014, 9:00-16:45, GEO-X Plenary, CICG Room 2 (entrance floor), Geneva
 
The Swiss Government, with the help of the Swiss Biodiversity Forum, is organizing this Biodiversity Special Event in the frame of the 10th GEO Plenary meeting and Ministerial Summit in Geneva, to raise awareness of the importance of the biodiversity and ecosystem services activities in GEO (Global Earth Observation).
 
The programme offers talks on Biodiversity Observation Networks at all scales, on how to use spatial data for ecosystem assessments, and provides case studies on how to connect different user needs with biodiversity and ecosystem observations. Moreover, there will be a poster presentation of different biodiversity observation projects in Switzerland in the Swiss Pavillon, and a panel discussion on "How to improve biodiversity information and use it for decision making". (see the attached programme). 
 
The event is open to the public. Registration is free of charge. Lunch is only provided to registered participants. 
 
Please register until the 10th of January 2014 at:  http://www.biodiversity.ch/e/events/geo-x/

 





ive

2014 SCIENCE POLICY SYMPOSIUM to support the implementation of the 2020 Biodiversity strategy and the EU Water Framework Directive

The 2014 SCIENCE POLICY SYMPOSIUM to support the implementation of the 2020 Biodiversity strategy and the EU Water Framework Directive will be held between 29-30 Jan 2014 in the Museum of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels. The symposium is jointly organised by the EU FP7 funded projects BioFresh and REFRESH.

Numerous EU biodiversity and water related policies have been designed to protect freshwater ecosystems and ensure their sustainable use. However, major challenges still persist in the implementation of these policies. Freshwater ecosystems support 10% of all animal species on Earth and provide a diverse array of functions and services that contribute to human well-being. In recent decades global freshwater biodiversity has declined at a greater rate compared to terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

The Science Policy Symposium for Freshwater Life is organised with the aim of bringing together policy makers and stakeholders from the water, energy and conservation sector, NGOs, the scientific community and selected experts to discuss challenges to implementing the 2020 Biodiversity strategy and the EU Water Framework Directive.

 

 





ive

Seminar ‘Use of biodiversity in research according to the upcoming EU regulation’

On Tuesday March 4, 2014 at the Science Park De Uithof in Utrecht a seminar will address the changing legal situation in the use of living material (genetic resources) for scientific research. This change may affect ongoing and new research carried out in universities and related research institutes.
In many universities research is carried out using plants or animals, or derivatives thereof. Now, context is changing after the Nagoya Protocol was agreed upon in 2010, and the EU has worked towards regulation of the new requirements. These are to become effective when the Nagoya Protocol comes into force, which is expected to happen after mid-2014. Shortly afterwards, the EU regulation will also become effective. The Council, European Parliament and the European Commission have come to an informal agreement that will shortly be finalised.
The seminar Use of biodiversity in research according to the upcoming EU regulation aims to introduce the new legislation to the scientific community. The seminar is of relevance to University boards and their legal departments, as well as scientists and managers of collections.
 
For more details and to apply please see here





ive

BiodiversityKnowledge at the EU parliament "Towards a consolidated Network of Knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe"

On the 1st of April, between 9:30 and 16:30, the BiodiversityKnowledge project organises a conference where outcomes will be presented and widely discussed with policy makers, science and other stakeholders at the European parliament in Brussels. As final result, BiodiversityKnowledge will present a stakeholder’s document outlining a recommended design on how such a Network of Knowledge could operate and produce added value.

EU BON will be also presented at the confernce as one of the knowledge providers of the Network of Knowledge.

To counteract biodiversity loss, efforts have considerably increased over the past years to strengthen the science-policy-society interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. There is indeed an active landscape of projects, institutions, organisations and individuals in Europe involved in this interface, all aiming to improve the knowledge flow so that decisions at different policy levels (from European, to national and local levels) are based on the best available knowledge.

With the 7th Environmental Action Programme and the start of Horizon2020 and its focus on innovative solutions for society, the need for more concerted activities in this context become even more important.

In this context, BiodiversityKnowledge (FP7 KNEU), an EU-funded coordination action has been set up to help to map, mobilise and organise this landscape focusing on the knowledge holders’ community. For this the project has been developing and testing a prototype Network of Knowledge since 2011 with more than 300 active participations of representatives of the biodiversity and ecosystems services knowledge community. Stakeholders involved ranged from practitioners and researchers to policy-makers.

Please find the conference agenda attached below.

 





ive

Digital Conservation Conference 2014 (University of Aberdeen, UK)

 

Digital applications in nature conservation have rapidly gained prominence and now span a range of areas, including:

  • Digital public engagement, learning, citizen science, crowd-sourcing
  • e-learning and e-gaming
  • Novel monitoring tools
  • Database connectivity and access
  • Online decision-making support systems

Building on the optimistic view that digital technology has a huge potential to aid nature conservation, this  conference will also critically address the multidisciplinary dimensions of the impacts of digital applications on this societally important field.

Digital Conservation seeks to establish a new research agenda, by fostering the exchange of ideas, insights and experiences between scientists and practitioners in a field that will increasingly shape human interactions with nature.

Abstract submission for talk, poster, or demo DEADLINE: 24th March 2014

Event Flyer





ive

Biodiversity today for tomorrow

The International BION conference 2014 "Biodiversity today for tomorrow" will take placefrom September 17th to 19th in Bonn, Germany.

It will be organized by the BION office and its network partners and the following subthemes have already been proposed:

1: Basic research in biodiversity
2: Monitoring, assessment, prediction – biodiversity in space and time
3: Biodiversity and Human Development
4: Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture / Bioeconomy
5: Ethical aspects of biodiversity
6: Societal (social, cultural, political) impact
7: Capacity Building
8: Interdisciplinary approaches

More information is available on the BION website: http://www.bion-bonn.org/de/de/bion-kongress-2014

Please, see conference programme for details and use the possibility for online registration.

 





ive

International Seminar on Participatory Monitoring for the Management of Biodiversity and Natural Resources

 Recognizing the important role of innovation and benchmark the various initiatives of participatory monitoring in the world, the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, ARPA, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, Mangrove Project in Brazil, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Ecological Research Institute and Nordisk Fond og Miljø is Udvikling, with the support of the Convention on Biological Diversity are organizing the International Seminar on Participatory Monitoring for the Management of Biodiversity and Natural Resources to take place in Manaus, Brazil between 22 and 26 September 2014.
 
Worldwide there is a growing demand for information on the state of conservation of biodiversity as a key tool to support the management of natural resources and depending on the investment strategies of many countries in the protection of nature and sustainable resource use tool. Several initiatives for monitoring biodiversity and natural resources have emerged around the world in an attempt to meet this need. Many of these initiatives rely on the involvement of persons residing, use natural resources or participate in the management of the areas where they develop the monitoring, often from traditional populations.

The community involvement of these populations may happen for several reasons and through different mechanisms, increasing both related to biodiversity conservation as the empowerment of local communities results. Although varied, the role of populations has intensified and generating a wide range of initiatives generically called participatory monitoring. By understanding the enormous potential contribution to biodiversity conservation and local development, research organizations, non-governmental conservation organizations and governments huddled and development to enhance and disseminate participatory monitoring initiatives worldwide.
 
Find out more about participation and the agenda of the seminar in the attached document.




ive

Creative-B final event

The Creative-B project final even will take place on 26 Sep 2014 in Brussels. During this event, a roadmap of global data infrastructures supporting biodiversity and ecosystem research will be presented.

In the last two decades quite a number of activities emerged to manage, share and deploy the fast growing data volumes from observations, collections, sensors and other data sources in biodiversity and ecosystem research. This data "gravity" pushed new applications and services, resulting in the development and establishment of large-scale research infrastructures. Following an initiative of the European LifeWatch research infrastructure, a number of large-scale data research infrastructures* with a global outreach in this scientific area teamed together in the project Creative-B (Coordination of Research e-Infrastructures Activities Toward an International Virtual Environment for Biodiversity)**.

The collaboration resulted in drafting a global Roadmap focusing on common priorities and infrastructure engagement, enhancing infrastructure interoperability, and the legal and governance implications. Specific issues are addressing challenges to sustain data availability and services, user interaction and value delivery, cooperation for infrastructure interoperability as well as legal interoperability, and finally education and training. This Roadmap shows how global interaction is promoting complementary development while fostering synergy for supporting frontier research and addressing global and societal challenges. The event in Brussels will also highlight some implications for other stakeholders such as funding and governmental bodies.

Registration is now open here: http://creative-b-2014.sciencesconf.org/registration

Find out more on the event website, and in the event program.

 





ive

Twelfth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 12)

The Twelfth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 12) will take place from 6 to 17 October 2014 in the Alpensia Convention Center, Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, Republic of Korea.
 
The theme of the conference will be "Biodiversity for Sustainable Development":
- To raise international awareness about the essential role of biodiversity and its contribution to sustainable development.
- To put strong emphasis on biodiversity at the discussions of Post-2015 Development Agenda and setting of Sustainable
   Development Goals (SDGs).
 
Mor einformation is available on the conference website: http://www.cbdcop12.kr/eng/sub/conference/conference01_2.php




ive

Biodiversity and Food Security – From Trade-offs to Synergies

3rd International Conference on Biodiversity and the UN Millennium Development Goals - October 29-31, 2014, Aix-en-Provence, France
 
This international conference is the third in a series, organized by the French CNRSInstitut Ecologie et Environnement (InEE) and the German Leibniz Association (WGL).

The goal is to identify science-based solutions for global sustainability focusing on the issues of biodiversity and food security. Current ecological, economic and societal challenges for development require a holistic understanding of food security and environmental management: from this perspective, biodiversity can be seen as key to overcome trade-offs and to develop synergies between the food system and the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, and species. The conference seeks to attract scientists from basic and applied research. It involves policy makers and other stakeholders concerned with biodiversity and food security themes who are interested in developing new solutions and strategies. It will connect researchers and stakeholders from natural sciences, social sciences, economics, humanities, technology and related fields.

http://biodiv2014.sciencesconf.org/

 





ive

Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development conference

From 22 to 24 March 2015, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) will host an international conference at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, entitled, Africa Rising: Mobilising Biodiversity Data for Sustainable Development. The event is being organised in partnership with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). It aims to:

  1. Accelerate regional understanding of the biodiversity data-science-policy value chain and draw attention to the opportunities and solutions that biodiversity data presents for sustainable development in Africa;
  2. Strengthen regional engagement, learning networks, and collaborative synergies with a view to streamlining the data-science-policy value chain; and
  3. Galvanise political commitment to mobilising Africa’s biodiversity data.

The event emanates from the project, Mobilising Africa’s Biodiversity Data, which is generously supported by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation and entails developing a strategy for capturing, digitising and publishing Africa’s policy-relevant biodiversity data whilst strengthening regional capacity and collaboration in biodiversity information management.

More information is available at: http://www.sanbi.org/news/sanbi-host-africa-rising-mobilising-biodiversity-data-sustainable-development-conference

 





ive

Empowering Biodiversity Research conference

There is a world of tools, standards and data out there, ready for you to use. Biodiversity Informatics deals with the application of informatics techniques to biodiversity information for improved management, presentation, discovery, exploration and analysis of scientific data. Combined with open data sources on the Internet, this is a powerful new approach in doing research. During this conference, organised by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and several key institutes, we would like to take you on a trip to the world of biodiversity informatics & open data. After this conference a series of related workshops will be organized.





ive

3rd EU BON Stakeholder Round Table "Biodiversity data workflow - from data mobilisation to practice"

The 3rd EU BON Stakeholder Round Table "Biodiversity data workflow - from data mobilisation to practice" will take place on 10&11 December 2015 Granada, Spain.

One main objective of the round table is to understand how the workflow from data mobilisation to decision making functions in practice, including within the context of EU BON.

Firstly, we want to evaluate what kind of (biodiversity) data are available and what workflows and best practices already exist. Secondly, we want to assess which gaps still exist and what will be needed to improve the current situation to overcome existing barriers.

Please register here: http://societas.biodiv.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de/?q=node/64

 





ive

Global Forest Observations Initiative Plenary and Open Forum

 

The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) is organising the GFOI Plenary and Open Forum to be hosted by the European Space Agency in Frascati, Italy from 22 February 2016 – 26 February 2016.

Building on the success of the Paris Conference of the Parties, this Forum provides an excellent opportunity to hear from international experts, implementation agencies and other developing countries and discuss the activities, ambitions and outcomes that have been made possible by the GFOI.

The GFOI provides guidance and supports capacity development activities for implementing forest Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems. This ensures such systems comply with United Nations rules and facilitates potential participation in REDD+. A key role of the initiative is to foster the supply and use of satellite observations to facilitate national reporting on greenhouse gas emissions.

The GFOI holds an annual Plenary that brings together the international experts that are involved in the GFOI. This year, the GFOI is integrating an Open Forum which will involve participation of a broad range of developing countries that are designing MRV systems. This session will:

  1. showcase and provide a hands on experience of the guidance material available through the GFOI and the new online portal;
  2. provide an opportunity for countries to present on the development and implementation of MRV systems and provide guidance and feedback to GFOI partners, users, producers and distributors

All countries and institutions that have an interest in the application of satellite data in the development of national forest monitoring systems that are compliant with IPCC-guidelines and UNFCCC reporting, will have an interest in attending.

The week will also feature meetings of the individual GFOI Components: Space Data; Methods and Guidance; Research and Development; and Capacity Building. The Components will come together in plenary sessions to share news, showcase new tools and systems and discuss the cooperative activities of the GFOI.
 
Registration is open no later than Monday 1 February 2016, via the link: http://www.gfoi.org/2016-gfoi-plenary-and-open-forum/

 





ive

Global Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring: Science, Data and Infrastructure Needs for IPBES and Beyond

 

"Global Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring: Science, Data and Infrastructure Needs for IPBES and Beyond" is a joint symposium of the Future Earth Clusters ‘Global Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring, Prediction and Reporting’ and "Support for IPBES", which will take place from 6 to 10 March 2016 in Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland. 

The symposium follows up on the initial meeting on "Global Biodiversity Monitoring" at Yale University in May 2015. The 2016 event will in particular bring biodiversity and global change scientists from Europe, Africa, and Asia to this discussion and add as additional focus the scientific needs for IPBES, in particular on indicators and scenarios. Key goals of the conference are to link the main research groups active in this area, improve data sharing, develop collaborative analyses, realize potential synergies and advance international cooperation. Work efforts to date have been organized into several working groups and the meeting will provide opportunity for these groups to advance or complete their work and for new initiatives to form. Future Earth is entering the next formative stage and the symposium is a forum to advance the role of biodiversity within Future Earth as well as develop or engage in new research and funding opportunities under its umbrella.

Please see here for the draft program and logistical information, and http://biodiversitymonitoring.org for more background about the Future Earth Biodiversity Monitoring cluster.

Further information on the event is available in the official announcement here.

 





ive

EU BON biodiversity data sharing and data publishing workshop

EU BON is organising a "Biodiversity data sharing and data publishing workshop" to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria on 22-23 March 2016. The event is directed to biologists and other life scientists from Eastern Europe who are actively involved in monitoring  and managing biodiversity data. A core topic of this training will be the  publishing of biodiversity data, in particular species occurrences, sample-based and citizen science data. The training will include a practical session during which participants will be assisted by experienced trainers from the EU BON project.

Addressing global problems, such as biodiversity loss and impacts of climate change requires open access to data. This was concluded by world leaders at Johannesburg Summit in 2002 when they established the Group for Earth Observations (GEO).  EU BON (Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network) seeks to enhance biodiversity data availability and integration, and is the European contribution to the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network.

All biodiversity databases need to be integrated in GEO. Therefore, EU BON undertakes capacity building of biodiversity communities (e.g. researchers, citizen scientists, non-governmental organisations) that are involved in collecting and disseminating biodiversity information, including monitoring initiatives.

The sessions on data sharing will cover introductory overview of key concepts,  demonstration and  practical  exercise using the GBIF Integrated Publishing Toolkit  (IPT). The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is the world's largest initiative for enabling free access to biodiversity data via internet.

Special attention will be paid to data paper publishing led by specialists from Pensoft Publishers - a company well known among biodiversity scientists worldwide for technologically cutting-edge open access journals, such as: Research Ideas and Outcomes, ZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, Nature Conservation, and a strong advocate of data publishing. Registration of data in GEO registry system will be also addressed during the workshop.

The following topics will be covered (detailed program will follow):

  • The data publishing landscape, gaps and mobilization efforts
  • Demonstration and practical session on data publishing using the GBIF IPT: step-by-step demo will show in detail (and in practice) how to publish a dataset using IPT.
  • Data papers: types, structure, opportunities
  • Citizen Science gateway and demo of PlutoF Citizen Science module
  • GoldenGate Imagine tool and copyright issues
  • Registration of data in the GEO Registry System

To register and for more information, click here.





ive

Biodiversity Without Boundaries 2016

Biodiversity without Boundaries (BWB) 2016 takes place on 18-22 April in the biodiversity-rich, abundant, and beautiful Puerto Rico.

In collaboration with our Puerto Rico Network Partners - the Puerto Rico Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DRNA) and the leading environmental and educational nonprofit Para la Naturaleza - the NatureServe Network’s annual conference will convene hundreds of the world’s leading conservationists for a week of plenaries, symposiums, workshops, panels, presentations, and field sessions.

To register and for more information, please visit the official event's page.





ive

Space - the final frontier for biodiversity monitoring

The ZSL Institute of Zoology is organizing a one day symposim "Space - the final frontier for biodiversity monitoring?" to take place on 29 April 2016. The event will bring together leading experts in biodiversity monitoring and satellite remote sensing to discuss ways to better capitalise on this technology to monitor biological diversity globally.

For more information on participation and logistics, please visit the official event 's page.





ive

2nd International GGBN Conference on Biodiversity Biobanking

The Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin are glad to welcome you to the 2016 GGBN conference, held from June 21 through June 24, 2016, in Berlin, Germany.

The Global Genome Biodiversity Network is a collaborative effort to cryo-preserve and provide access to genomic samples from across the Tree of Life.
Sessions and Workshops are planned on

  • Concerted collecting and sampling strategies to preserve the Tree of Life
  • Sampling the lost world in Natural History collections
  • Nagoya Protocol: consequences and solutions
  • Knowledge exchange: natural history meets applied biobanking
  • Implementing GGBN standards and best practice

More information here.

 





ive

Biodiversity research for and by citizens in Eastern Europe: tools, information services and public engagement

Citizens in democratic society are no longer just passive bystanders when science is in focus. They show interest in results, ask for consultation and contribute with data. For many fields of research citizen science data are valuable additional information.
 
The FP7 project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network - EU BON (http://eubon.eu/) now organizes a dedicated Citizen Science Workshop to explore the opportunities and tools for citizens in Eastern Europe to engage in biodiversity research. The workshop will take place on 27-28 June 2016 at the University of Tartu Natural History Museum, Estonia.
 
Engaging citizens is a challenge both for society and for researchers. There are new tools and methods which allow to manage citizen science projects, collect data and provide feedback to citizen scientists. The workshop will present EU BON results of citizen science mobilizing efforts for biodiversity research, provide training for citizen science tools and showcase some examples of Estonian projects and European initiatives. Workshop will also make an effort to prioritize recommendations and next steps for citizen science integration into biodiversity research.
 
To view the programme, learn more and subscribe, please visit the event's webpage here: http://eubon.cybertaxonomy.africamuseum.be/CS%20workshop




ive

ScenNet Biodiversity and Ecosystem Scenarios Network Scenarios and Models of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Support of Decision-Making

The conference covers scenarios and modelling applications in marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems, across all relevant disciplines of natural and social sciences. It is open to scientists and experts working in the field, policy makers and practioners. The conference focuses on: (i) Exploring recent advances in modelling human impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services, (ii) Addressing the use of scenarios and models for decision support, (iii) Mobilising observations of biodiversity and ecosystem services for model development and testing, (iv) Capacity building for developing scenarios and models and for their use in decision making, (v) Horizon scanning and addressing gaps in knowledge.

More information available on the conference website.

 





ive

14th FishBase Annual Symposium, "FishBase and SeaLifeBase: a diversity of uses for biodiversity studies"

Theme:  FishBase and SeaLifeBase: a diversity of uses for biodiversity studies  

Date:      September 9, 2016

Venue:   Amphitheatre Rouelle, Museum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Paris

See tentative program/agenda below..

Open to all interested. If you wish to attend this event, contact:

Patrice Pruvost
Chargé de conservation d'ichtyologie
UMR Borea-7208
Département milieux et peuplements aquatiques
Museum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN)
CP26 - 43 rue cuvier
tel : 33 1 40 79 37 60
fax : 33 1 40 79 37 71
75005 Paris
E-mail: pruvost@mnhn.fr





ive

Basics of Taxonomy: describing, illustrating and communicating biodiversity, a DEST course

The 5th edition of the DEST course "Basics of Taxonomy" is co-organised with the Scandinavian Research School in Biosystematics (ForBio). The course will take place from 10 to 21 October 2016 at the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences, Kristineberg.

Course topics covered: DELTA, digital drawing, scientific illustration, scientific writing and communication, Scratchpads.

For more infromation and to register, please go to: http://taxonomytraining.eu/content/basics-taxonomy-describing-illustrating-and-communicating-biodiversity-0

 

 





ive

CETAF 40 General Meeting & 20th Anniversary Event

The 40th CETAF General Meeting will take place in Madrid, Spain, on the 18th-19th October 2016 at the Royal Botanic Garden, followed by the CETAF 20th Anniversary Event "Why natural history collections matter" to be held on the 20th October
 
Meeting venue: Royal Botanic Garden at Madrid and goggle map access (coordinates: N40.4097702 - W3.690096). Please, be aware that the public entrance to the Garden is located in the opposite corner of the Garden premises, and it is closed before 10:00 am. Attendants could use it, but only during opening hours of the Garden.




ive

13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

The 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will take place from 4 to 17 December 2016 - Cancun, Mexico.

More information to follow here: https://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=cop-13





ive

Sharing Biodiversity data for re-use: Informatic tools and processes in Ecology

By lending access via the Internet to biodiversity data in open data infrastructures, biodiversity informatics worldwide allows anyone, anywhere to access and analyze data about all types of life on Earth. In applying common standards, research not previously possible is enabled, and better decisions to conserve and sustainably use the biological resources of the planet made possible.

In this symposium an overview of present and future opportunities will be given alongside recent research presentations and demonstrations of up-to-date tools for providing and acquiring information, handling data and presenting results.

The symposium is arranged as an Oikos Satellite Symposium but is open to anyone, i.e. also those not attending the Oikos conference can register for the symposium.

This symposium is organised by Swedish LifeWatch, GBIF Sweden and Department of Ecology at SLU and it will take place on February 6 2017, in Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, Sweden.

For more information, please visit the official event's page: http://www.slu.se/biodiversity-informatics





ive

BIOTALENT EU Conference: Tackling biodiversity challenges through innovative e-learning

BIOTALENT is a multilingual blended e-learning training programme to gain crucial skills and knowledge in biodiversity. Protecting life on earth in all its forms also involves introducing innovative ways to address pressing environmental issues of today. A strong investment in environmental education and a passion for science is therefore essential to this programme.

This one-day event, Taking place on 18 May 2017, in Brussels, will illustrate the uniqueness of the BIOTALENT project and programme in the way environmental education is brought to the course participant. The various expert speakers that are invited are all very passionate about innovation in education and the new ways in which scientific and environmental education can contribute to conserving biodiversity.  

To register and find out more visit the official announcement.







ive

What Is Alternative Music?

Alternative music is difficult to describe. It isn’t pop; it isn’t rock, and it isn’t in between either… it’s alternative. There are endless possibilities within ... Read more

The post What Is Alternative Music? appeared first on CMUSE.






ive

Essential biodiversity variables




ive

Data Papers as Incentives for Opening Biodiversity Data: One Year of Experience and Perspectives for The Future





ive

Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) Detailed Implementation Plan





ive

Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020




ive

Streamlining European biodiversity indicators 2020: Building a future on lessons learnt from the SEBI 2010 process




ive

A decadal view of biodiversity informatics: challenges and priorities