Rescuing biodiversity to safeguard life on earth has now become one of the greatest challenges of our time. It is fundamental to achieving a more prosperous, just and equitable world. It will ensure that biodiversity will keep providing the necessary basis for human well-being and equity, economic growth and jobs.
In this context, the European co-funded Partnership on Biodiversity Biodiversa+ will coordinate research programs between EU and its Member States and Associated Countries and trigger combined actions. Building on the advances allowed by BiodivERsA, it will mobilize for the first time in a systematic manner environmental authorities and environmental protection agencies in addition to ministries of research, funding agencies and foundations as key members of the Partnership for implementing biodiversity research and innovation and interfacing science-society/policy.
The Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) presents the long-term strategic vision of the European Biodiversity Partnership, including broad research themes that will guide a broad range of activities over the coming years. It covers all environments (freshwater, marine and terrestrial) and habitats, with specific focus on European added-value. With this SRIA, the partners of the European Biodiversity Partnership and the European Commission share a vision of Europe becoming a global leader in conserving, restoring and managing biodiversity, and developing Nature-based Solutions that contribute to its economy, supported by solid science-based knowledge.
The SRIA identifies three Topical Themes and associated knowledge needs, and two Cross-cutting Themes dealing with general issues that are relevant to all the Topical Themes. It should be made clear that these themes will not necessarily translate into specific Flagship Programs and/or calls for projects, as these could correspond to a combination of Topical and Cross-cutting Themes.
We sincerely thank all the BiodivERsA/European Biodiversity Partnership members, European Commission services, scientists, research organisations and platforms, policy makers and stakeholders who have contributed to the development of this Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, which is a milestone for the build-up of a reinforced ‘European Research Area’ on biodiversity, at the right level in the context of Horizon Europe and the pressing environmental and societal issues that we increasingly perceive.
