Monitoring Biodiversity
Monitoring Biodiversity
Biodiversity encompasses the variety of life in ecosystems, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. It is vital for ecosystem stability but is often threatened by human activities like climate change. Monitoring biodiversity helps track species populations, identify risks, and take action to prevent declines.
To establish an effective monitoring system, a baseline survey should be conducted when a Farmer Cluster is formed, providing a reference point for future assessments. Progress surveys should follow annually or every three to five years, depending on the species monitored. Surveys should take place multiple times during spring and summer when species activity is highest, while winter surveys can focus on species like harvest mice that are less disturbed in colder months.
Key species groups for monitoring include butterflies, farmland birds, vegetation, and bumblebees, while priority species such as corn buntings, brown hares, long-eared bats, and pearl-bordered fritillaries require focused observation. Mapping the landscape is crucial for effective monitoring. By dividing the area into survey grids, researchers can ensure a representative sample of biodiversity across different habitats. Transect surveys, where observers walk designated routes recording species, are widely used. Longer transects are suited for bird monitoring, while shorter ones capture insect and plant populations. Essential equipment includes data sheets, binoculars, nets, GPS devices, and apps like iNaturalist for digital data collection. To learn more about monitoring biodiversity, see our guidelines at https://zenodo.org/records/13880020.
Biodiversity encompasses the variety of life in ecosystems, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. It is vital for ecosystem stability but is often threatened by human activities like climate change. Monitoring biodiversity helps track species populations, identify risks, and take action to prevent declines.
To establish an effective monitoring system, a baseline survey should be conducted when a Farmer Cluster is formed, providing a reference point for future assessments. Progress surveys should follow annually or every three to five years, depending on the species monitored. Surveys should take place multiple times during spring and summer when species activity is highest, while winter surveys can focus on species like harvest mice that are less disturbed in colder months.
Key species groups for monitoring include butterflies, farmland birds, vegetation, and bumblebees, while priority species such as corn buntings, brown hares, long-eared bats, and pearl-bordered fritillaries require focused observation. Mapping the landscape is crucial for effective monitoring. By dividing the area into survey grids, researchers can ensure a representative sample of biodiversity across different habitats. Transect surveys, where observers walk designated routes recording species, are widely used. Longer transects are suited for bird monitoring, while shorter ones capture insect and plant populations. Essential equipment includes data sheets, binoculars, nets, GPS devices, and apps like iNaturalist for digital data collection. To learn more about monitoring biodiversity, see our guidelines at https://zenodo.org/records/13880020.
Farmer Clusters for Realising Agrobiodiversity Management across Ecosystems (FRAMEwork)
Ongoing | 2020-2025
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- United Kingdom