Towards implementing workflows for essential biodiversity variables at a European scale

Biodiversity is declining, prompting new multilateral treaties and environmental legislation. To track the progress of these efforts, a comprehensive monitoring network is essential. For the European Union (EU), the EuropaBON network has proposed a biodiversity observation network (BON) based on 84 Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). These encompass species and habitats in the freshwater, marine, and terrestrial realms. Generating EBVs will require implementing workflows, including data collection, integration, and modelling. Here, we present the first conceptual representation of EBV workflows for guiding the future implementation of EBVs in a European BON based on insights from an EU-wide stakeholder consultation that engaged hundreds of experts in science, policy, and practice. Results suggest that implementing EBV workflows requires to incorporate advanced monitoring methods, enhance geographic, taxonomic, and temporal coverage, harmonize heterogeneous data, apply metadata standards, and develop new spatial models and quantitative indicators. Recommendations include enhancing monitoring techniques such as digital sensors, DNA-based methods and citizen science for species-focused EBVs, as well as satellite and aerial remote sensing for ecosystem-focused EBVs. For operationalizing a European BON, species-focused EBVs require better national, regional, and European data integration of different data types and data providers. In contrast, monitoring of ecosystem-focused EBVs would benefit from a centralized coordination of ground truth data collection and new Earth Observation products. The key components of the EBV workflows, along with the requirements and implementation needs identified here, together with emerging tools and projects, will help to shape the future implementation of EBV workflows at a European scale.