Strengthening Taxonomic Capacity through Education and Training in Europe

Taxonomic capacity underpins biodiversity monitoring, regulatory implementation, and biosecurity, yet Europe faces a critical decline in expertise, infrastructure, and training provision. This deficit constrains the delivery of key EU policies, including the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and related environmental directives. Evidence from the TETTRIs project highlights systemic gaps linked to workforce ageing, fragmented training pathways, and insufficient investment. Targeted actions—combining multi-pathway training, strengthened research infrastructures, digital tools, and cross-sector collaboration—are required to restore capacity and ensure reliable species identification, data quality, and policy-relevant outcomes.