The Power of Reference Collections for Biodiversity Monitoring

Global environmental changes have accelerated the speed of biodiversity decline at an unprecedented rate. In the context of the EU Green Deal, the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and the Global Biodiversity Framework, biodiversity monitoring is a crucial component for understanding biodiversity changes in our ecosystems and ultimately reversing negative trends. In turn, the success of any biodiversity monitoring scheme is dependent on accurate, reliable and timely available taxonomic data, tools and expertise. EU-funded project TETTRIs is tasked with developing and validating taxonomic knowledge and systems in support of the current biodiversity governance framework needs. This policy brief highlights the importance of reference collections and provides recommendations in support of European monitoring efforts, with a special focus on pollinators. Under TETTRIs, a roadmap to build linked virtual and physical reference collections has been developed and is being tested for further refinement through the so-called Third-Party Projects (3PPs), carried out by local actors in biodiversity hotspots and protected areas across Europe.