Consolidating the European Research Area on biodiversity and ecosystem services

ended

The loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems jeopardize the sustainable provision of ecosystem services and are major scientific and societal challenges. Addressing this challenge and providing scientific support to stakeholders and policy makers requires a coherent interdisciplinary research framework, with coordinated strategies and programmes at the national, regional and international levels, which are the relevant scales for many biodiversity issues. By networking 32 funding agencies from 18 countries, BiodivERsA3 aims to strengthen the ERA on biodiversity. Building on the previous experiences of the projects BiodivERsA1&2 and NetBiome, BiodivERsA3 will promote and support coordinated pan-European research on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It will strengthen research and research programmes coordination with the ultimate aim to provide policy makers and other stakeholders with adequate knowledge, tools and practical solutions to address biodiversity and ecosystem degradation. The objectives are to: - Enhance the capacity of the network to coordinate research programmes on biodiversity and ecosystem services more completely in Europe (including overseas territories) and to increase the international dimension of BiodivERsA activities - Develop a strategic, multi-annual vision of the network’s priorities, based on ambitious mapping and foresight activities developed in collaboration with key initiatives in the field - Design and implement a co-funded call and other joint calls to better integrate research on biodiversity and ecosystem services across Europe - Develop a range of other joint activities, in particular alignment of national research programmes for biodiversity and ecosystem services, and activities for promoting mobility and equal opportunities for researchers and reinforcing data sharing - Promote effective science-policy and science-society (including science-business) dialogue during the whole research process