Biodiversity and Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change Workshop

biodiversity and ecosystem responses workshop (1)

Lecce, Italy

The LifeWatch ERIC Working Group on Ecological Responses to Climate Change and the National Biodiversity Future Center organise the workshop on “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change“, to be held in Lecce, Italy, on 12 and 13 June 2025.

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.

A proposal for a Special Issue including a selection of the workshop contributions has been presented to Ecological Indicators. Contributions will be presented as short talks of 10 minutes.

To find out more about our speakers, register and submit your abstract, please visit the following page:

https://www.lifewatch.eu/thematic-services-working-groups/wg-climate-change/meetings/workshop-biodiversity-and-ecosystem-responses-to-climate-change

LifeWatch Belgium: 72 shell species identified in the Big Seashell Survey event

Shells species

The eighth edition of the Big Seashell Survey, held in March, gathered more than 3,500 participants across 400 km of coastline in northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, breaking the previous years’ records!

Participants collected and identified nearly 150,000 shells from 72 different species, with few differences between the three countries, although the cut trough shell, the Atlantic jackknife clam, the banded wedge shell, and the common cockle made it to the top five in all three of them.

The Big Seashell Survey is one of the largest European marine citizen science projects: in Belgium it is coordinated by The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), in partnership with EOS wetenschap, Natuurpunt, Provincie West-Vlaanderen, Strandwerkgroep, Kusterfgoed, and 10 coastal municipalities.

The examination of thousands of common cockle shells on the Belgian coast led to interesting findings. The cockles’ colour showed that the vast majority of these shells are in fact subfossils: hard remains from decades, or even thousands of years ago. It seems that the currently living cockle populations are, in fact, extremely rare, at least in the regions taken under exam. The blue-gray colour, moreover, seems to be associated with low-oxygen environments where the remains might have been buried, such as clay or organic matter. This was the case for 56% of the examined samples, while the ones in brighter colours might have laid in well-oxygenated environments, like gullies or open beach areas.

If you are curious about the other findings, read the full article on LifeWatch Belgium: https://www.lifewatch.be/news/old-cockles-and-record-number-shells-eighth-edition-big-seashell-survey

Picture: Cockles in 50 shades of grey and brown: subfossils and fossils from the Holocene and Pleistocene. Source: LifeWatch Belgium

Join LifeWatch ERIC’s Thematic Services Working Groups

Thematic Services Working Groups

LifeWatch ERIC launches the minisites of the six Thematic Services Working Groups: hubs for knowledge and resources sharing, networking, and collaboration.

Co-developed by the LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities in collaboration with the National Distributed Centres, they reflect the main priority areas of e-Service construction, and therefore are central to the 2022-2026 Infrastructure Strategic Working Plan.

The Thematic Services Working Groups are coordinated by the LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre and pursue three main objectives:

  • Strengthen collaboration between and within the Common Facilities and the Distributed Centres;
  • Review and update the mapping of the National scientific communities’ research needs in relation to the Thematic Services, and identify priority areas for development;
  • Promote and coordinate the participation of Distributed Centre research institutions in Horizon Europe and other European and international projects, on behalf of and in collaboration with LifeWatch ERIC, to co-design and co-construct the priority services with other key actors in the biodiversity and ecosystem research landscape.

The initiative officially took off in 2024, marked by a series of Thematic Service Workshops hosted by the National Distributed Centres, engaging local communities from the start.

Today, we are glad to present the Working Groups on the website: six dedicated entry points, each focused on a specific topic and open for participation!
Each page offers a brief overview of the scope and objectives, as well as a timeline of activities, including some future actions already planned.

The activities in each group are led by a coordinator from one of our National Distributed Centres, who will oversee the follow-up of its activities.

Moreover, the abstract submission topics for this year’s ‘BEeS’, LifeWatch ERIC’s Biodiversity & Ecosystem eScience Conference, have been selected in alignment with those of the Working Groups, given that they had been previously identified as key priority areas by the National Distributed Centres.

What are you waiting for? Find out more about the Working Groups, join forces with fellow experts and contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem research!

Biodiversity Meets Data: the EU & SERI project that will turn biodiversity data into action

BMD Project

BMD (Biodiversity Meets Data) aims to enhance access to high-throughput biodiversity monitoring tools, analyses, and data to support evidence-based conservation efforts across Europe.

The project, coordinated by Niels Raes from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, kicked off in Leiden, the Netherlands, at the beginning of March 2025 (click here for a nice group picture). Joaquín López Lérida attended the meeting on behalf of LifeWatch ERIC. During the event, presentations on the current biodiversity policy landscape highlighted how Biodiversity Meets Data can support key initiatives such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Nature Restoration Law.

Even before its official launch, the project had already made its first appearances – at the The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) workshop in November 2024, and at the Eurosite – European Land Conservation Network Annual Meeting in October.

More specifically, BMD will provide a Single Access Point (SAP) for natural resource managers and policymakers, offering access to: 

  • Biodiversity monitoring tools including image, sound, e-DNA and AI taxon identification services; 
  • Co-designed Virtual Research Environments (VREs) for terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms; 
  • A Web-GIS Map Viewer for data exploration.

The Virtual Research Environments (VREs) will build on the expertise of eLTER (terrestrial and freshwater domains) and LifeWatch ERIC (marine domain), combining biological data with environmental, climatic, and remotely sensed datasets.

These integrated platforms will bridge knowledge gaps through predictive modelling, supporting the identification of drivers of change and enabling analysis of climate and land cover impacts on species and habitats. 

In addition to its role in the marine VRE, LifeWatch ERIC will also contribute to the data visualisation engine and the design of the Single Access Point, and lead learning, training, and capacity-building initiatives.

The project’s tools and services will be co-designed and co-developed with stakeholders, ensuring user input guides every stage. Contributions from Biodiversa+ and BioDiMoBot during the kick-off meeting presented opportunities to connect BMD with ongoing biodiversity monitoring efforts across Europe.

BMD will help turn biodiversity data into actionable insights for conservation and policy, thanks to the collaboration of 14 partner institutions.

Funders: the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Stay in touch via the official website: https://bmd-project.eu

WoRMS reveals the list of ten remarkable new marine species from 2024

remarkable marine species

Every year, the World Register of Marine Species releases its annual list of the top ten remarkable marine species described by researchers during the previous year.

We are glad to announce that the 2024 list was revealed on 19 March, a date that coincides with World Taxonomist Appreciation Day. This date was not randomly chosen: it is worth noting that over 340 taxonomists around the world contribute their time to keeping the World Register of Marine Species up to date, and this is WoRMS’ way of acknowledging their work and celebrating taxonomists worldwide.

Selecting the top ten was no easy task, with an average of 2,000 fascinating new marine species discovered every year, and over 3,200 described in 2024 alone. The call for nominations was announced in December 2024 and sent to all WoRMS editors and major taxonomy journals.

The final decisions reflect the immense diversity of taxonomic groups in the marine environment, including crustaceans, corals, sponges, jellies, and worms.

Read the full press release here: https://marinespecies.org/worms-top-ten/2024/press-release

About WoRMS: hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), within LifeWatch Belgium (the National Distributed Centre of LifeWatch ERIC – more info here), the World Register of Marine Species grew out of the ERMS, the European Register of Marine Species, combined with a series of registers maintained at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ).

Women in Science: LifeWatching TV special feature for International Women’s Day 2025

women in science

Thanks to our daily activities and European projects, we’ve had the opportunity to work with inspiring female researchers, technologists, managers, policymakers and science communication professionals. 

For our International Women’s Day 2025 campaign, we have decided to put them in the spotlight and entirely dedicate the homepage of our LifeWatching TV to the talented women in science we have met over these years, collecting and republishing their interviews.

Some of these women are directly involved in LifeWatch ERIC or its National Distributed Centres, while others are researchers that we’ve had the chance to work with in the context of scientific projects.

We thought this was the perfect opportunity to revisit their work and listen once again to what they have to say, learning more about their expertise and understanding their impact on biodiversity and ecosystem research: from coastal wetlands to fisheries, bat populations to deep-sea observation, animal tracking and behaviour, invasive alien species, phytoplankton, to name just a few examples. After the end of this year’s campaign,these contents will remain available in the new permanent page “Women in Science”.

We have also expanded our efforts, replicating the initiative in our LifeWatch ERIC Podcasts, introducing a “Women in Science” category on our Podcasts page, making it easier to discover interviews and discussions with women scientists and showcase their contributions across various disciplines.

This is simply our way of recognising and celebrating the work of the women we have had the privilege to collaborate with over the years.

Explore our collection of podcasts and interviews here.
Watch the featured videos now on LifeWatching TV.

Project RESTORE4Cs launches a School Competition about Coastal Wetlands

RESTORE4Cs School Competition

Coastal Wetlands are broadly defined as “areas of saltwater and freshwater located within coastal zones”1. These areas are among the most crucial ecosystems, playing a key role for climate neutrality, biodiversity protection, zero-pollution, and circular economy.

The project RESTORE4Cs recently launched a Serious Game School Competition: a fun and easy way to make school students learn about this fascinating world.

Acting as natural sponges, coastal wetlands are able to regulate the water cycle and mitigate both floods and droughts. Some particular types can actively sequester and accumulate organic carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, they host a range of plant and animal species uniquely adapted to their specific characteristics and soil conditions.

To give you an idea of just how vital they are, here’s an example we recently came across from the US: an initiative called “Wild Mile” (https://wildmile.org/), by the nonprofit organisation Urban Rivers. Volunteers at Urban Rivers are building a floating eco-park on the Chicago River, made up of artificial habitats that actually mimic wetlands, with the objective of restoring the river’s waters to their pre-industrial state. The rapid development of the city and the use of the river’s waters as a channel for industrial shipping in the 18th Century, in fact, had left the river floor in conditions of extreme pollution.

In Europe, coastal wetlands are disappearing at a fast rate (here’s some data collected by RESTORE4Cs in occasion of the World Wetlands Day: https://www.restore4cs.eu/world-wetlands-day-2024/). But let’s focus on the positives! Some of our original wetlands are still holding on and fighting to survive: it is vital that we do everything in our power to protect them.

A lot of effort is already being dedicated to research and policy investments: a good indicator that the scientific and policy communities are becoming increasingly aware of the issue. Another crucial front in the fight to protect these ecosystems is education.

That’s where the Serious Game School Competition comes in. Taking place in mid-April 2025, this engaging initiative invites students aged 12 and older from across Europe to explore the essential ecological functions of wetlands, their role in biodiversity and how they contribute to climate resilience, all through a fun, interactive gaming experience.

Schools and teachers interested in participating can find all details and registration information on the RESTORE4Cs website: https://www.restore4cs.eu/restore4cs-school-competition/.

If you’re a teacher, or know one who might be interested, don’t miss this opportunity to introduce future researchers to these vital concepts!

  1. Source: RESTORE4Cs 1st Policy Brief: https://www.restore4cs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Policy-Brief_web.pdf ↩︎

22nd Italian Ornithology Conference: call for symposia and round tables proposals

ornithology

CISO (Centro Italiano Studi Ornitologici), University of Salento and the Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems of the National Research Council (CNR-IRET), LifeWatch Italy and Or.Me. organise the 22nd Italian Ornithology Conference. The conference will gather ornithologists and natural science enthusiasts together in Lecce, a first edition for the Apulia region in more than 40-year history of ornithology conferences.

Participants are invited to submit proposals for symposia and round tables, proposing topics of their own particular interest or general relevance. Any symposium should therefore focus on a well-defined topic that could appeal to a wider audience than just specialists in the field.

Symposia will have to follow a specific structure with six oral presentations, an introduction and a conclusion. The proposals will be evaluated based on the relevance of the topic, interest and originality, as well as gender and geographical balance criteria.

Round tables will last one hour and a half. A brief initial introduction by the organisers is welcome, but the round table must primarily promote discussion and active interaction among the participants.

The submission deadline is 10 February 2025.

For more information visit:

https://www.lifewatchitaly.eu/en/22-convegno-italiano-di-ornitologia/symposia-and-round-tables/

LifeWatch Italy Conference 2025

LifeWatch Italy Conference 2025

Wednesday, 29, and Thursday, 30 January will see the LifeWatch Italy team engaged in its Annual Conference 2025 in Rome, hosted at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). This important event brings together researchers to explore the latest research and technological advancements in biodiversity and ecosystem.

Italy is a biodiversity hotspot in Europe and one of the founders of LifeWatch ERIC, hosting its Service Centre in Lecce. The LifeWatch ERIC Italian National Distributed Centre is led and managed by the CNR and is coordinated by a Joint Research Unit, currently comprising 35 members. With over 57,400 animal species and 6,500 plant species, Italian landscapes and protected areas serve as natural laboratories for ecological studies.

LifeWatch Italy’s activities span a wide range of data-driven and technological solutions: from the development of controlled vocabularies and ontologies for data interoperability to ensuring FAIR data and metadata. The infrastructure also supports ICT services, Virtual Research Environments (VREs), Learning Platforms, and Citizen Science initiatives.

This year’s conference will focus on strategic developments for LifeWatch Italy, promoting collaboration with other research infrastructures and relevant national-level projects. Discussions will explore taxonomic and biogeographical data, climate change impacts, and new modelling approaches, alongside research on marine and terrestrial biodiversity, bio-cultural heritage, and ecosystem stressors. The event will also highlight technological innovations, including cloud computing, reference genomes, and new research platforms developed through LifeWatchPLUS.

For the detailed agenda, visit: https://www.lifewatchitaly.eu/conferenza-lifewatch-italia-2025/

Twaite Shad returns to the Scheldt River after 100 years

We recently shared news about the deployment of a network of fish detection devices along the Leie and the Scheldt rivers (you can find the article here). The Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO) has been working for years to protect fish species in the Flanders region. It is, in fact, the independent research institute of the Flemish government that underpins and evaluates biodiversity policy and management through applied scientific research.

Today we bring you a success story, one of those unexpected surprises that truly reward researchers for their dedication.

The twaite shad (also known as the “May fish” by locals), is a migratory fish species once completely disappeared from the Scheldt River due to pollution. Notably, it has made a remarkable return in the past decade.

Easily recognised by the six to ten black spots along its body and its forked tail, the twaite shad migrates upriver to spawn between late April and early May, giving it its nickname.

Its comeback has being monitored since 2014 using LifeWatch Belgium’s acoustic telemetry and data loggers to track its movement and habits. A very significant event that says something about the improving quality of water in the Scheldt river and the positive impacts of conservation efforts.

You can read more about this on the LifeWatch Belgium channel.