New release of Metadata Catalogue!

Metadata Catalogue

We are thrilled to announce the new release of the LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue (https://metadatacatalogue.lifewatch.eu), a standard-based information management system based on GeoNetwork 4.2.11.

The system is designed and implemented to enable access to several resources from a variety of external providers, represented in the Catalogue as “groups”, through descriptive metadata, enhancing and promoting the information exchange and sharing among organisations and research infrastructures.

The Catalogue is operational since 2020: its main goal is to increase collaboration within and among organisations, in order to reduce duplication and enhance information consistency and quality. It also aims to improve the accessibility of a wide variety of resources along with the associated information, organised and documented in a standard and consistent way.
Moreover, the LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue allows (upon validation and verification) the creation of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for resources that do not have it, by exploiting the GeoNetwork – DataCite connection.

The system allows to manage metadata related to five kinds of resources: Datasets, Research Site, Services, Virtual Research Environments (VREs), and Workflows by using the EML 2.2.0 and a customised ISO 19139 standards respectively. The new release adds a sixth one to the list, that is the “Training resource”, whose metadata schema is based on the EOSC training profile to ensure and improve the resource discoverability.
This version also includes significant performance improvements, bug fixes, and user interface upgrades to make your experience smoother and more intuitive.

Moreover, with this release, you can now explore several new functionalities:

  • a more user-friendly editor with new functions to easily create metadata records (copy to function, prefill utility, validators, etc.);
  • a direct connection with EcoPortal Thesauri and Controlled Vocabularies to address the metadata inconsistency or incompleteness challenge;
  • a full redactional workflow to support and validate the entire publication process with appropriate roles and email notifications;
  • an easy and improved approach to require the DOI;
  • the FAIRness assessment tool, that allows to assess the FAIRness of the entire catalogue, by resource type and on specific metadata record;
  • the continuous monitoring on reachability of URLs;
  • the possibility to create new metadata profiles via user interface;
  • more info for the users in terms of metrics and KPIs;
  • direct connection with the LifeWatch ERIC Help Desk knowledge base to show the relevant FAQs.

The APIs are available here (https://metadatacatalogue.lifewatch.eu/doc/api/index.html). The new version of the documentation is under development and will be published soon. If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us at service.centre[at]lifewatch.eu.

MARBEFES Autumn School 2025: Save the date

MARBEFES Autumn School

The MARBEFES project (MARine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services) aims to evaluate and characterise the links between marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services and the resulting societal goods and benefits in coastal communities.

The results of these evaluations feed into easy-to-use tools to help practitioners and policy maximise the ecological value and optimise a sustainable socio-economic use of the marine system for current and future generations.
The project members will present and discuss these tools, for biodiversity and ecosystem assessment and measurement, and ecological, social and economic evaluation, during the Autumn School 2025 “Protecting marine biodiversity for nature and humans”.

Organised by the MARBEFES project, and aimed at students, early career scientists, young researchers, early career practitioners (in statutory agencies, consultancies, etc), this 3-day Autumn School will take place from 8-10 October 2025, in Seville (Spain).

The Autumn School will welcome 20 participants, offering accommodation, travel (up to a predetermined amount, if exceeded participants will have to cover the difference) and lunch for the duration of the programme.
The Call for Applications will open in mid July on the project’s official website: https://marbefes.eu.
Stay tuned for updates!

That’s a wrap! “Marine SABRES in Fairs” at FIMAR 2025

marine sabres in fairs at FIMAR 2025

On June 6-8 2025, LifeWatch ERIC and ULPGC-ECOAQUA (University Institute for Research in Sustainable Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems) presented the project Marine SABRES at FIMAR 2025, the Feria Internacional del Mar (International Sea Fair) in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, co-organising one of the “Marine SABRES in Fairs” series events.

The event, which symbolically ended on World Oceans Day, was a truly inspiring international event, confirming itself as an important event for the blue economy of the Canary Islands and the other archipelagos of the Macaronesia: the estimated number of visitors at FIMAR 2025 over the weekend was around 14,000 people (as declared in digital press and social networks of FIMAR 2025). World Oceans Day fitted perfectly with the philosophy of FIMAR 2025, which was organised with the important vocation of disseminating scientific knowledge accumulated around the oceans. This event not only invites us to reflect on the challenges facing our oceans, but also reinforces our collective commitment to their conservation through innovation, education and responsible action.

Approximately 1,000 visitors, including students, families with children, and the general public at large, stopped by our stand and learned more about the importance of marine biodiversity and ecosystems, or how to restore marine biodiversity and support a sustainable blue economy by increasing the uptake of ecosystem-based management.

More in detail, the “Marine SABRES in Fairs” event highlighted the activities carried out in the Macaronesia DA in the framework of the project Marine SABRES, with a special focus on the marine biological corridor between the Azores, Madeira and Canary archipelagos, as well as ecotourism best practices that partners aimed to promote in this area to foster a sustainable blue economy.
Researchers of the ECOAQUA-ULPGC team got a chance to show Macaronesian rich biodiversity and valuable marine ecosystems in the Canary Islands through samples and other materials, e.g. telling people about the importance of rodolith beds as a benthic habitat for biodiversity conservation.

The team also showed the videos realised by the LifeWatch Italy Multimedia Production Centre in the framework of Marine SABRES documentary activities; research aims and results achieved so far were also presented with the help of a project brochure and a poster.

For more information about the project, visit Marine SABRES official website:
www.marinesabres.eu

Have a look at our photogallery, enjoy all the moments of this incredible event exploring marine biodiversity and ecosystems, sustainability and blue economy!

Watch our documentary trailers on LifeWatching YouTube Channel and WebTV platform

European Agroecology Partnership members meet in The Netherlands

agroecology partnership meeting

LifeWatch ERIC actively participated in the in-person WP5 European Agroecology Partnership meeting, “Accelerating farming systems transition: agroecology living labs and research infrastructures”, held at Wageningen University & Research from 18 to 20 June 2025.

The meeting, co-organised by WUR and LifeWatch ERIC, brought together key partners to review progress on monitoring and data management strategies for assessing agroecological transitions in Europe. A central focus was on enhancing cross-task collaboration to support the design and implementation of sustainable farming systems across the continent.

Hosted at the WUR Impulse Building, the meeting included plenary sessions, cross-task workshops, and a field visit to the organic dairy farm De Hooilanden and market garden De Lichtveen.

Representing LifeWatch ERIC, José Manuel Ávila and Iria Soto, leaders of Work Package 5, coordinated and moderated several sessions, facilitating strategic discussions to shape the Partnership’s second phase.

The Agroecology Partnership, funded under Horizon Europe, supports multi-actor innovation through a unique integration of Living Labs and Research Infrastructures. It fosters collaboration among scientists, farmers, advisors, policymakers, and citizens to co-create resilient and sustainable food systems.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem responses to Climate Change: scientists in Lecce discuss the invisible cost of the ecological crisis

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Responses

The international workshop “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change” took place on 12–13 June 2025 at MUST Museum in Lecce.

The National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Italy’s first national research and innovation centre for biodiversity, funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) through NextGeneration EU funds, organised the workshop in collaboration with LifeWatch ERIC’s Working Group on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change.

Climate change is deeply altering the living conditions of organisms across the planet, influencing their geographic distribution, abundance, and even the daily cost of survival. These effects are especially severe for species which cannot regulate their body temperature and must expend more resources to maintain metabolism and behaviour in warmer, more unstable environments.

The consequences of these changes extend far beyond the ecological sphere. They impact key ecosystem functions that support human well-being, potentially affecting economic growth (GDP) and the achievement of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Acknowledging that climate change does not act in isolation but reshapes entire ecological contexts, the workshop focused on assessing possible ecological responses and exploring ways to integrate them into adaptation and mitigation strategies.

One of the central questions guiding the discussions was: How will biodiversity’s response to climate change affect our economy and society in the coming decades?
The reflection was based on a simple yet crucial premise: we cannot safeguard our well-being without first safeguarding the ecosystems we depend on.

The full programme remain available at:
https://www.lifewatch.eu/thematic-services-working-groups/wg-climate-change/meetings/workshop-biodiversity-and-ecosystem-responses-to-climate-change