Highlights from BEeS 2026: Four days of biodiversity science in Plovdiv

BEeS 2026 Conference

From 7 to 10 July, the biodiversity and ecosystem research community gathered in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for LifeWatch ERIC’s Biodiversity and Ecosystem eScience Conference (BEeS 2026), bringing together 216 registrants from 28 countries (and co-located with LifeWatch ERIC’s General Assembly).

Across four days of scientific exchange, discussions, and hands-on activities, researchers and infrastructure experts explored how digital technologies (including artificial intelligence) have the potential to shape the future of biodiversity and ecosystem research.

As LifeWatch ERIC’s flagship event, each edition of BEeS is hosted by one of its Distributed Centres, and this year the spotlight was on LifeWatch Bulgaria, with the conference taking place at the Agricultural University – Plovdiv (AUP). The event opened with welcoming remarks from AUP Rector Prof. Boryana Ivanova, and Vice-rector Prof. Dimo Atanasov, alongside Prof. Alberto Basset, Interim Director of LifeWatch ERIC’s Service Centre, and Christos Arvanitidis, LifeWatch ERIC’s CEO.

The expertise of the Bulgarian Distributed Centre inspired many of this year’s conference topics, and provided the ideal setting for the official launch of the LifeWatch ERIC’s Thematic Service Working Group on Agroecology. During this pre-conference session on 7 July, the Working Group members worked together to align agroecological priorities and digital services, and to define the future roadmap and action areas of the WG.

The pre-conference programme also included updates from the other Thematic Services Working Groups: an open discussion with coordinators presenting their current activities and exploring future priorities.

From 8 to 10 July, the conference moved into its main scientific programme with 5 keynote sessions from Prof. Tatyana Bileva (Agricultural University Plovdiv), Dr. Dessislava Dimitrova (IBER-BAS), Prof. Carl Beierkuhnlein (University of Bayreuth/Universidad de Granada), Prof. Vladislav Popov (Agricultural University Plovdiv) and Dr. Anne Fouilloux (LifeWatch ERIC). The Key Notes focused on biodiversity conservation, responses to climate change, agroecology, as well as new frontiers for eScience. The speakers bios and summaries of each keynote are available here: https://www.lifewatch.eu/bees-2026-meet-the-speakers.

The contributed programme featured 70 talks distributed over several parallel sessions covering 12 scientific topics (the Book of Abstracts will be published and announced soon!). These contributions showcased the wide breadth and ranges of application of current biodiversity and ecosystem research, from ecological and environmental modelling, to data infrastructures and emerging digital tools. Presentations slides (only those where permission for publication has been granted by the authors) are available online on this page: https://www.lifewatch.eu/bees-2026-presentations.

Beyond the contributed sessions, BEeS 2026 offered opportunities for practical learning and community engagement. Participants joined 6 Masterclasses, 11 Training Sessions, a documentary screening, networking sessions, and the BioBEeS, a citizen science bioblitz dedicated to documenting Bulgaria’s animal, plant and fungal biodiversity. The initiative, launched by LifeWatch Italy, concluded during the conference Social Dinner with the announcement of the two winners: Lorenzo Braga and Sara Strah.

Acting as a platform for international collaboration in biodiversity and ecosystem research, BEeS 2026 has raised many positive comments among participants. One of them, shared in the post-conference feedback read: “This conference demonstrated that to save nature, we must first understand it in detail. Thanks to platforms like LifeWatch ERIC, science now has the digital senses to decipher ecological crises and offer real, timely technological solutions”.

We are already looking forward to the next edition. Until then, stay tuned for updates!

BEeS 2026: deadline extended for abstract submission

Deadline Extended - BEeS 2026

Originally set for 15 May 2026, the submission deadline has now been extended to 2 June 2026, offering additional time for researchers and practitioners to prepare and submit their short or long contributed sessions (10 or 15 minutes) within one of the selected topics.

The extended timeline is as follows:

  • Early submission: 15 May 2026 (evaluation by 22 May 2026)
  • Late submission: 2 June 2026

This extension aims to ensure broader participation from the biodiversity and ecosystem research community.

Participants are encouraged to take advantage of this additional time to submit abstracts for contributed presentations and be part of BEeS 2026, taking place from 7 to 10 July in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Submit your abstract here: https://www.lifewatch.eu/bees-2026-abstract-submission.

BEeS 2026: released the Call for Abstracts topics. Join us in Plovdiv!

LifeWatch ERIC Biodiversity and Ecosystem eScience Conference (BEeS) is back. This summer, we have the pleasure of inviting you to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for a four-day appointment, from 7 to 10 July. LifeWatch Bulgaria, through the Agricultural University-Plovdiv, hosts the third edition of the conference for 2026.

The event will start with a set of Pre-conference workshops on 7 July, while the plenary and contributed sessions will take place from 8 July onwards. Plenary speakers Prof. Vladislav Popov and Prof. Tatyana Bileva (Agricultural University-Plovdiv), Dr. Anne Fouilloux (LifeWatch ERIC), and Prof. Carl Beierkuhnlein (University of Bayreuth/Universidad de Granada), will present sessions on biodiversity conservation, responses to climate change, agroecology, as well as new frontiers for eScience technologies.

Besides the plenary session, the conference welcomes contributions collected through a Call for Abstracts, and a series of Masterclasses and Training sessions on how to use specific LifeWatch ERIC services. The abstracts collected will be published on the conference Book of Abstracts after the event, as well as submitted for publication on the ARPHA platform.

BEeS 2026 also offers some publication opportunities on three different journals, you can follow the updates on this page: https://www.lifewatch.eu/bees-2026-publication-opportunities.

We welcome participants to submit their abstracts for either a shorter, or longer contributed session (10 or 15 minutes), in one of the selected topics:

  • Uniting science for human, animal, plant and ecosystem health
  • Metagenomics and eDNA for biodiversity and ecosystems
  • Animal traits, behavior and bio-tracking
  • Biodiversity observatories and environmental monitoring
  • Habitat mapping
  • Biogeography: biodiversity conservation across regions and ecosystems
  • Biodiversity and ecosystem responses to climate change
  • Restoration of our oceans and waters
  • Taxonomic data services
  • Semantics and data curation for biodiversity and ecosystem research
  • Soil mission & Microbiology
  • Agroecology

The preliminary programme is available on the BEeS 2026 minisite, and the Call for Abstracts is open until 15 May: submit your work here: https://www.lifewatch.eu/bees-2026-abstract-submission. The registration form and logistic information will be published very soon. Stay tuned!

About LifeWatch Bulgaria:

Bulgaria joined LifeWatch ERIC in 2022 as one of its eight Distributed Centres (https://www.lifewatch.eu/organisation-governance/bulgaria), where the Agricultural University-Plovdiv is the official national scientific organisation. The Distributed Centre provides services such as lab and field testing, agricultural practices assessment, advanced agrobiodiversity monitoring and land use analysis, as well as open-source collaboration, AI services and plant health infrastructure.

Green Balkans and the collaboration with LifeWatch ERIC

Life for Lesser Kestrel

At the end of November, the team of the project Life for Lesser Kestrel – LIFE19 NAT/BG/001017 by Green Balkans, (https://lesserkestrellife.greenbalkans.org/en/) funded by the EU’s LIFE program, participated in the second edition of the Plovdiv Science Festival. The event provided an excellent opportunity to highlight the collaboration with LifeWatch ERIC.

Hosted by the Center for Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology (CPSBB) in Plovdiv, the Festival was organised for the second consecutive year by the Beautiful Science Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Municipality of Plovdiv. Over four days, the festival featured more than 100 presentations, games, exhibitions, demonstrations, experiments, workshops, and educational activities, attracting over 5,000 participants, including school groups, curious youth, visitors of all ages, and residents and guests of Plovdiv.

Green Balkans presented the exhibition “The Great Return – 2”, featuring scientific illustrations, paintings, graphics, digital images, and mixed media works created by members of the Society of Animalists, Florists, and Scientific Illustrators (DAFNI). Inspired by rare and protected species that are part of conservation and restoration programs in Bulgaria, the exhibition highlighted the connection between art, science, and wildlife conservation. The illustrations allowed thousands of children to enjoy learning about rare and protected species showcased in the exhibition.

During the presentation program, Dr. Gradimir Gradev from Green Balkans shared with young attendees the story of the adventures of the lesser kestrel Ruzhka, and the conservation efforts that have led to the recovery of this species in Bulgaria, once considered extinct in the region, with its colonies gradually growing.

Dr. Gradev also highlighted the organisation’s collaboration with our research infrastructure, represented locally by the Agricultural University – Plovdiv, as e-research facilities for studying biodiversity and ecosystem services can contribute greatly in helping address global environmental challenges.

Hopefully, many more collaborations like this will emerge in the future, supporting efforts to bring many other species back from the brink of extinction.

Three new artificial nests in Bulgaria to protect European Green Belt biodiversity

In March 2024, Green Balkans – one of the oldest non-governmental organisation in Bulgaria dedicated to conserving natural habitats and a partner of LifeWatch Bulgaria, the national node of LifeWatch ERIC – installed three artificial nests for the Imperial Eagle within the European Green Belt. This ecological corridor is crucial for protecting biodiversity and stretches from the Baltic shores to the Black and Ionian Seas, passing through the central areas of Germany. Running along the historic Iron Curtain, which once split Europe into East and West, the European Green Belt is a natural sanctuary where wildlife has thrived amidst the remnants of decades-long political tensions.

Green Balkans staff and volunteers worked with teams from the Black Vulture Nest Foundation, Tonido91, the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna and the Sakar Nature Park Society. By the end of March, this collaborative effort had built the three nests. Watch this video to see the process of identifying suitable areas and constructing these artificial nests:

In the two decades since Green Balkans installed its first artificial nest, the technique has successfully promoted the settlement and reproduction of the Imperial Eagle. There are currently around 40 nesting pairs in Bulgaria, 15 of which use the artificial nests provided by Green Balkans and its partners Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. This nesting practice has benefited not only the Imperial Eagle but also several other species of birds of prey, thus contributing to bird conservation in general. In addition to Green Balkans, the Turkish organisation Back to Nature and the German foundation EuroNatur contributed to installing artificial nests.

This activity is part of the EU-funded BESTbelt project, which supports conservation and sustainable development initiatives and provides education and management training to conserve the biodiversity of Europe’s Green Belt. For further details about Green Balkans and this project, please visit this page: https://lesserkestrellife.greenbalkans.org/Building-a-nest-for-a-golden-eagle–or-how-to-create-a-new-home-for-majestic-birds–3-8459.

Cover photo belongs to Gradimir Gradev / GREEN BALKANS

LifeWatch Bulgaria at the first edition of Plovdiv Science Festival to showcase commitment to Environmental Science 

Plovdiv Science Festival

LifeWatch Bulgaria participated in the first edition of the Plovdiv Science Festival, from November 23 to 26. The festival was held at Plovdiv’s newly inaugurated Research Center for Plant and System Biology and Biotechnology. This venue was ideal for a festival that promotes scientific knowledge and encourages collaboration among researchers and scientists. LifeWatch Bulgaria was there to support environmental research and to showcase the commitment to pursuing scientific excellence.

The festival’s organiser is the Beautiful Science Foundation, with the support of the Agricultural University Plovdiv and Green Balkans. Collaborations and partnerships also included the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, the Municipality of Plovdiv, and the National Bank of Serbia. Also, the support came from several non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, corporate entities, international collaborators, and media partners.

The festival tackled topics like protecting the climate and preserving biodiversity, specifically rare and protected bird species. Participants enjoyed informative discussions and presentations addressing critical environmental sustainability issues.

LifeWatch Bulgaria participated in the Plovdiv Science Festival to showcase its contribution to facilitating the exchange of scientific data and promoting international cooperation in scientific research. The festival provided scientists, researchers, and environmental enthusiasts a platform to network and explore opportunities. The Bulgarian National Node of LifeWatch ERIC highlighted the importance of working together to address global environmental issues and promoting responsible management of the planet’s diverse life.

LifeWatch Bulgaria celebrates Earth Day

Earth Day

­The Agricultural University-Plovdiv (AUP, Coordinator of LifeWatch Bulgaria) and the Faculty of Plant Protection and Agroecology in partnership with LifeWatch ERIC; the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts “Prof. Asen Diamandiev” – Plovdiv (AMTII); the student councils at the AUP and AMTII; the Plovdiv Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW); the Green Balkans Association (Stara Zagora, LifeWatch Bulgaria partner); and the Society of Animalists, Florists and Scientific Illustrators (DAFNI), celebrated Earth Day on 22 April with a variety of educational and creative activities held at the AUP.

Special guests of the Earth Day event were students from the local area, who had the opportunity to learn about and paint different plants. The awards for the best pictures of live plants, provided by LifeWatch ERIC and the Student Councils of AUP, AMTII, and RIEW, went to:

  1. 1st place – Marina Vasileva, 12th grade “Vasil Levski” Secondary School – Vetovo village;
  2. 2nd place – Tamer Reyhanov and Tyulin Tahirov – 12th grade “Vasil Levski” Secondary School – Vetovo village;
  3. 3rd place – Dimitar Rangelov- AMTII and Radoslava Atanasova – AUP.

The work of the Wildlife Rescue Centre Stara Zagora was also presented under the title “The Voice of Injured Wildlife”, as well as the project “Life for the Lesser Kestrel”, implemented by the association with the financial support of LifeWatch ERIC. 

The day’s celebrations featured DANFI and Green Balkans’s exhibitions “The Great Return” and “The Surviving Exhibition”. In the Central Rectorate Building of the AUP is one of the emblematic frescoes of Yoan Leviev – “Earth and People”, which reflects the history of mankind, reminded the Rector Prof. Hristina Yancheva, at the official opening of the event. 

“As a university, we work with professions related to the Earth, plants, animals. Our mission as lecturers is to keep the planet clean for the next generations and in all specialties the focus is on green technologies”, added Prof. Stattev. Dash.

“Art has been ringing the bell since ancient times for the fact that we must preserve the land in which we live,” said Prof. Stattev. Toni Shekerdzhieva – Novak, Rector of AMTII.

The exhibition “The Great Return” presented drawings of species of animals that have been returned to their natural habitats with the efforts of various organisations. It is the second in a row for DAFNI after the first one was presented in 2015. “There are over 30 members of the company, and I believe that it unites all people in our country who depict living nature in its diversity”, said chairman Georgi Pchelarov.

“The Animated Exhibition” presented models of rare and protected bird species, which are made in real size and colouring, said Gradimir Gradev from Green Balkans. These are birds that inhabit the border regions of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, which fall within the scope of the European Green Belt.

Finally, students from AMTII put on a “green” fashion show in a verdant courtyard of the University. 

LifeWatch Bulgaria Celebrates World Water Day

World Water Day

This year, several LifeWatch Bulgaria partners were heavily involved in World Water Day in Plovdiv, observed on 22 March. The LifeWatch Bulgaria Consortium joined in the colourful event, organised by the Municipality of Plovdiv, The Agricultural University-Plovdiv, the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water – Plovdiv, “Water Supply and Sewerage” Ltd. – Plovdiv and the East Aegean River Basin Directorate. This year’s theme was “Accelerating Change”, focusing on resolving the global drinking and wastewater crisis. The campaign encourages us to change the way we use and manage water resources. And because water affects us all, we need to take action to make this happen in a reasonable and sustainable way. All of us – everyone.

In fact, there was a big focus on raising awareness through citizen science, showcased by the large number of participants; nearly 400 children from kindergartens, schools and eco-clubs in the city took part in the celebration, with 36 educational institutions, institutions, institutions and organisations participating. Students from Plovdiv schools made models, presentations and drawings related to this year’s motto “Be the change you want to see in the world”. At the end of the celebration, students with the most interesting projects were given prizes. 

This year, a tradition was established for the Leader of the Bulgarian LifeWatch Consortium, the Agricultural University-Plovdiv, to celebrate World Water Day. The University had a stand, where lecturers from the Department of Agroecology and Environmental Protection, together with students majoring in Ecology and Environmental Protection, had prepared a quiz with facts about water. During the event, all curious people were presented with experiments through which they were acquainted with some of the properties of water.

The Green Balkans Organisation, a partner of the Bulgarian LifeWatch Consortium, also took part in the initiative, presenting information about the Natura 2000 ecological network and several waterfowl species – the Sandwich Tern, Red-breasted Goose and Pygmy Cormorant. Students had the opportunity to arrange the entertaining puzzle with the pygmy cormorant by answering the questions within it, and all visitors to Green Balkans’ table received informative materials and posters.

The event was also attended by LifeWatch Bulgaria colleagues from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, with information on birds and forests, and the International Movement “Save the Soil” presented interesting facts about biodiversity and how important water is for ecosystems.

Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network for nature conservation. More than 30% of the territory of Bulgaria falls within the scope of the network – 120
protected areas for the conservation of wild birds and 234 protected areas for the conservation of natural habitats.

The Red-breasted Goose is a globally threatened and protected species, protected by the Natura 2000 ecological network. Bulgaria is an important place for the conservation of the species – almost the entire world population spends the winter in the region of Coastal Dobrudzha.

With only a few nesting grounds in the country, the Pygmy Cormorant is one of the three species of cormorants found in Bulgaria. The species is closely related to ponds and nests colonially, making it vulnerable to disturbance. One of the species most threatened with extinction, which is why it is strictly protected and protected by the Natura 2000 ecological network.

In Bulgaria, the Sandwich Tern nests only on Pomorie and Atanasovsko Lakes. Thanks to years of hard work, today the population of the species in Pomorie Lake is the largest on the Balkan Peninsula. Listed as an endangered species and included in the Birds Directive, the Sandwich Tern and its habitats are protected by the Natura 2000 ecological network.

The LifeWatch Community Platform is here!

LifeWatch Community

Roll up, roll up! LifeWatch followers and collaborators are cordially invited to the grand unveiling of the LifeWatch Community platform, now openly available to everyone! Who should become a member? Well, if you’re interested in biodiversity and ecosystem research, then you should!

The content of the Community platform will be widely shaped by its members, allowing them to create and contribute to forums, add opportunities, jobs and events of interest to the community, and hold meetings and collaborative brainstorming together with other members. These features are particularly well-suited to the needs of partners involved in European projects focused on biodiversity, who can benefit from the working groups as the perfect collaborative space.

Once a member of the Community, you can select your skills from a preset list, in order to facilitate linkages among the community. In need of a collaborator with a specific specialisation? Whether the keywords are data sciences, environmental sciences or biotechnology, simply carry out a search for the skills you are looking for to identify potential matches.

The platform is also a great space to learn about upcoming events. Of immediate relevance to the community is the upcoming LifeWatch ERIC Biodiversity and Ecosystem eScience Conference in Seville, for which interested persons can already submit their abstract on the Community platform.

While many aspects of the platform can be browsed without registering, we recommend opening an account in order to benefit from the full range of resources available. Sign up now to enhance the community experience for everyone, put your range of abilities and knowledge at everyone’s disposal, in a mutual and sincere effort to foster open science.

If you require any assistance with any of the registration process or functionalities of the Community, please do not hesitate to get in touch with communications[@]lifewatch.eu.

Head over to the LifeWatch Community!

Voices of Women at LifeWatch ERIC for International Women’s Day

Voices of Women

In preparation for this year’s International Women’s Day, LifeWatch ERIC International Gender Officer, Africa Zanella, had a clear request: amplify women’s voices. As explored in the “Gender, Equity and Research” campaign for last year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, statistically, we know that while more women than ever are getting involved in STEM, there are significant obstacles still to overcome for women in research. 

In light of International Women’s Day 2023, we have therefore created a podcast miniseries specifically dedicated to learning more about authentic experiences of women working in LifeWatch ERIC fields of interest. We asked scientists from our eight member states to talk candidly about their work and experience. The guests were invited to speak in pairs, which produced spontaneous and insightful conversations on these topics, facilitated by LifeWatch ERIC podcast host, Julian Kenny. Being of all ages and hailing from a diversity of backgrounds, the end result produced is an enriching range of experiences and contemporary points of view of women working in research today. Listening to their voices, our eyes are opened to their contribution to society, to science, and the potential offered by the European Union’s Gender Equality Strategy, which LifeWatch ERIC actively supports and incorporates into its everyday work life.

The guests featured in “Voices of Women” are:

The episodes will be released over the course of the week beginning 6 March and will be consolidated with an overview and considerations from LifeWatch ERIC International Gender Officer, Africa Zanella, interviewed by Chief Communication Officer, Sara Montinaro, to be released on 8 March (International Women’s Day). This podcast will examine the progress of the infrastructure as a whole in terms of achieving gender sustainability and equity, a year on from the appointment of LifeWatch ERIC’s International Gender Officer, and explore future plans to continue the commendable and tangible work that she has already set in motion.

The podcasts are available here below. They can also be found on Spotify, Google, Apple, and Amazon.