WP leader: Alterra, Bob Bunce
The objective of WP4 is to bring together existing knowledge on monitoring protocols. Partly they have been collected in WP 2 through the database of the EUMON project.
WP4 is harmonising protocols and monitoring systems for different species groups and habitats. Therefore knowledge from all Europe has to be organised into joint procedures and protocols that indicate the common European aspects and regional differences. For instance, forests might be defined differently in different parts of Europe (north-south).
Species and habitats of conservation interest are being analysed on their common characteristics to prevent oversampling. This WP builds on the results of WP1 and WP2 and among others on the results of projects such as EUMon, BioHab, BIOPRESS, SynBiosys, PEENHAB and BioAssess. Habitat monitoring experience has been developed among others in the Countryside Survey (UK), Country side Survey Northern Ireland, the SINUS project (Austria) and the NILS projects in Sweden. European coordination has been developed in the BioHab project (Alterra Report 1219)
The partners have worked together on these protocols in workshop sessions for the different groups. The main work was to convert the existing habitat data onto the lowest common denominator for integration across a range of sites, especially LTER. The existing General Habitat Categories were used for this framework. The results are published in D4.1: Protocol for converting field habitat data sources into common standards.
Relationships between General Habitats and the Annex 1 Habitats as well as a key to these habitats were being developed and are published in D4.2: Rule based system for Annex I habitats.
Part of this WP is the development of a field computer that covers different aspects of field recording such as European coordination and harmonisation of protocols. The Key to Annex I is already available for the hand held computer; in 2011 a web version will be developed.
The last deliverable for WP4 was finished in May 2010 just before the start of data collection in WP6: D4.3: Field Handbook.
Right Field computer hardware
Below: Example of an observation map and recording sheet for habitats
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