In 2015, BiodivERsA launched a call together with the European Commission to support research for understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services in a global change context.
Supported by 24 BiodivERsA national/regional funding organisations from 15 countries, this call was co-funded by the European Commission and covered the two following themes:
- Theme #1: Understanding and managing the biodiversity dynamics of soils and sediments to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services;
- Theme #2: Understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics in land-, river- and sea-scapes (habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities) to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services.
Strictly following the ranking list established by an independent evaluation panel, the Call Steering Committee – composed of BiodivERsA partners participating to the call – has shortlisted and recommended for funding the 26 top research projects for a total funding amount of over 33 Million euro (in cash; i.e. total cost over 52 Million euro).
The 26 shortlisted projects are academically excellent projects, covering a wide range of disciplines (from social sciences to nature sciences), and addressing a range of pressing scientific and societal issues.
Out of them, 9 focus on Theme 1 on soil and sediment biodiversity and services, and 17 focus on Theme 2 on habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities.
The list of funded projects will be definitely known upon national decisions by BiodivERsA partners, in October 2016 at the latest.
List of 26 projects recommended for funding
- BEARCONNECT – Functional connectivity and ecological sustainability of European ecological networks – a case study with the brown bear
- BIO-TIDE – The role of microbial biodiversity in the functioning of marine tidal flat sediments
- BIOGEA – Testing BIOdiversity Gain of European Agriculture with CAP greening
- BIOINVENT – Generic bio-inventory of functional soil microbial diversity in permanent grassland ecosystems across management and climate gradients
- BIOVEINS – Connectivity of green and blue infrastructures: living veins for biodiverse and healthy cities
- CLIMARCTIC – Climate change impacts on Arctic soil and lake microbiomes
- CROSSLINK – Understanding cross-habitat linkages between blue and green infrastructure to optimize management of biodiversity, ecosystem services and multiple human uses
- DIGGING_DEEPER – Agro-ecosystem diversification: digging deeper
- ENABLE – Enabling green-blue infrastructure in complex social-ecological regions – system solutions to wicked problems
- FUNGREEN – Functional connectivity and green infrastructure
- GREENFUTUREFOREST – Scenarios for a sustainable future forest green infrastructure
- IMAGINE – Integrative Management of Green Infrastructures Multifunctionality, Ecosystem integrity and Ecosystem Services: From assessment to regulation in socio-ecological systems
- INFRAGECO – Inference, fragmentation, genomics and conservation
- MARFOR – Functional Variability and Dynamics of Responses of Marine Forests to Global Change
- ODYSSEUS – Between Scylla and Charybdis – managing connectivity for freshwater fish
- OSCAR – Optimising the configuration of woody riparian buffer strips along rivers to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services
- PERCEBES – Tools for the transition to spatial management of coastal resources: the stalked barnacle fishery in SW Europe.
- REPEAT – REstoration and prognosis of PEAT formation in fens – linking diversity in plant functional traits to soil biological and biogeochemical processes
- RESERVEBENEFIT – Evaluating and managing connectivity in a network of Marine Protected Area to maintain genetic diversity and deliver fish beyond protected limits
- SOILCLIM – Managing soil biodiversity and ecosystem services in agroecosystems across Europe under climate change
- SOILFOREUROPE – Predicting European forest soil biodiversity and its functioning under climate change
- SOILMAN – Ecosystem services driven by the diversity of soil biota – understanding and management –
- SPONFOREST – Unraveling the potential of SPONtaneous FORest ESTablishment for improving ecosystem functions and services in dynamic landscapes
- URBANGAIA – Managing urban Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure to increase city resilience
- URBANMYCOSERVE – Understanding and Managing Urban Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Communities to Increase the Health and Ecosystem Service Provisioning of Urban Trees
- WOODNET – Connectivity patterns and processes along a gradient of European landscapes with woody vegetation and spatial heterogeneity
