BEeS 2026 | Presentations

Home | BEeS 2026 | Presentations

The LifeWatch ERIC Biodiversity & Ecosystem eScience Conference

Threats and challenges to biodiversity and ecosystem conservation from an eScience perspective.
Participation in the Conference is free.

BEeS 2026

Presentations

On this page you can see the presentations delivered at the BEeS 2026 and download those slides whose authors agreed to their publication.

Plenary sessions

The Race against Extinction: Protecting Flora and Fauna before it’s too late | Presenter: Tatyana Bileva, Agricultural University-Plovdiv | Download

Local (agro)biodiversity and food as social and cultural capital – beyond the labelling and marketing strategies | Presenter: Dessislava Dimitrova, IBER-BAS | Download

Climate Change Effects on Biodiversity in Europe | Presenter: Carl Beierkuhnlein, University of Bayreuth, University of Granada | Download

Agroecology, Biodiversity & Digital Monitoring: New Directions in EU Agri-Food System Transformation | Presenter: Vladislav Popov, Agricultural University-Plovdiv | Download

Foundations First. Foundational computer science at the heart of biodiversity science | Presenter: Anne Fouilloux, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Masterclasses

RECUP-DAS. Restoring Ecosystems Affected by Acid Mine Drainage through Dispersed Alkaline Substrate Treatment and Environmental Monitoring | Presenter: Christos Arvanitidis, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

The ITINERIS project in a nutshell | Presenter: Alberto Basset, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Addressing environmental challenges through large-scale data analysis in a shared virtual lab: NaaVRE Demo | Presenter: Koen Greuell, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

FloodWatch.si: Monitoring Slovenia’s karst wetlands with a new web application | Presenter: Magdalena Nǎpǎruş-Aljančič, Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU

Using the sRedList platform for rapid and effective extinction risk assessment | Presenter: Moreno Di Marco, Sapienza University of Rome

Agroecology

Co-designing a Virtual Research Environment for Agroecology through AgroServ: a Research Infrastructure response to community-driven eScience needs | Presenter: José M. Avila, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Tracking Agroecological Transitions in Europe: Architecting a Data-Driven Monitoring Platform | Presenter: Salvador Fernández, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Biostimulants’ Impact on the Lippia dulcis Antioxidant Capacity | Presenter: Yordan Georgiev, Soﬁa University “St. KlimentOhridski” | Download

Agroecological transition in Europe and the role of LifeWatch ERIC | Presenter: Manuel González de Molina, Pablo de Olavide University | Download

Climate change erodes cultivar diversity and adaptive potential in Mediterranean olive grove landscapes | Presenter: Inês Guise, University of Évora

Statistical relationships between soil Ni and Cr content and their accumulation in oriental tobacco leaves | Presenter: Gergana Hristozova, Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, Agricultural University-Plovdiv

Potential for the Application of Nature-based Solutions for the Sustainable Management of the Tundzha River and the Koprinka Reservoir | Presenter: Mihaela Krasteva, Agricultural University-Plovdiv | Download

Agro/Eco/Nature tourism ecosystems as biodiversity stewardship mechanisms: evidence from a transnational sustainable rural tourism route | Presenter: Valentin Lazarov, National Association of Municipal Clerks, Bulgaria | Download

Fungal Diversity and Functional Potential of Vineyard Rhizosphere Soils in Bulgaria Revealed by ITS2 Metabarcoding | Presenter: Mariana Petkova, Agricultural University-Plovdiv | Download

What about the biodiversity into the agroecological landscapes? | Presenter: Sergio Salazar-Galán, Pablo de Olavide University | Download

Agroecological Pathways for Agri-Food Systems Transformation in Southeast Europe | Presenter: Srdjan Šeremešić, University of Novi Sad

Tracking Agroecological Transitions in EU: A Multi-Scale Data Monitoring Framework | Presenter: Iria Soto-Embodas, LifeWatch ERIC

Mutual Effects of Mulching on the Rhizosphere and Crop Yield of Potato and Bush Bean | Presenter: Miroslava Zhiponova, Sofia University

Animal Traits, Behaviour & Bio-tracking

Satellite telemetry of European Shags along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast | Presenter: Gradimir Gradev, Green Balkans | Download

From bird tracking data to decision support: co-developing the Waakvogels Dashboard for conservation and environmental management | Presenter: Julia Karagicheva, University of Amsterdam | Download

Gut microbiome Winter-Spring dynamics in protected wild herbivores in the Eastern Rhodopes | Presenter: Bianka Marinova, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” | Download

A web service for animal biomass estimation from length-weight relationships at the order level | Presenter: Laura Perrone, University of Salento | Download

Camera traps for animal traits and behavior: from data to management | Presenter: Venislava Spasova, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Biodiversity Observatories & Environmental Monitoring

LTER – Bg as a part of eLTER RI – how to collaborate with other research infrastructures | Presenter: Svetla Bratanova-Doncheva, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research-BAS | Download

Presenting the sRedList platform for rapid and effective extinction risk assessment | Presenter: Moreno Di Marco, Sapienza University of Rome, IUCN Red List Scientific Committee (Italy)

Catalyst for Sustainable Rural Tourism: The Baltic-to-Balkan Green Corridor | Presenters: Boyko Doychinov and Yoanna Ivanova, Regional Cluster North East / Balkan and Black Sea Business Institute and Seafood Marketing Initiative Bulgaria | Download

Preliminary Insights on Automated Video Marine Biological Monitoring at the SmartBay Observatory | Presenter: Marco Francescangeli, Ocean Science Information Services, Marine Institute | Download

Towards pheromone-based monitoring of the great capricorn beetle | Presenter: Matic Gabor, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia

Negative impact by military electronic technologies on satellite telemetry of birds | Presenter: Gradimir Gradev, Green Balkans NGO / Agricultural University of Plovdiv

Life Monitor: An Emerging Method for Automated Nematode Quantification and Identification | Presenter: Bob Klein Lankhorst, Antonie

Earth Observation solutions for biodiversity monitoring | Presenter: Federica Marando, ESA ESRIN | Download

The role of biodiversity in assessing the potential of aquatic ecosystems from an ecohydrological perspective | Presenter: Mikołaj Matela, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz

The use of artificial intelligence as a tool for identyfying Chironomidae larvae | Presenter: Natalia Mrozińska, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz

Hot cities, different winners: contrasting responses of birds and bats to urban heat islands | Presenter: Marina Querejeta, EBI | Download

Towards Smart Flow Cytometry-Based Phytoplankton Monitoring Using a Regional Black Sea Image Reference Library | Presenter: Violeta Slabakova, Institute of Oceanology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Energy-Efficiency Measures Threaten Important Habitats of Protected Species in Buildings: Evidence from a National Monitoring Study in Bulgaria | Presenter: Elena Stoeva, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski” | Download

Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Amphibian Biodiversity Using Citizen Science | Presenter: Sara Strah, National Institute of Biology Slovenia, University of Ljubljana

Long-term observatories for Arctic biodiversity monitoring integrating zooplankton fluxes, morpho-functional traits, and FAIR data workflows from the Mooring Dirigibile Italia (MDI) | Presenter: Jessica Titocci, CNR-IRET – National Research Council, Italy

Population Dynamics of the White Stork in Belozem – the European Stork Village in Bulgaria, During the Period 2015–2025 | Presenter: Stilyana Yaneva, Green Balkans | Download

Biodiversity & Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change

Guild organisation in marine phytoplankton: niche partitioning between and within phytoplankton size classes | Presenter: Alberto Basset, LifeWatch ERIC, University of Salento

Supporting palaeoecology with informatics: the Pollen-flora Record Overlapping TOol (PROTO) to infer plant biodiversity of the past from fossil pollen
and modern floras | Presenter: Lorenzo Braga, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

CO2 fluxes responses to climate variables in the changing Arctic tundra | Presenter: Mariasilvia Giamberini, CNR-IGG – National Research Council, Italy | Download

Nature-based remediation solutions for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) contamination | Presenter: Yoanna Ivanova, Regional Cluster North-East | Download

Is the hidden global distribution of subterranean biodiversity hotspots vulnerable to climate change? | Presenter: Magdalena Nǎpǎruş-Aljančič, Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU, Tular Cave Laboratory, Society for Cave Biology, Slovenia

Habitat Mapping, Biogeography, Soil Mission & One Health

Preliminary predictive distribution model for Proteus anguinus across the Dinaric Karst | Presenter: Gregor Aljančič, Tular Cave Laboratory, Slovenia

From marine biodiversity to societal value: an integrated approach in MARBEFES | Presenter: Cristina Huertas Olivares, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

From microbiomes to climate action: co-creating reproducible analytics through the Microbes4Climate Transnational Access Programme | Presenter:
Ana Mellado, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Fertilisation type alters soil microbiome structure of sweet maize | Presenter: Teodora Tomova, Agricultural University-Plovdiv | Download

Long-term habitat loss and fragmentation limit persistence in threatened Iberian sandgrouses | Presenter: Francesco Valerio, BIOPOLIS/CIBIO

Earth Observation tools to support ecosystem conservation actions | Presenter: Jasper Van doninck, University of Twente | Download

Metagenomics/eDNA

ITSoneDB v1.144 and BioMaS@ITSoneWB: two ELIXIR-IT main resources for amplicon based mycobiome investigation | Presenter: Giuseppe Defazio, University of Bari Aldo Moro | Download

From krill to seabirds: integrating morphology and metabarcoding to reveal trophic links in Australasian gannets | Presenter: Marina Querejeta, EBI | Download

Microbiome shifts in Cuscuta campestris galls: a shotgun metagenomic study | Presenter: Stefan Savov, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” | Download

Modelling

AI-driven synthetic data and dashboard co-pilots: enhancing decision support systems for regenerative soil management | Presenter: Nikos Minadakis, LifeWatch ERIC

An evolutionary perspective about digital twins | Presenter: Agustín Riscos Núñez, University of Seville | Download

Integrating in-situ and remote sensing data for water budget modelling in forested karst ecosystems | Presenter: Saša Šercer, Slovenian Forestry Institute

Restoration of our Oceans and Waters

Integrating Carbon Pathways, Participatory Governance, and Science-Policy Interfaces: Insights from TheBAR Alliance (BESIDE–A-AAGORA–RESTORE4Cs) | Presenter: Alberto Basset

Assessment of the potential use of peryphyton to control cyanobacterial blooms | Presenter: Aleksandra Krajnik, Kazimierz Wielki University

Semantics, Data Curation & Taxonomic Services

From Aristotle to Darwin and Beyond Revisiting the origins of marine biodiversity classification through taxonomic and functional evidence | Presenter: Christos Arvanitidis, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

From the Cosmos to the Coast: Phytoplankton Classification with Little or No Training Data Using Scattering Covariances and Topological Morphology | Presenter: Jean-Marc Delouis, CNRS – National Centre for Scientific Research, France | Download

Advancing semantic interoperability through cross-domain services | Presenter: Cristina Di Muri, CNR-IRET – National Research Council, Italy | Download

PANGAEA within GFBio and NFDI4Biodiversity: Improving Semantic Curation and FAIR Publication of Biodiversity Data | Presenter: Judith Engel, PANGAEA

KYBELE: Early progress towards an AI-assisted FAIR service for biodiversity data integration | Presenter: Stelios Ninidakis, HCMR | Download

Research Software Quality Training in EVERSE: Metadata, discoverability and semantic perspectives | Presenter: Senem Önen Tarantini, University of Salento | Download

A Concept-Driven Framework for Organising Habitat Monitoring Knowledge | Presenter: Senem Önen Tarantini, University of Salento | Download

Bridging biodiversity and ecosystem data with an ontology-driven approach | Presenter: Martina Pulieri, University of Palermo | Download

e-Science tools for Trait Data harmonisation and semantic interoperability in biodiversity research | Presenter: Jessica Titocci, CNR-IRET – National Research Council, Italy

Aphia, the All Phyla Information Architecture | Presenter: Leen Vandepitte, VLIZ

Training

Assessing Grassland Productivity Trends | Presenter: Marcos Kavlin Castaneda, Hatfield Consultants | Download

Scientific Knowledge Graphs for Biodiversity Research. From machine-actionable DMPs to connected, interoperable knowledge — the LifeWatch ERIC × OpenAIRE case| Presenter: José Antonio Sáenz Albanés, LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Introduction and hands-on Earth Observation for Biodiversity Monitoring | Presenter: Natalia Marsh, SERCO/ ESA SEF | Download

Navigating species names and exploring taxonomy-related services. Welcome to the wonderous world of the LifeWatch Species Information Backbone | Presenters: Tobias Musschoot, Leen Vandepitte, VLIZ | Download

LifeWatch for the Young Generations | Presenters: Eleonora Parisi, LifeWatch ERIC, Franca Sangiorgio, University of Salento | Download

Support your Citizen Science initiatives with the LifeWatch Italy CS Platform | Presenter: Andrea Tarallo, Francesco De Leo, CNR-IRET – National Research Council, Italy | Download

EO for Agroecology | Presenter: Elisa Thouverai, Serco-SEF Project | Download

Fostering Interoperability with the EOSC ecosystem: the LifeWatch ERIC journey | Presenter: Eftychia Tzafesta, LifeWatch ERIC

EVERSE RSQKit indicators and tools in Science clusters | Presenter: Zhiming Zhao, University of Amsterdam/LifeWatch ERIC | Download

ENVRI-Hub tools and VREs for researchers | Presenters: Gabriel Pelouze, Koen Greuell, Zhiming Zhao, University of Amsterdam/LifeWatch ERIC | Download

Notebook-as-a-VRE: a Virtual Research Environment | Presenters: Gabriel Pelouze, Koen Greuell, Zhiming Zhao, LifeWatch ERIC/University of Amsterdam | Download

Identify community needs and promote FAIR data exchange for agroecology

End of 2027
- Identify the demand from researchers and living labs for interoperable indicators, reproducible workflows, and decision-support tools that connect biophysical, ecological and socio-economic dimensions.

Strengthen collaboration and impact

Permanent activity
- Coordinate collaboration among Distributed Centres, Living Labs and research communities to support the development of agroecology services within LifeWatch ERIC;
End of 2027
- Improve comparability of research outputs, accelerate adoption of services, and foster co-created solutions for researchers, farmers, advisors and policy makers.
Permanent activity
- Facilitate joint initiatives, project proposals and knowledge exchange to ensure sustained service development and long-term impact.

Support the development of digital agroecology services

June 2026
- Deployment of EDDAn data space for Agrifood sector in Andalusia; Adaptation of TITAN workflow platform and related KHAOS tools to serve as a reproducible, trustworthy analysis layer within EDDAn Data Space;
September 2026
- An AGROSERV TransNationalAccess project is currently underway by LifeWatch ERIC and AnaEE ERIC to develop a VREfA (Virtual Research Environment for Agroecology). The project, led by UPO, will support the biophysical analysis of agroecosystems that are transitioning to agroecological management practices.

Advance agroecological research across scales

Permanent activity
- Increase knowledge on ecological processes in agroecosystems, considering both relevant spatial scales and long-term changes.
End of 2027
- Promote the advancement of Landscape Agroecology, exploring new ways of functional integration of different land and livestock uses to increase territorial efficiency and generate landscape mosaics well-endowed with biodiversity and ecosystem services.
End of 2027
- Contribute to the design of agroecological food systems at local and bioregional levels to meet population food demands.
End of 2028
- Research on the contribution of agroecological management to combating climate emergencies, both in terms of mitigation (sequestration) and adaptation to adverse climatic conditions at both farm and landscape level.

Community engagement and application integration

March–June 2026
- stakeholder mapping and engagement strategy;
- first open webinar.
July 2026–December 2027
- workshops, training activities, and industry–academia roundtables;
- co-development of application-oriented pilot studies.
2028
- consolidation of collaborations, cross-infrastructure initiatives, and dissemination of impact- oriented outputs.

Bioinformatics services and infrastructure

March–September 2026
- assessment of computational needs;
- deployment of Virtual Machines and Galaxy Instances;
- integration of workflows for eDNA, DNA metabarcoding, and shotgun metagenomics.
October 2026–June 2027
- release and optimization of reproducible workflows;
- scaling of infrastructure;
- integration of ML/AI tools for biodiversity analyses.

Experimental design and extraction protocols

March–June 2026
- Kick-off meeting;
- collection of use cases;
- mapping of existing experimental designs and nucleic acid extraction protocols.
July–December 2026
- Comparative evaluation of sampling strategies and sequencing approaches;
- assessment of extraction methods across environmental matrices;
- drafting of best-practice guidelines.
January–April 2027
- Pilot validation, community feedback, and release of Version 1.0 standardised guidelines.

Integrated Data-to-Model Workflows

End of December 2026 – At least 5 workflows for data-model integration developed and published
End of February 2027 – At least 5 workflows for policy-relevant outputs developed and published

Environmental Data Mapping

End of May 2026 – Core environmental data mapped as a list
End of June 2026 – Cross-comparison with existing LifeWatch catalogue done

Cross-Disciplinary Lexicon

End of April 2026 – Lexicon of standardised terminology
End of May 2026 – Publication submitted

Policy Relevance and Uptake

End of May 2026 – Policy-brief to demonstrate the application of habitat-based mapping in supporting EU strategies (e.g., Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Law).

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.

Methodological Alignment and Innovation

End of January 2026 – Online working table on mapping standards, classification systems, and indicators across members;
End of January 2026 – Catalogue of advanced techniques (e.g., remote sensing, GIS modelling, and machine learning) for scalable, habitat-based ecosystem service mapping;
End December 2026 – Methodological framework to support methodological innovation through joint development and testing of mapping approaches, especially linking ecosystem service supply and demand.

Mapping Requirements and Gap Analysis

End of December 2025 – Catalogue of services already available in LifeWatch ERIC or research lines Ecosystem services mapping.

Development of VREs for Ecosystem Simulation (2026)

Creating virtual models of ecosystems to predict environmental changes;
Enhancing conservation strategies through AI-driven simulations.

Data Standardisation & FAIR Principles Implementation (2025/2026)

Developing best practices for data curation and sharing;
Ensuring that biodiversity data aligns with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) standards.

Collaborative Research & Case Studies (2025/2026)

Conducting pilot projects to test new monitoring methods;
Publishing scientific and popular science papers and reports on advancements in biodiversity assessment.

Meetings, Webinars, International Conferences & Networking (2025/2026)

Organising and participating at discussions on emerging technologies in biodiversity monitoring;
Organising webinars on machine learning, eDNA analysis, and automated data collection;
Fostering collaboration between researchers, technologists, and decision-makers.

Fund raising

End of January 2025 – Establishing a WG Committee on scouting project application opportunities and fundraising.

Organising WG workshops and conferences

End of January 2025 – Setting priority research lines and contributions to the BEeS 2025 LifeWatch Conference for the session on the “Ecological responses to climate change”;
March/April 2025 (TBD) – Workshop ‘Ecological modelling and eco-informatics to address functional responses of biodiversity and ecosystems to climate change’ co-organised with the University of Salento;
30 June – 3 July 2025 – Participation to LifeWatch 2025 BEeS Conference on “Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis”.

Implementing services

End of January 2025 – Internal distribution of a questionnaire on the most used/relevant model resources in the WG member research activity;
February 2025 (TBD) – Online working table on setting priorities, timeline and milestones for the mapping service and model requirements by scientists and science stakeholders.

Mapping user requirements

End of January 2025 – Catalogue of services already available in LifeWatch ERIC or research lines addressing ecological responses to climate change;
February 2025 (TBD) – Online working table on setting priorities, timeline and milestones for the mapping service and model requirements by scientists and science stakeholders.

Bulgaria

The Bulgarian National Distributed Centre is represented by the Agricultural University-Plovdiv.

To know more about how Bulgaria contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Spain

The Spanish National Distributed Centre is supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Regional Government of Andalusia and the Guadalquivir River Basin Authority (Ministry for Ecological Transition-MITECO). Moreover, Spain is the hosting Member State of LifeWatch ERIC, the location of its Statutory Seat & ICT e-Infrastructure Technical Office (LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities).

To know more about how Spain contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Slovenia

The Slovenian National Distributed Centre is led by the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). It focuses on the development of technological solutions in the field of biodiversity and socio-ecosystem research.

To know more about how Slovenia contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Portugal

The Portuguese National Distributed Centre is managed by PORBIOTA, the Portuguese e-Infrastructure for Information and Research on Biodiversity. Led by BIOPOLIS/CIBIO-InBIO – Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, PORBIOTA connects the principal Portuguese research institutions working in biodiversity.

To know more about how Portugal contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Netherlands

The Dutch National Distributed Centre is hosted by the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam. Moreover, The Netherlands hosts one of the LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities, the Virtual Laboratory and Innovation Centre.

To know more about how The Netherlands contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Italy

The Italian National Distributed Centre is led and managed by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and is coordinated by a Joint Research Unit, currently comprising 35 members. Moreover, Italy hosts one of the LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities, the Service Centre.

To know more about how Italy contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Greece

The Greek National Distributed Centre is funded by the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology and is coordinated by the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, in conjunction with 47 associated partner institutions.

To know more about how Greece contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.

Belgium

The Belgian National Distributed Centre makes varied and complementary in-kind contributions to LifeWatch ERIC. These are implemented in the form of long-lasting projects by various research centres and universities distributed throughout the country and supported by each respective political authority.

To know more about how Belgium contributes to LifeWatch ERIC, please visit our dedicated webpage.