Vision and goals
The central task of the National Monitoring Centre for Biodiversity is to connect those active in monitoring and to work with them to further develop the nationwide biodiversity monitoring. This requires bringing together practice and research, developing methods further and providing comprehensive information on biodiversity monitoring. Find out more about our vision, goals and fields of action to collaboratively shape a sustainable future for biodiversity.
The vision of the Monitoring Centre
- The Monitoring Centre is the information and coordination center for national biodiversity monitoring in Germany, bringing together activities across the country.
- The Monitoring Centre connects individuals, institutions, and information relating to biodiversity monitoring.
- The Monitoring Centre sets the direction for the further development of national biodiversity monitoring. It promotes data-based decisions for the preservation of biodiversity
Goals and fields of action
The specific goals of the Monitoring Centre are formulated in four overarching fields of action.
1. Promoting cooperation and transferring knowledge
The Monitoring Centre acts as a networking and intermediary body. It supports the exchange of information and cooperation within the monitoring community. Suitable tools and formats for this will be offered in future via a digital information and networking portal.
- Connect and support stakeholders from the federal government, the federal states, science and research, professional societies, associations and citizen science who are involved in biodiversity monitoring
- Promote knowledge transfer and dialogue between stakeholders from science and practice, as well as other stakeholders in order to further develop the monitoring at a national level
- Establish the forum "Application and Research in Dialogue" to discuss current issues in biodiversity monitoring and to exchange knowledge between practice and research
- Intensify cooperation with research institutions and funding organisations in order to support monitoring research
- Improve networking between universities, museums, collections, research institutions, authorities and monitoring practice
- Facilitate and provide specialist support for an exchange at the European and international level
- Participate in European and international committees
- Report on European and international monitoring activities
- Supporting university and non-university education, the work of natural history museums and the qualification of citizen science in the field of monitoring
- Facilitating access to identification materials, reference lists, specialist literature and other materials via an information and networking portal
- Bringing together and make available expert knowledge on species, habitats and ecological functions as a basis for research work and practical monitoring activities
By providing targeted funding for the conceptual development of question-oriented monitoring approaches, the aim is to further develop nationwide biodiversity monitoring and to secure it in the long term by co-financing the first monitoring modules.
2. Expansion of the nationwide biodiversity monitoring
Through the intensive cooperation of the stakeholders, the overarching biodiversity monitoring will be further developed and positioned for future challenges. The following goals and requirements are taken into account in the development of the basic concept:
- Building on established nationwide monitoring programmes
- Identifying and closing existing gaps
- Taking into account the requirements of european and international biodiversity reporting
- Coordinating nationwide monitoring programmes systematically
- Using synergies to create a modular and efficient nationwide biodiversity monitoring system
- Promoting the implementation of further nationwide monitoring programmes into practice by closely cooperating with the federal states, specialised associations and citizen science associations
- Enablinging the long-term recording of biodiversity and the environmental factors influencing it in terrestrial, limnic and marine habitats through monitoring programmes and other instruments
3. Provision of data and information
The Monitoring Centre supports and promotes the process of improving access to existing data and information on biodiversity in Germany and on relevant drivers and environmental factors, respectively.
- Merging data and information on biodiversity monitoring
- Advancing data storage and management
- Supporting data security and data quality assurance
- Facilitating and improving sound scientific analyses on the causes of biodiversity change
- Facilitating the processing of data to enable the elaboration of courses for action for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity
- Make existing biodiversity and driver data more accessible, process it and make it available for overarching evaluations (with decentralized data storage)
- Providing all interested parties with comprehensive and up-to-date information on biodiversity monitoring via the information and networking platform
- Providing overviews of current programmes, projects and their contact persons, the various stakeholder groups, reports and evaluations
- Facilitating access to existing specialised information, such as method descriptions, mapping instructions and recording standards, as well as relevant scientific publications
- Improving access to and searchability of data in the case of decentralised data storage
4. Advancement of detection and evaluation methods
In cooperation with science and practice the development or advancement of data collection and evaluation methods is supported.
- Identifying needs for methodological standards and definitions
- Supporting the development of methodological standards and definitions
- Providing information on detection and evaluation methods so that they can be used in biodiversity monitoring, in practice and in science
- Bringing together stakeholders in the development and application of monitoring and evaluation methods
Measures
In order to achieve its goals in the long term, the following specific measures take place in the first years:
- The head office for the coordination and organisation of the Monitoring Centre was established.
- The Monitoring Centre's committee work has been established, coordinted, and is continously supported.
- The overall concept for nationwide biodiversity monitoring is beeing developed in cooperation with the committees.
- The website is continuously expanded with specialized information.
- A digital information and networking platform is beeing developed together with the committees and the participation of the monitoring community.
- The forum "Application and Research in Dialogue" and other event formats are established and hold regularly.
- Cooperations with national and international bodies and organisations is continously strengthened.
What the Monitoring Centre is not responsible for
- Implementing monitoring programmes into practice
- Collecting and maintaining its own data
- Analysing and evaluating data
- Providing policy advice
Principle concept as a basis
The principle concept sets the framework for the goals and tasks of the Monitoring Centre.