Transportation

Transportation

The city centre around 20 km from the airport, around 20 minutes by car.
To arrive from the airport using public transport, there is a specific BUS line called EA (“Especial Aeropuerto”) that connects the airport with the city, there are two stops close to the city centre and venue: Avenida Carlos V (Prado San Sebastián) and Paseo Cristóbal Colón (Torre del Oro).

SPECIAL AIRPORT BUS LINE

The EA Line (Especial Aeropuerto) service operates daily at the following times:

  • To Seville: 05:20 a.m. – 01:15 a.m.
  • To the airport: 04:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Frequency: Every 25–30 minutes

Journey duration: Approximately 35 minutes

TAXI

Another option is to take a taxi from the airport to the centre of Seville. The journey takes between 15 and 20 minutes.

  • Fixed fare: €26
  • Nighttime, weekends, and public holidays fare: Approximately €28

Taxi Services: +34 954 62 22 22 , +34 645 23 01 97 , +34 954 58 00 00

BUS

The public transport company (TUSSAM) operates a network of 43 daytime routes and 9 nighttime routes. You can check schedules and routes in English here: https://tussam.es/en

METRO

Seville has only one metro line, so mobility via this means is limited. More information in English: https://www.metro-sevilla.es/en

Training Modules

Training modules

  1. Assessing biodiversity, ecosystem function and ecosystem services
    1. Assessing ecological structure and functioning
    2. Biodiversity and climate change
    3. ARIES tool (assessment component)
  2. Risks and impacts
    1. Assessing risks and hazards to marine biodiversity
    2. Broad-scale measures of biodiversity and habitat quality 
  3. Valuing nature
    1. Ecologically valuing biodiversity – system levels
    2. Socio-cultural valuation and biodiversity 
    3. Socio-economic valuation of biodiversity
    4. ARIES tool (valuation component)
  1. Decision-making for management
    1. Social-ecological systems analysis in marine management
    2. Biodiversity management and the role of decisions support systems DSS

MARBEFES Autumn School 2025

Interested persons are invited to apply by 31 August 2025 by filling in the registration form here

Dates and Location
8-10 October 2025, Seville (Spain)

Target Audience
20 participants to be selected among students, early career scientists, young researchers, early career practitioners (in statutory agencies, consultancies, etc).

We offer:

  • accommodation,
  • travel (up to a predetermined amount, if exceeded participants will have to cover the difference) and,
  • lunch for the whole duration of the programme.

 

Programme

BEeS 2025

Man and the Sea | Presenter: Anastasios Eleftheriou, HCMR

Sharing and re-using computational workflows – WorkflowHub and FAIR Workflows in Biodiversity | Presenter: Carole Goble, University of Manchester, ELIXIR-UK | Download

The Dark Matter in Biology | Presenter: Nikos Kyrpides, JGI, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

Priorities and challenges for ESFRI in the next programming period | Presenter: José Luis Martínez Peña, ESFRI 

The support of LifeWatch ERIC to high-mountains research | Presenter: Antonello Provenzale, CNR IGG

Shifting Baselines: Patterns and Trends Linking Ocean Productivity and Biodiversity in a Changing Climate (OEMC) | Presenter: Francesco De Leo, CNR IRET | Download

Biodiversity and ecological responses to climate change: the PLKP perspective from Holocene Palynology | Presenter: Anna Maria Mercuri, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Reconciling short- and long-term ecological predictions for assisting decision making: a challenge for LifeWatch ERIC community | Presenter: Marta Magnani, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, CNR | Download

New tools to identify refugia for biodiversity in mountain landscapes | Presenter: Maria Begoña García, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC) | Download

Tracking functional performance of Water hyacinth across aquatic ecotopes | Presenter: Leticia Brito, University of Aveiro | Download

What is the energetic cost of warming for invertebrates? | Presenter: Milad Shokri, University of Salento

Climate change stress in benthic marine invertebrates: insights from multidimensional analysis | Presenter: Thanos Dailianis, HCMR | Download

Emerging Nesting Activity of Loggerhead Sea Turtles ( Caretta caretta ) at the Northern Margins of Nesting Range in the Greek Seas: Insights from the Aegean and Ionian Seas | Presenter: Drosos Koutsoubas, University of the Aegean

LifeWatch ERIC thematic service on Biogeography | Presenter: Alessandro Chiarucci, University of Bologna | Download

Biogeographical monitoring of Europe’s islands: harnessing opportunities for multiple wins | Presenter: Richard Field, University of Nottingham | Download

BiCKL The Biodiversity Knowledge Hub traverses obstacles to FAIR and linked biodiversity data usage | Presenter: Teodor Georgiev, Pensoft Publisher

Cataloguing for findability: software tools, workflows, and learning materials for biodiversity and ecology research | Presenter: Matúš Kalaš, University of Bergen, and ELIXIR Norway | Download

The Linnean Approach to Nomenclatural Accuracy: A Framework for Enhancing Taxonomic Harmonisation in Biodiversity Records | Presenter: André Menegotto, University of Sheffield

Integrated checklist of marine annelids along the Salento Peninsula unravels gaps of knowledge in their diversity and distribution | Presenter: Joachim Langeneck, CoNISMa | Download

Global Orchid Diversity in the Mediterranean Biome: identifying hotspots and exploring automated extinction risk assessment with deep neural networks | Presenter: Michele Lussu, University of Bologna | Download

Mapping past elevation bounded biogeographic systems at continuous temporal scale | Presenter: Johannes De Groeve, University of Amsterdam

Integrating Biologging Data and Destination Earth Digital Twins for Marine Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries: The Global Fish Tracking System (GFTS) | Presenter: Tina Odaka, Ifremer | Download

Insect-flower interactions in the Mediterranean area: a Citizen Science dataset collated within the LIFE 4 Pollinators project | Presenter: Marta Barberis, University of Bologna | Download

LifeWatch ERIC thematic service on Taxonomy | Presenter: Leen Vandepitte, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)

What is in a name? The importance of clear taxonomic communication for biodiversity science & management | Presenter: Tammy Horton, National Oceanography Centre | Download

From names to networks: marine species knowledge in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and its role in LifeWatch ERIC | Presenter: Leen Vandepitte, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)

The Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) Project: Europe’s drive to reverse biodiversity loss through genomics research | Presenter: Robert Waterhouse, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)

“Mere Schoolboys to Old Aristotle?” Testing Darwin’s Claim Through Taxonomic and Functional Evidence | Presenter: Christos Arvanitidis, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Safeguarding Greek and European biodiversity – The Biodiversity Genomics EU project | Presenter: Alexandros Triantafyllidis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Download

The Italian taxonomic backbone. Cooperation and interoperability in the LifeWatch Italy community | Presenter: Stefano Martellos, University of Trieste | Download

Not so cosmopolitan: What species complexes teach us about hidden diversity | Presenter: Maria Lampa, University of Crete, HCMR

Waking up from a taxonomist’s nightmare: Ophrys species delimitation meets AI in the phylogenomic era | Presenter: Elisa Addonizio, University of Naples Federico II | Download

Reconstruction of the functional anatomy of Phascolosoma stephensoni Stephen, 1942 (Annelida: Sipuncula: Phascolosomatidae) through micro-CT: a potential tool for taxonomy | Presenter: Desirée Dimichele, CoNISMa | Download

LifeWatch ERIC thematic service on Habitat mapping | Presenter: Olga Ameixa, University of Aveiro | Download

RESTORE4Cs | Presenter: Alberto Basset, LifeWatch ERIC

Predicting butterfly species presence from satellite imagery using soft contrastive learning | Presenter: Thijs van der Plas, Wageningen University & Research | Download

Climate Change: An Innovative Solution Using AI for Vineyards | Presenter: Nikos Minadakis, LifeWatch ERIC, Advance deep tech Services

ParAquaBase: a centralised resource for zoosporic parasite observations and host interactions | Presenter: Andrea Tarallo, CNR-IRET

Mapping the unknown – habitat characterisation in deep-sea environments | Presenter: Heliana Teixera, University of Aveiro

Scale matters in seagrass mapping and the needs of reporting of carbon stocks in NDCs under Paris Agreement | Presenter: Dimitris Poursanidis, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)

Mapping the Supply and Demand of Insect-Driven Ecosystem Services in Ria de Aveiro Saltmarshes: A Habitat-Based Approach | Presenter: Olga Ameixa, University of Aveiro

LifeWatch ERIC thematic service on Observation systems | Presenter: Andreja Ramšak, National Institute of Biology | Download

Advancing Biodiversity Monitoring through FAIR and Interoperable Research Infrastructures: The OSTrails Approach
| Presenter: Tassos Stavropoulos, OpenAIRE | Download

DTO BioFlow – Building a biodiversity component for the Digital Twin of the Ocean | Presenter: Klaas Deneudt, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)

BioDT´s biodiversity digital twin prototypes: examples from species distribution models to population dynamics | Presenter: Gabriela Zuquim, CSC – IT Center for Science

ANERIS: Towards a network of Operational Marine Biology | Presenter: Berta Companys, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) | Download

Challenges in automation of monitoring and modeling in karst forest ecosystems | Presenter: Saša Šercer, Slovenian Forestry Institute | Download

Integrating Earth Observations, eDNA and Computer Vision for automated assessment of soil health | Presenter: Spyros Theodoridis, National Observatory of Athens | Download

Assessing the spillover: metabarcoding reveals contrasting non-indigenous species dynamics inside and outside a port
| Presenter: Adrià Antich González, Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes | Download

Towards a Monitoring System for Agroecology in Europe: Results from Expert Consultations | Presenter: Salvador Fernandez, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

LifeWatch ERIC thematic service on Animal behaviour & Space use tracking | Presenter: David Casals, VLIZ – Flanders Marine Institute

From Coasts to Continents: Coordinated Animal Tracking for Biodiversity Monitoring in European Waters | Presenter: Sarah McLean, Loughs Agency | Download

Animal Sentinels: near real-time environmental monitoring via automated bird tracking analysis | Presenter: Eldar Rakhimberdiev, University of Amsterdam | Download

Pangeo-fish: Scalable Geolocation Modelling of Fish Movements Using Biologging and Earth Science Data in the Pangeo Ecosystem | Presenter: Tina Odaka, Ifremer | Download

Sub-surface behaviors of Hector’s dolphins could increase their risk of bycatch | Presenter: Ilias Foskolos, Aarhus University

First Documentation of Migration Dynamics of European Eels in Cyprus through Acoustic Telemetry | Presenter: Sotiris Meletiou, Bournemouth University | Download

Tracking Elasmobranch Responses to Submarine Power Cable Electromagnetic Fields in the Belgian North Sea | Presenter: David Casals, VLIZ – Flanders Marine Institute

Spatiotemporal segregation drives predator-prey coexistence in the deep sea | Presenter: Antoni Sánchez-Márquez, Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM – CSIC) | Download

Programme

Click on “Previous Events” to see the full programme of the LifeWatch ERIC BEeS Conference 2025, or use the filters if you’re looking for a specific session. 

Sponsors and exhibitors

BEeS 2025

Sponsors

We are grateful to our sponsors who are supporting the LifeWatch ERIC BEeS Conference 2025.

Pensoft
cretan hea

Exhibitors

Meet our Exhibitors at the LifeWatch ERIC BEeS Conference 2025.

cnriret
egi_ehn_booth
MACCIMO Logo Blk Plain
oem
Pensoft
worms

Meetings

Join the collaborative workshops and events organised by the Working Group!

Workshop | Biodiversity and Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change

Climate change is profoundly affecting biodiversity and ecosystem processes, with implications at the global scale for primary productivity, standing biomass as well as potential impacts on human well-being and the achievement of SDGs. Biodiversity and ecosystem responses span ecological scales, encompassing structural and functional components, from individual life cycles and energetics to inter-individual interactions, population and species densities and distributions, to ecological networks and ecosystem services.

For more info on the LifeWatch ERIC related Thematic Working Group and the National Biodiversity Future Center, please visit their websites.

Burt Kotler

Burt Kotler

“Biodiversity: Don’t forget the basics”

Read Bio
Carl Beierkuhnlein

Carl Beierkuhnlein

“Biodiversity as a Moving Target in Face of Climate Change”

Read Bio

Carmela Marangi

“An Integrated Vegetation-Soil Model for Predicting Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change”

Read Bio
Carmela Marangi

Edyta Wozniak

“Remote sensing for assessing biodiversity and geodiversity”

Read Bio
Edyta Wozniak
Emiliano Mori

Emiliano Mori

“Mammalian adaptations to climate change in Italy: small species and large-scale movements”

Read Bio
Enrico Barbone

Enrico Barbone

“Institutional monitoring of Apulian marine and transitional environments in accordance with European Directives: a useful tool for the surveillance of Non-Indigenous Species”

Read Bio

Franziska Schrodt

“Detection and attribution of biodiversity change in the Anthropocene”

Read Bio
Franziska Schrodt

Laura Sadori

“Long-term Biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics through Mediterranean pollen records”

Read Bio
Laura Sadori
Maria Laura Carranza

Maria Laura Carranza

“High-mountain Ecosystems under Climate Change: Insights from Mediterranean summits”

Read Bio
Marino Gatto

Marino Gatto

“Modelling the influence of climate change on the disease ecology of plants and animals”

Read Bio

Martina Perez

“The DigitAP project: Integrated tools for monitoring biodiversity and the effects of climate anomalies on habitats in Italian national parks”

Read Bio
Martina Perez

Milad Shokri

“Energy rules in a changing climate: Shifting cost of life and adaptive strategies in ectotherms”

Read Bio
Milad Shokri
Nicola Ungaro

Nicola Ungaro

“Institutional monitoring of Apulian marine and transitional environments in accordance with European Directives: a useful tool for the surveillance of Non-Indigenous Species”

Read Bio
Salvatore Causio

Salvatore Causio

“Modelling Oceanographic Drivers of Marine Ecosystems and Biodiversity in a Changing Climate”

Read Bio

Salvatrice Vizzini

“Natural CO₂ vents as windows into future oceans: effects of acidification and other environmental stressors on biodiversity and ecosystems processes”

Read Bio
Salvatrice Vizzini

MUST (Museo Storico Città di Lecce)

Conference Room

Via degli Ammirati, 11

Several airlines fly to the Apulian airports of Brindisi and Bari (Aeroporti di Puglia) from main European Capitals and other national and international destinations. Here’s how to reach Lecce:

From Brindisi Airport

Approximate distance: 50 km

By Bus: Take bus COTRAP (the bus stop is on the right of arrival area). The bus takes about 40 minutes and it stops at Lecce at the Foro Boario/City Terminal.

By Air-Shuttle: Shuttle service specialised in transporting passengers to and from Brindisi Airport and their hotels. You can book your transportation online at airshuttle.

From Bari Airport:

Approximate distance: 150 km

You should take the train from the airport to the central train station and then take the train to Lecce (please visit Trenitalia to check the time schedule).

By train: 

Lecce is well connected to the Italian railway network and can be easily reached by train from many major cities. High-speed and intercity services are available from:

  • Rome: Direct trains take approximately 5.5 to 6 hours.
  • Milan: Direct and connecting trains take around 9 to 10 hours.
  • Bologna: Trains take approximately 7 to 8 hours.
  • Naples: Around 4.5 to 5.5 hours depending on the service.

Check Trenitalia or Italo for schedules and ticket bookings.

Working Group on Habitat Mapping

habitat mapping

Habitat Mapping of Ecosystem Services

A brief overview

The LifeWatch ERIC Thematic Working Group (WG) on Habitat Mapping of Ecosystem Services brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to advance habitat-based approaches for assessing and visualising ecosystem services. Mapping ecosystem services helps illustrate their supply, demand, spatial distribution, trends, and pressures, providing vital insights for sustainable management and policy support.

The WG aims to strengthen methodologies that link ecosystem services to habitat types, ensuring a scientifically robust foundation for mapping efforts. By promoting the use of diverse techniques, including remote sensing, GIS modelling, the use of policy-relevant indicators, stakeholders engagement, citizen science, and field surveys, the group fosters innovative and scalable solutions for ecosystem service mapping across different contexts, including different classification methods, and regions. This includes the mapping of ecosystem service supply and human demand, which is crucial to plan adequate ecosystems management, restoration actions, or to inform policymakers and other interested parts.

A core mission of the WG is to facilitate knowledge exchange, support harmonised practices, and encourage collaboration between sectors. The group offers a platform for sharing tools, data sources, case studies, and operational frameworks that improve the accuracy, usability, and policy relevance of ecosystem service maps.

Aligned with the goals of LifeWatch ERIC, the WG emphasises the importance of transparency, comparability, and usability of outputs to inform EU strategies such as the Biodiversity Strategy and Nature Restoration Law, as well as the UN principles and commitments.

Throughout workshops, working sessions, and community engagement, the WG supports co-development of practical mapping approaches that bridge science, policy, and practice. Stakeholders from academia, government, NGOs, and industry are encouraged to contribute and collaborate toward building effective, evidence-based habitat maps for ecosystem services that support better decision-making and long-term sustainability.

Join us in shaping the future of ecosystem service mapping through habitat-based approaches. Stay connected for updates, resources, and collaborative opportunities. Let’s co-develop solutions that make ecosystem services visible and actionable.

Join this Working Group

Need help joining? Check our FAQs

Key Objectives

  1. Identify supply and demand for ecosystem services most relevant for targeted actions (e.g., biodiversity conservation, restoration planning, climate change response), and assess current mapping coverage within LifeWatch ERIC.
  2. Ensure mapped services and associated data are accessible via the LifeWatch ERIC Marketplace.
  3. Collect mapping needs from WG members and stakeholders to guide the expansion of datasets and prioritise efforts to fill spatial and thematic gaps.
  1. Promote harmonisation of methodologies by reviewing and aligning mapping standards, classification systems, and indicators across members.
  2. Encourage the integration of advanced techniques such as remote sensing, GIS modelling, and machine learning for scalable, habitat-based ecosystem service mapping.
  3. Support methodological innovation through joint development and testing of mapping approaches, especially linking ecosystem service supply and demand.
  1. Organise regular workshops, webinars, and training sessions to exchange know-how, share case studies, and build technical skills among members.
  2. Create a shared repository of guidance documents, tools, templates, and data resources accessible to WG members and broader communities.
  3. Facilitate cross-sector learning and foster interdisciplinary collaboration among ecologists, data scientists, spatial planners, and policymakers.
  1. Develop policy-relevant use cases demonstrating the application of habitat-based mapping in supporting EU strategies (e.g. Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Law).
  2. Engage with policymakers and practitioners to co-design outputs that are directly usable in planning, reporting, and restoration initiatives.
  3. Promote the WG’s work as a model for ecosystem-based planning, reinforcing LifeWatch ERIC’s role in supporting science-policy interfaces.
Habitat Mapping

Photo by Ndumiso Mvelase on Pexels

Coordinators

Timeline

Mapping Requirements and Gap Analysis
End of December 2025 – Catalogue of services already available in LifeWatch ERIC or research lines Ecosystem services mapping
Read more
Methodological Alignment and Innovation
End of January 2026 – Online working table on mapping standards, classification systems, and indicators across members.
Read more
Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building
End of December 2025 - Create a shared repository of guidance documents, tools, templates, and data resources accessible to WG members and broader communities
Read more
Policy Relevance and Uptake
End of May 2026 - Policy-brief demonstrate the application of habitat-based mapping in supporting EU strategies (e.g. Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Law).
Read more

Represented Projects and Research Infrastructures

BEeS 2025

BEeS 2025 brings together EU-funded projects and Research Infrastructures as a platform to connect, exchange insights, and explore new paths for collaboration. Research Infrastructures will engage in dedicated closed-door sessions, while projects will be represented across various public formats throughout the programme. Here’s the list of participating initiatives:

Research Infrastructures

  • AnaEE-ERIC - Michel Boër
  • BBMRI-ERIC - Jens K. Habermann
  • CESSDA - Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch
  • DANUBIUS-RI - Adrian Stanica
  • DiSSCo - Dimitris Koureas
  • EATRIS ERIC - Anton Ussi
  • EGI - Tiziana Ferrari
  • ELIXIR - Tim Hubbard, Katharina F. Heil
  • EMBRC - Nicolas Pade
  • EMPHASIS - Susie Robinson
  • ESFRI - José Luis Martínez Peña
  • Euro-BioImaging - John Eriksson
  • GRACE-RI/ENEA - Giovanni Giuliano
  • MARIS - Dick Schaap
  • MIRRI-ERIC - Ana Portugal Melo
  • SHARE-ERIC - Stefan Gruber

European Research Projects

  • ANERIS - Berta Companys
  • AQUACOSM-plus/MESOAQUA - Paraskevi (Vivi) Pitta
  • BiCIKL - Teodor Georgiev
  • Biodiversity Genomics Europe - Robert Waterhouse
  • BioDT - Gabriela Zuquim
  • Blue-Cloud 2026 - Dick Schaap
  • BMD - Niels Raes
  • DTO-BioFlow - Klaas Deneudt
  • ENVRI-Hub NEXT - Federico Drago
  • EVERSE - Fotis Psomopoulos
  • GES4SEAS - Heliana Teixeira
  • ITINERIS - Antonello Provenzale
  • Open-Earth-Monitor - Francesco De Leo
  • OSTrails - Natalia Manola
  • RESTORE4Cs - Daniel Crespo, Olga Ameixa