ADEBAR 2 – Atlas of German Breeding Birds 2 – Use Case for Collaboration between Citizen Science, specialised societies and government authorities
| Federal State | Nationwide |
|---|---|
| Duration | 01/11/2024 - 30/07/2026 |
| Funding Budget | € 829,070.87 |
| Funding Reference Number | 100701098 |
| Grant Recipient | Federation of German Avifaunists (DDA) |
| Participants | Nationwide network of volunteer experts |
Description
The first Atlas of German Breeding Birds was published in 2014, following the completion of the first ADEBAR project (2005–2009). Now, 20 years later, a new mapping initiative is planned, for which the ADEBAR 2 project will develop key components. These include:
- establishing of an infrastructure,
- developing methodological monitoring guidelines,
- designing and preparing databases and data flows, as well as
- conducting a feasibility study on protocols for the monitoring methodology and
- the modelling of breeding bird distributions.
The monitorings will be supported by a nationwide network of volunteer experts. Fieldwork is scheduled for completion by 2029, the publication of the Second Atlas of German Breeding Birds is planned for 2030. The project is managed by the Federation of German Avifaunists (DDA). It is accompanied by public relations and science communication activities.
Background
Between 2005 and 2009, data on the distribution of breeding and abundance of bird species across Germany were collected as part of the ADEBAR project (Atlas of German Breeding Birds). Following comprehensive analysis, the first Atlas was published in 2014 (Gedeon et al. 2014) in close cooperation between the DDA, specialised societies, and federal authorities. Coordination at the state level was handled by the respective professional societies and/or federal authorities at the state level: The Federation of German Avifaunists (DDA) and the Bird Monitoring Foundation took the lead at the federal level.
Why is a new Atlas of German Breeding Birds necessary?
A renewed nationwide mapping of breeding birds, about 20 years after the first atlas, is urgently needed - for the following reasons:
Due to significant changes in land use and climate over the past two decades, the populations and distributions of many bird species have shifted considerably. The data collected during the ADEBAR project no longer reliably reflect the current situation of native birdlife.
Under the current conditions original goals pursued with ADEBAR can no longer be achieved. Especially for moderately common and common breeding bird species, current distribution data and population estimates are only available based on rough expert assessments. This affects the quality and availability of data in the current bird conservation report under the EU Birds Directive.
As early as 2021 the European Commission called on Member States to improve the conservation status of bird species in its Communication on the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy. Species with unknown population trends will in future be classified as “not reliable”.
In view of these developments, a renewed nationwide mapping of breeding birds – around 20 years after ADEBAR – is urgently required by the professional community. An up-to-date data basis is essential not only for general bird conservation but also for questions relevant to species protection legislation. In addition, a new mapping would significantly improve the data basis on bird species at risk of collision with wind turbines under the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), for which hardly any data are currently available.
Project structure
The project is divided into the following work packages:
- Establishment of an infrastructure for the implementation of ADEBAR 2, taking into account the current collaboration among the various stakeholders in German bird monitoring
- Development of methodological guidelines: monitoring method instructions, content specifications
- Data collection and databases
- Feasibility study for developing guidelines on survey methodology and modelling the breeding distribution of common and moderately common bird species
- Development of central technical services for data collection and data flow by the DDA
- Public relations and science communication
- Recruiting and engaging of volunteers; evaluating experiences from the 2024 survey season and assessing transferability to the states or the federal level
- Creation of an online platform "ADEBAR Online"
- Contribution to the future portal of the Monitoring Centre: ADEBAR 2 as a use case for the portal
- Technical development of interfaces (dbird) Measures for a continuation of ADEBAR 2 beyond the project duration
Outlook
Measures for a continuation of ADEBAR 2 beyond the project duration:
- Compilation of specialist information to support fundraising for the continuation of the ADEBAR 2 project beyond the current project term
- Linking with other relevant fundraising initiatives
- Coordination between public relations and fundraising activities
- Evaluation of the potential of the ADEBAR 2 network