Conference Agenda

Moderator:
• Giuseppe Ottavianelli (ESA), Head of the Earth Observation Applications Section, Green Solutions Division

Speakers:

European Space Agency (ESA) • Rune Floberghagen, Head of the Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department, on behalf of Simonetta Cheli, ESA Director of Earth Observation Programme.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) • Julie Robinson, Deputy Director for Earth Science (video recording)

European Commission, DG RTD (research & Innvation) • Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General

European Commission DG ENV (Environment) • Humberto Delgado-Rosa , Director for Biodiversity

European Commission DG JRC (Joint Research Centre) • Ivan Kulis, Head of Unit for “Biodiversity Conservation and Observations”, presenting on behalf of Bernard Magenhann, Acting Director-General

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat • Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary (video recording), introduced by Jillian Campbell, Head of Monitoring, Review and Reporting

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretariat • Musonda Mumba, Secretary General

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Secretariat • Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary (video recording), introduced by Aidin Niamir, Head of IPBES Data and Knowledge Technical Support Unit

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) • Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary (video recording)

Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat • Yana Gevorgyan, Director

Session Opening and Introduction

(5 minutes)
Moderators: Gilles Doignon (EC RTD) & Marc Paganini (ESA)

• Welcome and introduction of the session.
• Presentation of the speakers and panelists.

Keynote Presentations: Setting the Stage

(20 minutes)

• "Harnessing Biodiversity Data for better Decisions" – Jillian Campbell (CBD Secretariat)
• "Supporting the Processes underpinning Biodiversity Policy Monitoring and Reporting in Europe" – Grégoire Dubois (EC JRC)

Panel Discussion: Insights and Reflections

(50 minutes)
Interactive discussion with panelists addressing key questions related to the integration of Earth Observation in Biodiversity policy monitoring and verification. Panelists:

• Jillian Campbell (CBD Secretariat)
• Jerker Tamelander (Ramsar Secretariat)
• Ilaria di Matteo (UN Statistics Division)
• Grégoire Dubois (EC JRC)
• Mona Naeslund (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency)
• Jappe Jongejan (Netherlands Space Office)

Session Opening and Introduction

(5 minutes) Moderators: Fabian Schneider (Aarhus univ, ex NASA JPL) & Stefanie Lumnitz (ESA & EC RTD)

Keynote Presentations: Setting the Stage

(20 minutes)

• "How will we know if we are bending the curve of biodiversity?" – Andy Gonzalez (GEO BON, McGill Univ)
• "Implementation of Earth Observations for Biodiversity Monitoring in Europe" – Petteri Vihervaara (BIODIVERSA+, SYKE)

Panel Discussion: Insights and Reflections

(50 minutes)

• Interactive discussion with panelists addressing key questions related to addressing key Biodiversity knowledge gaps.
• Panelists:
  • Aidin Niamir (Senckenberg, IPBES)
  • Andres Marmol (IDIV, EuropaBON)
  • Susana Baena (UNEP WCMC)
  • Maria Santos (UZH)
  • Kyle Copas (GBIF)

Concluding remarks

• Andy Gonzalez (GEO BON, McGill Univ)
• Petteri Vihervaara (BIODIVERSA+, SYKE)

Moderators: Steven Ramage (CEOS)

Speakers:
Representatives from Space Agencies will present their upcoming Earth Observation missions and their significance for biodiversity monitoring. They will also showcase large-scale initiatives designed to support and benefit the biodiversity community.

• Marco Celesti (ESA)
• Miranda Nuno (ESA)
• Woody Turner (NASA)
• Philippe Maisongrande (CNES)
• Osamu Ochiai (JAXA) video recording
• Lucie Viciano (CSA)
• Adriana Para (CSIRO)

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Earth Observation, EBVs and indicators to facilitate reporting and progress on international biodiversity targets

Claire Brown¹, Susana Baena¹, Petteri Vihervaara², Maria H. Hällfors², Maria J. Santos³, Elnaz Neinavaz⁴, Margarita Huesca Martinez⁴, Bruno Smets⁵, Eline Vanuytrecht⁵, Claudia Roeoesli⁶, Isabelle Helfenstein⁶, Oliver Selmoni⁶, Meredith C. Schuman⁷, Katie L. Millette⁸ 1 UNEP-WCMC, United Kingdom; 2 Nature Solutions, Finnish Environment Institute; 3 Remote Sensing Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zurich; 4 Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente; 5 Environmental Intelligence Unit, Remote sensing | Natural Capital Accounting & Biodiversity, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO); 6 Dept. of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland; 7 Dept. of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland & Dept. of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Switzerland; 8 GEO BON, Department of Biology, McGill University, Canada

In adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and its respective monitoring framework, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) committed to establishing national goals and targets for biodiversity and reporting on their progress towards achieving them. The GBF indicators take a pragmatic approach to quantify, monitor and report on the status of biodiversity. At the same time, it is crucial to detect changes in fundamental biodiversity components and attribute those causally to drivers. Repeated, global observations from satellite remote sensing provide a unique opportunity for regularly updated biodiversity products and ultimately Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) i.e., parameters that capture key aspects of biodiversity, to monitor and explain change over time.

Together with workshop participants, we will examine and discuss several questions to incorporate different expertise and perspectives:

1. Which EBVs are relevant for the targets submitted by the EU and member states to the CBD?
2. Reviewing remote sensing biodiversity products and how these can be further developed or strengthened through Earth observation to deliver the required indicators and EBVs?
3. What needs to happen on the science policy interface to support the use of EBVs and improve indicators?
4. How can biodiversity change be detected and attributed to drivers, and how can uncertainty be handled and communicated?

Expected outcomes: The expected outcomes of the workshop includes:

1. A roadmap, setting out what can be achieved from the EO community within the next 5 years to support countries reporting efforts.
2. Shared understanding within the earth observation community on RS biodiversity products and EBVs for monitoring biodiversity changes (including genetics).

Participants should note that the workshop will include a dedicated case on genetic diversity.

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Establishing a Global Biodiversity Observation System (GBiOS): What do we have, and what do we need?

Andrew Gonzalez¹, Alice Catherine Hughes²

1 GEOBON / McGill University; 2 University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R. (China)/ APBON

A nature data revolution is unfolding, with unprecedented quantities of data available on many facets of global biodiversity. Spatial and temporal data gaps compromise trend change detection. New standards and protocols for monitoring mean that co-designed observing and information systems are needed to scale up our understanding of biodiversity change globally. Scientific and technical guidance is needed for organizations and agencies seeking to contribute to the planning, implementation and development of GBiOS.

In this workshop we will assess the requirements of GBiOS with a view to 2030. What are the data and information needs? what observations are needed that to detect, attribute and forecast biodiversity change? what measures of observing performance and capacity are needed to guide investment?

We see an opportunity to assemble a GBiOS designed to interact with the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) to support countries with the monitoring of their biodiversity goals and targets.

The first part of the workshop will be a “plenary” session describing the GBiOS concept, the major gaps and challenges it seeks to overcome and existing opportunities for collaboration. In the second, part we will have breakout groups focusing on key questions:

1. National and regional monitoring systems are the building block of GBiOS (BONs) – how can we link and coordinate them effectively to form a worldwide network of sites that is representative of current and expected trend change?
2. Can we improve understanding of Essential Biodiversity Variables and Essential Ecosystem Service Variables and their role in monitoring and indicators?
3. What data analysis systems are needed to monitor trend detection and attribution across a range of scales of space and time?
4. Can GBiOS support a global biodiversity modelling and forecasting service? Can workflows in platforms like BON-in-a-Box integrate remotely sensed and ground collected data to provide emergent understanding of trends?
5. How might we position GBiOS as a complement to existing global observing systems? Can we calculate the benefits (value) and avoided costs to society of this system?

These will then be discussed and synthesized collectively.

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Monitoring Biodiversity with Ecosystem Accounting

Bruno Smets¹, Caterina Gilli², Alessio Bulckaen², Ferdinando Villa², Lars Hein³, Marcel Buchhorn¹

1 VITO, Belgium; 2 Basque Center for Climate Change, Spain; 3 Wageningen University, Netherlands

The workshop aims to showcase and discuss the role of ecosystem accounting, enabled through Earth Observation (EO) data and advanced modelling technologies, to support biodiversity monitoring frameworks (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework) and biodiversity applications (EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 actions). The System for Economic Environmental Accounts (SEEA) provides a methodological basis for three headline indicators of the monitoring framework of the KM-GBF, while EO provides a geospatial basis to generate SEEA EA accounts.

Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding in SEEA EA, its use in different policies and the link with biodiversity monitoring using current state-of-art data (Earth Observation) and technologies (modelling and tools). Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences and provide feedback on an ecosystem accounting Research and Development (R&D) roadmap.

The workshop is directed to foster links between experts from different communities: earth observation, modelling, biodiversity and accounting, and will be conducted in English. The audience is expected to have read the R&D roadmap (D19 at https://esa-people-ea.org/en/results/deliverables) prior to the workshop.

The workshop aims to equally distribute its time between presenting concepts (introductory) and experiences (case studies from innovative projects) and discussions (interactions) between the participants. At the end of the workshop several recommendations are expected to be formulated to improve the R&D roadmap to better capture the necessary actions to monitor biodiversity with ecosystem accounts using EO data and innovative modelling and technical solutions. A revision of the R&D roadmap will be conducted thereafter, which acts as an important input for several programs at ESA, EU Horizon and further.

ID: 152 / 3.04.3: 2

Farmland Habitat Biodiversity

Talie Musavi¹, Marijn van der Velde¹, Marcel Schwieder², Christian Levers³, Momtchil Iordanov¹, Matteo Marcantonio¹, Stefan Erasmi²

1 European Commission - Joint Research Center, Ispra, Italy; 2 Thünen Institute for Farm Economics, Bundesalle 63, 38116 Braunschweig; 3 Thünen Institute for Biodiversity, Bundesalle 65, 38116 Braunschweig

Description: Agricultural expansion can destroy and fragment natural habitats, but agricultural areas if managed carefully, can still support biodiversity. The quality and biodiversity value of agricultural areas depends on factors such as land use intensity, composition, and configuration. Assessing biodiversity directly from space is challenging, but Earth Observation (EO) data can provide valuable insights into land use/cover or landscape structure (e.g., the new Copernicus HRL VLCC products), which can serve as proxies for habitat quality and biodiversity. By quantifying farmland habitat quality, conservation efforts can be targeted to protect, restore, and enhance these habitats, maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. Indicator changes can inform farmers and policymakers where to focus on improving or where to maintain habitat quality (e.g. by developing and implementing sustainable agricultural practices). Nevertheless, there is still much to explore on how the available information could be utilized in extracting indicators that can help monitoring farmland biodiversity. Recently, the OECD has proposed a potential workflow for the development of a farmland habitat biodiversity indicator (FHBI) aiming to characterize farmland habitats on a national level based on already available monitoring data. At the workshop we want to discuss; current concepts of monitoring farmland biodiversity based on EO-data. Guiding questions include: how can we develop methods to convert land cover information into habitat quality indicators for biodiversity?, how such indicators can be upscaled and made comparable among different countries?, what are the recent advances in comparing EO-based habitat indicators in agricultural areas with biodiversity data?

Outcome: The workshop's goal is to establish a collaborative team that can take this research forward and explore its applications on broader scales and various contexts based on workshop outcomes.

Organization: We will have an introductory talk, including show cases and an interactive dashboard, and then we will split into break-out groups, where a specific question will be discussed at each table.

ID: 575 / 2.04.5: 1

Data Sovereignty and Ethical Approaches to Indigenous Knowledge in Space-Based Biodiversity Monitoring

Diana Mastracci^1,2, Jason Duffe³, Kyla M Dahlin⁴, Adriana Uscanga⁵, Gabrielle Crowe⁶, Elsa M Ordway⁷, Erin Hestir⁸, Axayactazi Kuauhtzin⁹

1 Space4innovation; 2 GEO Indigenous Alliance; 3 Environment and Climate Change Canada ECCC; 4 Michigan State University, USA; 5 University of Minnesota, USA; 6 Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation of Southern California; 7 University of California Los Angeles; 8 University of California Merced; 9 Stanford University

Indigenous communities manage millions of square kilometers of land that include some of the most biodiverse and ecologically intact parts of the terrestrial biosphere and increasing awareness has been placed on the need to collaborate with and equitably engage Indigenous communities and Indigenous scientists in land management and conservation. For genetic resources, the Nagoya Protocol has guided benefit sharing for over a decade, incentivizing parties to ensure prior and informed consent or approval and involvement when traditional knowledge is shared.

With the expanding role of Earth Observation (EO) technologies in biodiversity monitoring and a growing emphasis within government agencies on open science, it is essential to address the ethical, cultural, and legal dimensions of integrating Indigenous knowledge into these systems. This workshop will explore the critical concept of Indigenous data sovereignty, ensuring that Indigenous communities retain ownership, control, and access to their data in a manner that aligns with their values and rights. Participants will learn about real-world case studies showcasing collaborations where Indigenous communities and researchers have co-designed biodiversity monitoring frameworks that uphold Indigenous data sovereignty while enhancing scientific insights. We will discuss key aspects of ethical data practices, including the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), the establishment of culturally sensitive data-sharing agreements, and the development of equitable partnerships that respect Indigenous data sovereignty. This workshop is designed for researchers, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to advancing ethical and respectful approaches to using Indigenous knowledge in biodiversity monitoring. This session aspires to create a foundation for lasting, respectful collaborations between Indigenous communities and the global EO research community in safeguarding biodiversity.

Session Opening and Introduction

(2 minutes)
Moderators: Isabella Pratesi (WWF Italy), Federica Marando (ESA)

• Welcome and introduction of the session.
• Presentation of the speakers and panellists.

Keynote Presentations: Setting the Stage

(15 minutes)

• Grace Nangendo (WCS Uganda)
• Aaron Iemma (WWF Italy)

Panel Discussion: Insights and Reflections

(40 minutes) Moderators: Isabella Pratesi (WWF Italy), Federica Marando (ESA)

• Interactive discussion with panellists addressing key questions related to the session theme.
• Panellists:
  • Grace Nangendo (WCS Uganda)
  • Joshua Weiss (African Parks)
  • Michael Munk (DHI)
  • Randall Jimenez (IUCN)

Closing thoughts on the panel discussions and key topics addressed

(3 mins)

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Operationalizing Biodiversity Monitoring

Jan-Erik Petersen¹, Usue Donezar¹, Jose Miguel Rubio¹, Andrus Meiner¹, Pavel Milenov¹, Sander Mucher²

1 European Environment Agency (EEA); 2 Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR)

The ambitions of the EU Green New Deal (e.g. ‘nature as a solution’, ‘building a bioeconomy’) as well as recent legislation (e.g. the Nature Restoration Regulation, the ecosystem accounting module under Regulation 691/2011) require much better data on biodiversity and ecosystems than currently available (in terms of spatial and thematic accuracy).

The ambitions of the EU Green New Deal (e.g. ‘nature as a solution’, ‘building a bioeconomy’) as well as recent legislation (e.g. the Nature Restoration Regulation, the ecosystem accounting module under Regulation 691/2011) require much better data on biodiversity and ecosystems than currently available (in terms of spatial and thematic accuracy).

The EU Copernicus program provides important data sets for monitoring the environment. Work on behalf of the European Environment Agency, the European Space Agency, in various (EU) research projects etc. has explored options for using satellite data in support of ecosystem and nature monitoring. However, converting research outcomes into operational Copernicus products for ecosystem monitoring is challenging and resource intensive.

This workshop reviews the key success factors for a successful operational implementation of ecosystem monitoring with satellite data. It has a particular focus on the components that need to be paired with modern satellite technology: habitat-level in situ data as well as stable operational infrastructure and expert capacity for developing and maintaining regular monitoring products.

The workshop will review current experience with developing ecosystem extent data sets in the European Union, present an overview of available and needed in situ data and engage participants in a discussion on how to overcome current bottlenecks and constraints in developing successful ecosystem monitoring products in an EU context.

Expected outcomes: The workshop outcomes include a better understanding of possibilities and limitations for using satellite data sets for ecosystem monitoring and a set of proposals for developing ecosystem monitoring products in an EU context.

Objectives of the workshop:

• Raise attention for existing EU investment gap in making satellite approaches effective
• Highlight the critical data gap on biodiversity in situ data
• Discuss EU policy priorities for biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring
• Review need for increasing institutional capacity for regular application ready data sets

ID: 195 / 2.04.2: 2

Co-designing Earth Observation Solutions for Ecosystems Conservation

Jasper Van doninck¹, Marcos Kavlin², Andy Dean², Michael Munk³, Wietske Bijker¹, Louise Willemen¹

1 University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Netherlands; 2 Hatfield Consultants, Canada; 3 DHI, Denmark

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are key actors in achieving an effective conservation and restoration of ecosystems, which are crucial to halt global biodiversity loss and to mitigate the effects of global climate change. In a consultation process initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA), CSOs and NGOs raised the importance to (i) develop tools to monitor ecosystems under conservation and restoration actions and (ii) to develop clear processes for identifying high-priority sites for conservation and restoration actions. While they acknowledged the value of earth observation (EO) to achieve these goals, NGO/CSO participants in the consultation process also highlighted a knowledge gap inhibiting the exploitation of the full potential of EO within their activities. In response, ESA funded the PEOPLE-ECCO (Enhancing Ecosystems Conservation through Earth Observation Solutions, Capacity Development and Co-design) project which has as goals to develop EO-supported tools for assessing conservation action effectiveness (A) and identification of high-priority areas for conservation (B), and to develop EO capacity within CSOs/NGOs.

In this workshop we first present user requirements gathered from the CSO/NGO community and invite workshop participants to share their requirements for EO-supported tools and to express their needs for EO capacity development. In the second part of the workshop, participants will identify and co-develop the tools to be further elaborated during the PEOPLE-ECCO project. Both parts of the workshop will include presentations of CSO/NGO participants of the PEOPLE-ECCO project, interactive online feedback, and breakout group discussions.

Expected outcome: The outcomes of the workshop will help consolidate the user requirements, raise awareness of the project, identify opportunities for CSO/NGO engagement and capacity development, and guide the development of user-oriented tools and methods, which will maximise the impact of the PEOPLE-ECCO project activities.

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Challenges and opportunities for monitoring grassland and savannah conservation at global and continental scales

Geoff Smith¹, Bruno Combal², Karl Ruf³, Sergio Bolívar Santamaría⁴, Adriana Martin Ramirez⁴, Michelle Chevelev-Bonatti⁴, Stefan Sieber⁴, Leonie Meier⁵

1 Specto Natura Ltd., United Kingdom; 2 DG Environment, European Commission; 3 space4environment sàrl; 4 Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research – ZALF; 5 World Wide Fund for Nature – WWF International

· Grasslands and savannahs are key landscapes globally, whether as hay meadows, grazing marshes, open rangelands or woody clearings. They maintain biodiversity and food production, but also influence ecological processes including pollination, water supply, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. They cover a significant part of the EU and 70 % of the world's agricultural land, resulting in grasslands that are both diverse and extensive habitats.

· These important habitats are currently facing numerous threats, agriculture conversion, tree plantations, intensification and abandonment, and may be considered to have been undervalued in conservation and restoration policies. However, European legislation (under the Habitats Directive) actively protects natural grasslands and requires the European Union Member States to take steps to avoid degradation in their protected sites with the Natura 2000 network, and reports on their actual conservation status. They highlight the urgent need for effective monitoring although until recently there have been some limitations to monitor their actual extent and ecosystem dynamics using remote sensing techniques. However, in recent years interest has increased, and new technologies have been used for monitoring different features related to degradation or sustainable land use.

The aim of this workshop is to provide a forum to present and exchange information on novel grassland research, operational user requirements, monitoring approaches for biodiversity and land management practices. The workshop focuses on the advances in Earth Observation solutions to address grassland characteristics and properties, including:

• Essential Biodiversity Variables, ecosystem extent and connectivity, biophysical parameters, species distribution, climate change impacts and ecosystem services. The final outcome will be recommendations and onward collaborations to support research and services to conserve and restore grasslands and savannahs worldwide.
• The workshop is organised by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), the Global Grasslands and Savannahs Dialogue Platform organized by WWF and the EU Grassland Watch team.

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Marine biodiversity metrics from space: state of the art, gaps and priorities for advancing biodiversity science and achieving conservation objectives

Victor Martinez Vicente¹, Alice Soccodato², Emmanuele Organelli³, Frank Muller Karger⁴, Vittorio Brando⁵, Maria Laura Zoffoli³, Nicholas Pade², Joana Soares⁵, Lina Mtwana Norlund⁶, Isabel Sousa Pinto Sousa Pinto⁷, Maycira Costa⁸, Elena Gissi^9,10, Stefano Menegon^9,10, Astrid Bracher¹¹

1 Plymouth Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom; 2 European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC-ERIC), France; 3 National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences, Paris, Italy; 4 University of South Florida, USA; 5 Atlantic International Research Centre (AIR Centre), Azores, Portugal; 6 Upsala University, Sweden; 7 University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 8 University of Victoria, Canada; 9 National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences, Venezia, Italy; 10 National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy; 11 Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremenhaven, Germany

Essential Ocean Variables (EOV) and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV) are complementary frameworks that enable standardized metrics to inform policy and planning conservation efforts and make progress towards biological diversity targets. They are fundamental for reporting on national biodiversity priorities and international agreements (i.e. Convention on Biological Diversity Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Sustainable Development Goals, CCAMLR, IPCC, IPBES, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning Framework Directive, etc.). The variables are curated by the Global Ocean Observing System - GOOS Biology and Ecosystems panel of experts and the GEO BON’s Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, and popularized by researcher networks including the Marine Life 2030 and OBON, SUPREME, and other Ocean Decade Programmes. Some of the physics, biogeochemistry, and biology and ecosystems EOVs are also as Essential Climate Variables (ECV). An important goal is to improve modelling and forecasting of marine life and ecological scenarios. This is especially challenging but critical for gathering meaningful environmental knowledge and data at temporal and spatial scales of complex biological, biogeochemical and physical processes to inform ecosystem-based approaches to biodiversity conservation and manage for sustainable ocean development. The remote sensing community has initiated an approach to estimate Essential Variables. The aim of the workshop is to help advance consensus among the private, government, and academic communities on the mapping of EOV, EBV and other products based on remote sensing. It seeks to identify limitations of satellite Earth Observation (SEO) for deriving accurate ocean EBV at the required spatial and temporal scales. To do so we aim to focus on these aspects:

1. Prioritize remote sensing observations and products needed for local, national, and international biodiversity monitoring and management in the EBV framework.
2. Highlight scientific, monitoring gaps, and policy options that may be addressed by defining specifications for future satellite remote sensing missions.
3. Identify in situ observations to calibrate, validate, and complement remote sensing data. Methods of interest include the use of eDNA, passive and active acoustics, autonomous systems and approaches, imaging and other optics observing in the context of remote sensing advances for Essential Variables.
4. Advances in modelling that combine remote sensing and in situ biodiversity EOV to generate EBVs, indicators; examples of practical management and other operational applications are especially welcome.

Workshop methodology: The workshop is open to any BIOSPACE paricipant. After introducing the key perspective of the workshop, participants will be guided through group discussion to
(1) identify metrics, indicators, and related remote sensing products, and their potential application for specific monitoring and policy needs, and
(2) identify platforms, limitations, and requirements for metrics retrieval

Expected Outcomes: The workshop will elaborate a roadmap of products and services that are available for answering policy needs, define a list of products and indicators that can be produced in the future, and identify limitations and challenges deriving from methodological challenges and data gaps. The workshop will provide a summary of present platforms, limitations, and requirements for metrics retrieval. An output for space agencies will be requirements for future satellite earth observation to address marine biodiversity challenges.

We invite stakeholders from government, private, and academic groups to move these goals forward by actively participating to this workshop.

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Wetland ecosystems

Christian Tøttrup¹, Christoph Schröder², Stéphanie Horion³, Gyula Mate Kovács³, Michael Munk¹, Dania Abdul Malak², María del Mar Otero², Triantafyllia Perivolioti⁴, Anis Guelmami⁵, Jonas Franke⁶

1 DHI, Denmark; 2 University of Malaga, Spain; 3 University of Copenhagen, Denmark; 4 EKBY, Greece; 5 Tour du Valat, France; 6 Remote Sensing Solutions, Germany

The accelerating biodiversity crisis underscores the urgent need for effective strategies to conserve and restore critical ecosystems, especially wetland., Both inland and coastal wetlands support diverse species and vital ecological functions, provide a wide range of ecosystem services, offering increased resilience to global change for local communities.

This workshop explores how satellite-based technologies can play a pivotal role in supporting wetland mapping and restoration prioritisation efforts and addressing the biodiversity crisis by improving our understanding of wetland habitats. Leveraging high-resolution imagery and advanced analytical techniques, earth observation (EO) and geotechnologies offer unique capacities to monitor wetlands and provide information supporting biodiversity moni

toring and enabling conservationists, policymakers, and land managers to make informed, timely decisions.

This workshop seeks to foster open dialogue among scientists and practitioners, exploring current practices, identifying remaining challenges, and highlighting research opportunities to better harness satellite technology for wetland monitoring locally and globally.

The workshop is divided into two sessions.

• The first session focusses on key global conventions and policy instruments for protecting and restoring wetland ecosystems. It will highlight the role of EO tools in assessing and restoring wetlands, emphasizing national wetland inventories and regional and global mapping initiatives, including links to the Global Biodiversity Framework, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The second session addresses the policy context in Europe with special attention to the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation. Based on case studies, the participants will discuss EO applications to support habitat restoration, mitigate habitat loss, and strengthen EU biodiversity policy frameworks.

The expected outcomes include:

• Workshop summary reporting on priority topics identified by the workshop participants
• Short paper on the identified priorities and recommendation for future direction on developing EO technologies in support of policy-relevant information, with open contribution from all workshop participants

Session Opening and Introduction

(2 minutes) Moderators: Joseph Bull (University of Oxford) - Christoph Aubrecht (ESA)

• Welcome and introduction of the session.
• Presentation of the speakers and panellists.

Keynote Presentations: Setting the Stage

(20 minutes)

• Short video messages from Romie Goedicke (UNEP FI) and Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep (World Bank)
• Nicola Ranger (University of Oxford)
• Marco Lambertini (NPI)

Panel Discussion: Insights and Reflections

(35 minutes) Moderators: Joseph Bull (University of Oxford) - Christoph Aubrecht (ESA)

• Interactive discussion with panellists addressing key questions related to the session theme.
• Panellists:
  • Mark Connelly (TNFD)
  • Andy Shaw (Assimila)
  • Nicola Ranger (University of Oxford)
  • Marco Lambertini (NPI)
  • Alessandra La Notte (Natural Capital Accounting Consultant)

Closing thoughts on the panel discussions and key topics addressed

(3 mins)

BIOSPACE CONFERENCE – COPERNICUS WORKSHOP

Thursday 13 February 2025, 15.00-18.30, ESA-ESRIN Frascati, Magellan Room ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15.00 Introduction / Agenda / Moderator: Michel Massart, DG JRC
15.05 Copernicus, EO Space Flagship Program, Michel Massart, DG JRC
15.15 EO Nature protection: an EU policy perspective, Bruno Combal, DG ENV
15.30 Copernicus Services and Copernicus In Situ component
The objective of the session will be to present the state of play of the Copernicus services, the products and their interest for biodiversity monitoring. The speakers will be: Andreas Brink, DG JRC for CLMS, Tina Silovic, MOI for CMEMS, Laurence Rouil, ECMWF for CAMS, Samual Almond, ECMWF for C3S, Jose Rubio, EEA for Copernicus IN SITU component.
16.30 Coffee Break
17.00 Panel discussion
The objective of the panel discussion will be to discuss: the relevance of the Copernicus service products for biodiversity monitoring, the potential evolution of the products towards new challenges and the strengthening of user uptake.
Panelists from different institutions will participate: Steven Ramage (CEOS-GEOBON), Andrea Taramelli (ISPRA), Jerker Tamelander (RAMSAR), Pavel Milenov (EEA), Victor Martinez Vicente (PML), Andrew Gonzalez (GEOBON), Jillian Campbell (UN-CBD), Enrique Montes (NOOA)
18.30 End

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From Integrated In-Situ and Remote Sensing Campaigns to Open, Operational Biodiversity Data Products: Priorities, Gaps, and Opportunities

Anabelle Cardoso^1,8, Kyla Dahlin², Mike Harfoot³, Erin Hestir⁴, Carsten Meyer⁵, Javier Pacheco-Labrador⁶, Christian Rossi⁷, Maria J. Santos⁷, Adam M. Wilson¹

1 University at Buffalo, United States of America; 2 Michigan State University, United States of America; 3 Vizzuality, United Kingdom; 4 University of California Merced, United States of America; 5 iDiv; 6Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain; 7 University of Zurich, Switzerland; 8 University of Capetown, South Africa

Conserving biodiversity is a global priority that urgently requires effective decision-making. Open, Operational Biodiversity Data Products (OOBDPs) that deliver information to decision makers at the appropriate spatiotemporal scale are critical to informing conservation policy and action across governments, corporations, and for local communities. Rapidly developing such systems will require efficient spatiotemporal scaling of biodiversity data products without losing their integrity.

Scaling biodiversity data products is complex because biodiversity is intrinsically local; it is the product of a unique environmental and evolutionary history and is specific to a point in space and time. Local knowledge and in situ measurements that capture this complexity are resource-intensive to collect, and it is not feasible to do this everywhere all the time. Therefore, to create biodiversity data products for decision-making, you need to scale up local knowledge and in-situ measurements by integrating them with remote sensing data, which can be collected across large areas and at regular intervals.

Integrating remote sensing and local data to produce biodiversity data products should go beyond simply pairing co-located field and remote sensing measurements, applying an algorithm, and producing a map of the world. Yet, this approach is common practice in academic, non-profit, and corporate settings, and the resulting maps are widely used by governments to inform policy and reporting. There is thus an urgent need for our community to propose an alternative strategy.

This workshop aims to solicit feedback from the community on two major topics:

• What are the key challenges, gaps, opportunities and best practices for integrating local knowledge and in situ measurements with remote sensing for biodiversity data products?
• What are the key characteristics of OOBDPs, which are the priority data products and what are the challenges, opportunities and best practices for efficiently developing, evaluating and continually improving them?

ID: 535 / 2.04.4: 2

From Copernicus services to biodiversity monitoring

Michel, F. Massart¹, Andreas Brink¹, Usue Donezar², Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias², Pierre-Yves Le Traon³, Laurence Rouil⁴, Carlo Buontempo⁴

1 European Commission, Belgium; 2 European Environment Agency; 3 Mercator Ocean International; 4 ECMWF

The EU's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is an ambitious initiative aimed at restoring ecosystems and reversing biodiversity loss, in line with the European Green Deal. It seeks to build resilience against threats like climate change, wildfires, and food insecurity. Achieving these objectives requires robust biodiversity and ecosystem data, supported by recent legislation such as the Nature Restoration Regulation and the Marine Ecosystem Protection Action Plan. Globally, the strategy aligns with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, both emphasizing the importance of accessible data to drive biodiversity action.

The Copernicus Earth Observation program, launched in 2014, provides essential data for environmental monitoring across Europe and globally. Its six services deliver critical datasets for monitoring land and marine environments, supporting biodiversity conservation efforts.

This workshop will explore Copernicus’s contributions to biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring in response to conservation needs. It will present various Copernicus services and products designed to monitor biodiversity and ecosystem health, including climate change impacts, recognized as a primary driver of biodiversity loss.

The workshop will engage EU Member States and global organizations like GEOBON to discuss user needs, identify knowledge gaps, and explore new Earth Observation (EO) opportunities. Participants will address the limitations of satellite data for ecosystem monitoring and propose areas for further research.

Workshop outcomes are expected to enhance user engagement with Copernicus products, expand the service portfolio, and develop biodiversity-focused tools to better meet ecosystem monitoring needs. This aligns Copernicus with EU and global biodiversity goals, providing a robust foundation for ongoing conservation efforts.

ID: 451 / 3.04.1: 1

Increasing Space Agency Impact on Biodiversity Conservation

Gary Geller¹, Antonio Ferraz¹, Peter Kalmus¹, Shaun Levick², Sandra Luque³, Marc Paganini⁴, Roger Sayre⁵, Woody Turner⁶ 1 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; 2 CSIRO; 3 INRAE/CNES; 4 ESA; 5 USGS; 6 NASA

Earth Observations (EO) from space are essential for monitoring, understanding, and guiding biodiversity conservation but EO’s value is only partially exploited. This workshop’s main objective is to identify specific barriers to full exploitation and to propose activities that space agencies should consider to increase their impact. The outcome will provide input to the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS, a coordinating group of the world’s civil space agencies) which is actively exploring ways to increase space agency engagement with biodiversity so societal impact can be increased. It will also provide input to several specific agencies that are in the process of long-term Earth science planning.

The workshop will start with several contextual presentations by agencies and others to set the stage for further discussions that will focus on questions such as:

• What are the barriers to using EO data for biodiversity conservation applications? Which barriers should agencies focus on to increase the impact of their data products?
• What EO data products are missing or inadequate and why? What should agencies do to address this, including, for example, developing more algorithms, generating more products, or increasing product quality?
• Assessing where EO has been successfully used for biodiversity conservation to date and the reasons for these successful applications
• What tools are needed to facilitate data product access and utilization for improved decision making?
• How can inter-agency and other partnerships be leveraged to increase the impact of EO on biodiversity conservation?

Answers to these and related questions will be consolidated into actions that space agencies can consider.

ID: 573 / 4.04.4: 1

Assessing nature restoration targets established by European and international policies

Phillip Harwood¹, Rob Hendriks², Michelle Hermes³, Wojciech Mroz⁴, Ruta Skujina¹

1 Evenflow; 2 Biodiversa+, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food security and Nature; 3 EARSC; 4Eurosite

Recent years have seen biological diversity, ecosystems, and their restoration rise to prominence on both global and European agendas. Political frameworks such as the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in 2022 and the EU Nature Restoration Law, which came into force in 2024, have set clear directions for restoration efforts, shaping priorities and driving coordinated action across stakeholders. Earth Observation (EO) technologies hold significant potential to support these initiatives by providing data-driven insights that guide planning, implementation, and monitoring.

This session aims to bring together data and service providers, end users and stakeholders to foster dialogue on implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law while linking it to the global context of Target 2 in the GBF. By sharing diverse perspectives, the session seeks to promote a coordinated approach that ensures robust, science-based national restoration efforts across the EU.

The workshop will be divided in two parts. The first will provide an overview of the policy context and current status, with a focus on the role of Earth Observation technologies. The challenges of using EO in habitat restoration planning will be explored with peatland mapping as a case study. The connection to biodiversity policy will be illustrated through the Peatland Policy Portal developed as part of the LIFE Multi Peat project. The second part will feature a panel discussion and interactive audience engagement to identify actionable steps and address potential barriers, ensuring that Earth Observation technologies can effectively support biodiversity policy implementation.

The workshop is co-organised by ESA Stakeholder Engagement Facility (ESA SEF project) coordinated by Evenflow, European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), European Land Conservation Network Eurosite and the European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+.

ID: 179 / 4.04.5: 2

Nature finance: challenges and opportunities

Joseph William Bull¹, Nicola Ranger¹, Emma O'Donnell¹, Andrew Shaw², Michael Harfoot³

1 University of Oxford, United Kingdom; 2 Assimila; 3 Vizzuality

Focusing on ‘biodiversity finance’, our objective is to elicit opinions on the current challenges and opportunities for implementing EO to support nature finance mechanisms (e.g. credits, bonds, debt for nature swaps, investment portfolios).

We start by presenting an outline of (a) the state of nature finance, and (b) identified needs for scaling and monitoring/reporting on nature finance mechanisms. Then, we invite participants into groups to explore several topics:

• Outline of existing use of EO (especially biodiversity metrics and associated datasets) to meet MRV and other requirements for nature finance;
• Refinement, in which these existing approaches are discussed in terms of both current critiques, and by challenges associated with using them in different habitats/geographies; and,
• Consideration of opportunities for current and emerging EO methods that take us beyond these limitations

Back in plenary, we match the outcomes of smaller group discussions against recent reviews of challenges and opportunities for nature finance more broadly – discussing areas of overlap, and any major gaps. As part of this facilitated discussion, we look forward to opportunities associated with forthcoming launches (e.g. ESA CHIME 2029).

Expected outcomes: Workshop outcomes will be to map and rank current and forthcoming opportunities for EO to support nature finance applications; by suitability, feasibility, and desirability. The report would also discuss how these apply across geographies, and for the private vs the public sector, including reflection on models by which the wider community can interact across sectors.

The report will feed into the newly launching LEON project (January 2025), which seeks to match those approaches suggested by the EO community with the needs of the finance sector – so BioSpace25 comes at the ideal time in the emergence of this exciting new area of research.