FIXED CALL FOR PROPOSAL - BIODIVERSITY+

This project aims at advancing the capacity to effectively integrate novel EO data products, in-situ, advanced models and AI based predictive capabilities to improve the scientific understanding, assessment, simulations and predictions of the impacts of climate change, extremes, and human interventions on biodiversity loss, ultimately enabling the future capabilities to enhanced conservation,restoration, and data-driven policy interventions. In particular the project objectives are: OBJECTIVE 1: Capitalise on the large variety of available EO data to develop and validate a set of novel EO-based products (Biodiversity+ datacube) to better quantifyand characterise the changes in terrestrial biodiversity (ecosystem structure, functions, resilience, health) and related ecosystemservices; OBJECTIVE 2: Exploit this novel set of EO data products (Biodiversity+ datacube) in combination with in-situ data to:- assess the status of ecosystems and quantify the impacts of the direct and indirect drivers of changes on global and European nature and ecosystems;- enhance our understanding of the adverse impacts of climate change, pollution and human intervention on nature,biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and in particular species and habitats at risk of climate-related extinctions in sensitive ecosystems to define enhanced adaptation and mitigation actions; OBJECTIVE 3: foster the integration of EO data and models (e.g., Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs), data analytics and advanced AI techniques (i.e. Argentic AI, causal inference) to enhance simulations and predictive capacity of the main evolutionary changes of biodiversity and better predict their trajectories; OBJECTIVE4: develop and demonstrate an enhanced capacity to assess and predict how natural ecosystems respond to a wide range of pressures and ecosystem interactions including climate change, extremes, anthropogenic pressures and/or management or policy interventions. GOAL 5: Ensure coordination, collaboration and knowledge exchange between European research and innovation activities, particularly across ESA, the European Commission and their research communities, by actively connecting projects, facilitating interdisciplinary cooperation, organising joint scientific activities, and enhancing outreach, communication and dissemination to increase the visibility, accessibility and uptake of research results in policy and practice.Addressing the above objectives will require the effective integration of EO satellite data with other relevant observations from a variety of data sources (including field observations), covering different aspects of nature and biodiversity (e.g., ecosystem structure, ecosystem functioning, community composition, species traits, species population, genetic composition), and their integration with advanced models and AI methods in order to comprehend the underlying ecological and anthropogenic processes and their effects on ecosystems and predict their changes.