Published August 25, 2025 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Data underpinning the EuropaBON roadmap for a unified, transnational biodiversity observation system in Europe

Authors/Creators

  • 1. EDMO icon University of Amsterdam, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (Main Office)
  • 2. ROR icon Norwegian Institute for Water Research
  • 3. European Commission, Joint Research Centre
  • 4. ROR icon University of Reading
  • 5. ROR icon German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
  • 6. ROR icon International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
  • 7. European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy
  • 8. Tim Hirsch Consulting
  • 9. Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat
  • 10. Wageningen University
  • 11. Dutch Butterfly Conservation
  • 12. Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning (BIOPOLIS)
  • 13. Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), InBIO Laboratório Associado, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa
  • 14. Centro de Investigação Em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão da Universidade do Porto
  • 15. VITO
  • 16. Universidade de Lisboa Centro de Estudos Geográficos: Lisboa, PT
  • 17. Laboratório Associado Terra, Lisboa, Portugal
  • 18. Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning (BIOPOLIS), Campus de Vairão da Universidade do Porto
  • 19. ROR icon Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
  • 20. BIOPOLIS-CIBIO/InBIO
  • 21. Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), InBIO Laboratório Associado, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
  • 22. Centro de Investigação Em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão da Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
  • 23. Re:wild
  • 24. University of Duisburg-Essen
  • 25. European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
  • 26. ROR icon Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia
  • 27. ROR icon Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
  • 28. ROR icon Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications
  • 29. Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF)
  • 30. Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Conservation Biology Division, Universität Bern
  • 31. ROR icon National Observatory of Athens
  • 32. ROR icon Flemish Institute for Technological Research
  • 33. UMR EcoFoG
  • 34. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
  • 35. Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University
  • 36. ROR icon Czech Society for Ornithology
  • 37. ROR icon KU Leuven
  • 38. European Commission Joint Research Centre
  • 39. Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt
  • 40. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
  • 41. ROR icon Finnish Environment Institute
  • 42. ROR icon Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
  • 43. Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
  • 44. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
  • 45. ROR icon Universidade do Porto

Contributors

Data collector:

Data manager:

  • 1. ROR icon University of Amsterdam
  • 2. ROR icon European Environment Agency

Description

This repository provides the datasets underpinning the EuropaBON roadmap for a transnational biodiversity observation system in Europe. The data summarize 84 Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), EBV-policy links, EU monitoring coverage of selected terrestrial, freshwater and marine examples, primary and supplementary monitoring techniques for EBVs and their relative importance, examples of monitoring sample sizes in Europe, and priorities for EBV workflow development. 

The files include:

  • EBV metadata and characteristics: Overview and summary characteristics of 84 Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), their entity types, spatiotemporal resolutions, and associated taxonomic and ecosystem groups.

  • EBV-policy links: The direct or indirect, partial or complete links between a specific EBV and a specific EU policy.

  • Monitoring coverage and effort: Sample size examples from EU-wide monitoring schemes, counts of freshwater monitoring sites under the Water Framework Directive, and shapefiles describing transect density, river and lake monitoring coverage, and number of marine monitoring programmes across Europe.

  • Monitoring methods and priorities: Survey-based assessments of the relative importance of monitoring approaches (DNA-based, in-situ, citizen science, remote sensing, digital sensors), identification of primary and supplementary methods per EBV, and expert-elicited priorities for workflow development across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine domains.

Together, these datasets provide a unique evidence base for:

  • Designing an optimised spatial and methodological framework for biodiversity monitoring in Europe;

  • Assessing current monitoring strengths, gaps, and redundancies across taxa, ecosystems, and regions;

  • Supporting workflow development for EBV integration, modelling, and policy uptake;

  • Informing the establishment of the proposed European Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC).

By making these datasets openly available, this repository provides transparacy for the design and implementation of a coordinated, policy-relevant, and technology-enabled biodiversity monitoring network in Europe. It serves as a direct companion to an associated scientific paper and as a reusable resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working to strengthen biodiversity monitoring and conservation action in Europe and beyond.

Files

GIS_data_spatial_gaps.zip

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Additional details

Funding

European Commission
EuropaBON - Europa Biodiversity Observation Network: integrating data streams to support policy 101003553