At the GEO BON Global Conference last week, Biodiversa+ shared insights on how the Essential Biodiversity Variable (EBV) framework can help harmonise biodiversity monitoring across countries while maintaining the flexibility needed to reflect local contexts.
Drawing from a literature survey of 15 transnational monitoring programmes, Biodiversa+ explored different strategies used to align monitoring efforts, taking into account varied objectives, protocols, and governance models. A key challenge is finding the right balance between consistency and adaptability to ensure both comparability and stakeholder ownership. The session introduced three main approaches used in transnational monitoring:
- Strict protocols with centralised data analysis, which support comparability but limit local flexibility.
- Locally produced EBVs aggregated at transnational level, which reinforce local ownership but require coordination and agreement on metrics.
- A hybrid approach with flexible protocols and parallel data flows (raw data and EBVs), which combines advantages but demands greater resources.
Biodiversa+ also presented a proposed coordination model with community-level nodes and expert groups feeding into a regional hub to ensure coherence across monitoring domains.
Some takeaways
- There’s no single model for harmonisation: flexibility is crucial, especially when building on existing systems.
- EBVs act as a common language, enabling interoperability without standardising all field methods.
- A parallel data flow model (sharing both raw data and EBVs) offers a balanced solution for integration and local relevance.
- Community-based coordination structures (nodes and expert groups) can strengthen consistency across monitoring networks.
- Harmonisation requires not just technical alignment, but also dialogue, trust, and long-term cooperation among actors.
A full guide on these findings and recommendations will soon be available from Biodiversa+, supporting the design of scalable and inclusive biodiversity monitoring systems across Europe!
