What is EBONE?
The European Biodiversity Observation Network (EBONE) is a European contribution on terrestrial monitoring to GEO BON, the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network. EBONE is an EU FP7 project. The key challenge of the EBONE project is the development of a cost effective system of biodiversity data collection at regional, national and European levels. The need for the project is to develop a system for a coherent system for data collection that can be used for international comparable assessments.
GEO BON is a concept for two closely related, global networks, a social network a Community of Practice for those engaged in collecting, managing, and utilizing biodiversity observations as well as and a physical network, the interoperating systems that store and distribute biodiversity information of all kinds that is held by a great number organizations. In the GEOSS 10 year implementation plan it is stated that GEO BON “will unify many of the disparate biodiversity observing systems and create a platform to integrate biodiversity data with other types of information. Harmonisation of observations, real- or near real-time monitoring integration of information from in situ and space based observations will be advocated.”
EBONE is acting as a pilot for GEO BON developing these networks in Europe and sharing the experience with other initiatives in the world.
The objective of EBONE is:
- The provision of a sound scientific basis for the production of statistical estimates of stock and change of key indicators that can then be interpreted by policy makers responding to EU Directives regarding threatened ecosystems and species;
- The development of a system for estimating past change but also for forecasting and testing policy options and designing mitigating management strategies for threatened ecosystems and species.
The amount of existing biodiversity observations in Europe is very large. Observations are also very uneven in spatial, temporal, topical, and taxonomic coverage. Most data are available in north-western Europe, while south-eastern and Mediterranean Europe have much less complete datasets. EBONE is making data accessible so that is can be used in a coordinated way to make distribution maps, statistics on stock and change and wall-to-wall maps and use these to populate the biodiversity indicators for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the European SEBI indicators.
We are linking databases within Europe through a common habitat classification system Quantitative comparisons between in situ and Remote sensing are being made. This is shown schematically in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Scheme for the framework of Biodiversity observation and research network
How is EBONE organised?
EBONE is organised in 10 workpackages that are orgaised in three groups. WP0 (managment), 5 (remote sensing), 9 (extension outside Europe) and 10 (dissemination and communication) are general and ast during the whole timeframe of the project. WP1 (concept), 2 (analysis of existing observation systems), 3 (sratification and sampling design) and 4 (development of monitoring procedures and integration)are focusing on the initial phase (2008-2010) and are preparatory for the final report. WP6 (field testing), WP7 (data infrastructure) and WP8 (Design of a monitoring system and its cost-effectiveness) are being carried out in the second phase of te project (2010-2012).
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