Deadline: 06-Oct-21
The European Commission (EC) is pleased to launch the Data and technologies for the inventory, fast identification and monitoring of endangered wildlife and other species groups.
The EU biodiversity strategy contains concrete objectives to protect and restore biodiversity and to address the main pressures and threats to biodiversity.
In order to achieve these objectives, basic research is needed to better understand, monitor, observe and manage biodiversity, including in protected areas.
Such knowledge is also indispensable to support the protection and restoration of natural capital and ecosystems.
Projects should develop, test and implement enabling tools, technologies and fast identification methodologies to produce and integrate data, knowledge and models on the conservation status of species and habitats, with a focus on those covered by the Birds and Habitats Directives.
Projects should also help to develop an integrated European biodiversity monitoring system, in collaboration with the initiatives and projects mentioned below.
There needs to be a particular focus on to those species and habitats, for which knowledge gaps still exist, and on those prioritised for conservation action in line with the EU biodiversity strategy 2030, such as pollinators, sea birds, marine mammals, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, bats, mosses, lichens, wetlands, coastal and marine areas, grasslands, mires, bogs and fens, heathland and shrubs.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Projects results should contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
- Systemic, integrated and (open-)standardised data, knowledge and models on the conservation status and ecological requirements of species and habitats, with a focus on those covered by the Birds and Habitats Directives and IUCN Red List.
- This will lead to better management of protected sites and species, in particular with a view to setting conservation objectives and developing appropriately designed and effective management plans
- The bridging of taxonomic and monitoring gaps thanks to new enabling tools, technologies, fast identification methodologies and integrated monitoring systems across Europe on wildlife species.
- These will help to identify biodiversity threats, such as invasive species, emergence of disease threats, conflict situations with production animals and/or human communities, etc.
- Models upscaling the results of biodiversity assessments to wider areas, based on existing datasets of environmental descriptors.
- Integrative taxonomy of inventory pollinator species (bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies), soil fauna (mites, springtails, woodlices, millipedes and earthworms) and/or other threatened species groups.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2V3S1rT