News
BioMonitor4CAP Podcast - Episode #2 now online!
We are thrilled to share the activities, progress, and results of the BioMonitor4CAP project with you! Our new podcast series is designed to get you excited about monitoring biodiversity in agriculture. Join us as we take you behind the scenes, from fieldwork at our research sites to presentations of cutting-edge monitoring technologies and discussions about biodiversity in agriculture.
In our second episode, we delve deeper into the innovative aspects of the BioMonitor4CAP project. Last time, we explored how audio recorders and cameras are used to collect data in the fields. But what happens next? How are these recordings analyzed to track biodiversity? Join Martina in Ilmenau as she visits the Fraunhofer Institute’s laboratory to uncover the process.
Click HERE and follow us into the lab.
International Womens Day - Celebrating Women
🌍💡Today, we honor women worldwide for their contributions to society, science, and nature. International Womens Day celebrates their vital work in agriculture and science. At BioMonitor4CAP, we are privileged to work with inspiring women who bring expertise and passion to sustainable agriculture.🌾🌱
Cultivating diversity in the fields… and in our teams!🐝🧑🤝🧑🌻
Healthy agroecosystems thrive on diversity. Each element plays a crucial role, none is superfluous or superior: their complementarity ensures resilience and prosperity. Nature inspires us: just as ecosystems thrive on diversity, a just and sustainable society recognizes everyone's roles, knowledge, and contributions. When all forces are mobilized, everything becomes stronger, more resilient, and more innovative.
Agriculture, long perceived as a "man's business," is evolving. In the EU, only 30% of farms are run by women, but change is happening. The BioMonitor4CAP project includes 42 women and 46 men, reflecting progress towards gender parity in agricultural and scientific research. Beyond numbers, it's the impact that counts: women experts in data science, tech innovation, project management, and fieldwork - many of whom lead key work packages - are crucial in tackling SustainableAgriculture challenges every day.
📷 The annual BioMonitor4CAP event was recently held in Warsaw, under the watchful eye of Marie Curie, scientific pioneer, symbol of determination and model of inspiration.
To all the women who innovate, inspire, and drive change for a sustainable future: thank you! Let's continue this journey together! 💪🌍
Advancing Biodiversity Monitoring: Highlights from the 2nd Annual Meeting of BioMonitor4CAP in Warsaw
In mid-February, experts, scientists and practitioners from all over Europe and Peru met in Warsaw for the 2nd Annual Meeting of the BioMonitor4CAP project.
Driving Progress in Biodiversity Monitoring
Over the past two years, the project partners have made significant strides by identifying and agreeing on a set of agrobiodiversity indicators - ranging from genetic composition to land use. On research sites, innovative methods like species richness monitoring through acoustic sensors are being explored. Next up, the 24 consortium partners will work on integrating in-situ data with remote sensing using these indicators.
Key Discussions and Strategic Directions
During the meeting, participants engaged in dynamic discussions on several crucial topics:
- Project Progress and Achievements – Reviewing milestones and evaluating outcomes
- Thematic Workshops – Addressing specific project tasks and challenges
- Biodiversity Monitoring for 2025 – Setting strategic goals and priorities
- Monitoring System Design – Finalizing the framework for an integrated monitoring approach
- Collaboration and Networking – Strengthening connections and knowledge exchange among partners
These discussions were instrumental in ensuring all partners are aligned, fostering stronger collaboration, and setting the strategic direction for the second half of the project.
Growing Togehter
Explore our new BioMonitor4CAP postcard.
Step into the world of biodiversity monitoring with our animated postcard. Through vibrant visuals and engaging animations, the postcard illustrates how advanced monitoring tools are shaping the future of sustainable agriculture. See how technology and nature connect to create a more sustainable farming future.
Your Voice Matters - Shape the Future of Biodiversity Monitoring in European Agriculture
The BioMonitor4CAP project is on a mission to develop innovative and user-friendly methods for monitoring biodiversity on European farms. But our work doesn't stop there! We want to ensure these methods become widely adopted and create a lasting impact.
Take our short survey to share your insights on the challenges and opportunities of monitoring biodiversity in agriculture. Your feedback is crucial for developing solutions that benefit farmers, policymakers, and researchers across Europe.
Take the survey now: Click here
P.S. Share the survey with others! Together, we can make a difference!
First BioMonitor4CAP podcast - follow us into the field
We are excited to share our activities, progress and results of the BioMonitor4CAP project - and to get you excited about monitoring biodiversity in agriculture. Our new podcast series takes you behind the scenes, from field work at our research sites, to presentations of the cutting edge monitoring technologies or discussions about biodiversity in agriculture.
In the first podcast episode, join our research team in the Spreewald. Discover how they conduct fieldwork and explore how the set up devices used to monitor biodiversity. You can listen to the latest episode HERE.
We look forward to taking you on this exciting audio journey.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
As we celebrate this special time of year, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support.
Looking ahead, we're excited for the many BioMonitor4CAP activities planned in 2025.
Right at the start of the new year, we will hold our second annual meeting in February in Warsaw. 2025 also marks the final year for sampling across all our research and demonstration sites in Europe and Peru, alongside continued testing of innovative technologies for biodiversity monitoring.
At our demonstration sites, we will test if our biodiversity monitoring approaches can measure the effectiveness of biodiversity enhancement measures (such as reduced management intensity or sown flowering strips). We will also host field days with farmers to showcase how every farmer can assess biodiversity on farm.
We will continue to expand our WebGIS platform and dive into the statistical analysis of our eDNA, optical and acoustic data.
In 2025 we will host workshops and surveys with agricultural stakeholders to foster meaningful engagement and continue our work on suggestions for effective agrobiodiversity CAP measures. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to another year of collaboration, discovery, and impact.
Until then, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year!
Showcasing the project Biomonitor4CAP at the World Biodiversity Forum
Martina Clausen, DLG had the great opportunity to present the BioMonitor4CAP project poster at the WorldBiodiversityForum in Davos in June 2024. The theme, "From Science to Action," perfectly captured the project's essence – supporting farmers with knowledge, methods and tools to make informed decisions towards more biodiverse agricultural systems and practices.
The poster sparked great conversations with fellow researchers passionate about biodiversity conservation dedicated to similar goals and share knowledge.
BioMonitor4CAP is teamwork: By linking scientific research with practical applications in agriculture, we can contribute to the protection of biodiversity and the development of more sustainable agricultural practices.
Environment Week in Berlin - Advancing Climate and Biodiversity Protection
On June 4th and 5th, the park of Schloss Bellevue hosted the Environment Week (“Woche der Umwelt”) organized by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The event featured about 190 exhibitors from industry, science, and civil society showcasing their innovative solutions for protecting the environment.
The LIB joined nine other Leibniz Institutes at the Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity booth, and presented the BioMonitor4CAP project, highlighting advanced biodiversity monitoring for agriculture. We showcased an AudioMoth and a compact camera, demonstrating acoustic monitoring of birds and camera-based, non-invasive monitoring of insects.
With more than 12,000 visitors, the park of Schloss Bellevue turned into a marketplace for sustainable environmental solutions. The event invited many influential people from politics, society, business, and science, enriching exchange of ideas and perspectives.
Participating in the Environment Week was an invaluable opportunity to present the BioMonitor4CAP project, engage with interested stakeholders, and discuss technical aspects of biodiversity monitoring and its implementation in agriculture.
1st Annual Meeting of the BioMonitor4CAP consortium in Lisbon
After the first project year passed by and preparations for the upcoming second monitoring season are well underway it was time for a recap with all BioMonitor4CAP project partners at the first annual meeting.
The project partner in Portugal Food4Sustainability CoLAB hosted all participants in Lisbon. The 3 days meeting provided a valuable opportunity to summarise the results achieved in the last year and strategize and plan work for the year ahead.
Europe forges new bonds between agriculture and biodiversity
Professor Christoph Scherber, Head of the Center for Biodiversity Monitoring at the Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity Change Research in Germany and coordinator of the BioMonitor4CAP project, on how environmental and economic challenges in agricultural farming systems can spur an ecological change. Read his interview in the latest Horizon Magazine here.
Another milestone achieved - Methodology for establishing the observatory database (M9)
We are delighted to announce that we achieved a significant milestone on the way to establishing the electronic directory network of European biodiversity observatory institutions, that is Milestone 9 in the BioMonitor4CAP project. This milestone aimed to identify relevant observatories, institutions, and networks that collect agro-biodiversity indicators and to facilitate access to this information through the centralization of these data on a website. By gathering the information in a clear and structured way in a centralized point (sub-page of our project site), the developed database will facilitate the development of agro-biodiversity monitoring and surveillance systems in Europe.
The methodology is developed within the framework of the Prisma Protocol, which ensures a high standard for data collection. The planned interface will be user-friendly and, for example, allows selecting countries and institutions from a map (see the preview below). The final database will be publicly available at the end of the year 2024.
Thanks to all partners of WP 5 for their efforts and support in working on advanced biodiversity networking systems.
BioMonitor4CAP at AGRITECHNICA
AGRITECHNICA 2023 demonstrated the innovation power of agricultural technology. Under the guiding theme of GreenProductivity 🌱, topics such as productivity and resource conservation were given a large international stage. At the DLG booth, visitors were able to get a glimpse into the various projects that aim to boost, conserve and monitor biodiversity on farmland 🐝 🌱 🐞 🌺.
Members of the BioMonitor4CAP team were on site throughout the week to inform visitors about the project. The work of BioMonitor4CAP in the fields was visualized with a camera and Lego wildflowers, attracting numerous visitors.
Milestone #1 Achieved - Geodata base in operation
We are delighted to announce a significant milestone: the successful completion of Milestone 1 in the BioMonitor4CAP project. This milestone includes a data storage system for both RAW and processed data, along with a WebGIS platform to present data and results from Work Packages 2 and 3.
As we move forward, we are not only focused on incorporating spatial data sources for contextual insights in the major research sites but also committed to enhancing the user experience within the platform. This achievement has been made possible through valuable feedback from consortium members.
Thanks to all project partners for their efforts and support to work on advanced biodiversity monitoring systems.