BirdWatch – a Copernicus-based service to improve the habitat suitability of birds in agriculture through satellite-based monitoring, assessment, and optimisation of CAP revegetation measures.
Biodiversity in agriculture has declined dramatically in recent years, mainly due to
- the intensification of land use and mowing;
- the increase in the use of pesticides and liquid manure;
- the keeping of animals in stables,
- the draining of wetlands,
- the loss of structural elements such as hedges or fallow land, and
- the decreasing variability of crop types.
This is reflected in a significant decline in farmland bird populations, which rely on agricultural areas as breeding and feeding grounds. At the same time, birds serve as indicator species for the state of our ecosystems. According to Michael O’Briain, deputy head of unit for nature, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission:
“Monitoring bird populations is essential to assess progress towards conservation goals, address knowledge gaps, and set priorities for conservation actions. Therefore, BirdWatch aligns with the statement of the EU initiative Birds@Farmland that ‘protecting farmland birds is a duty under the Birds Directive and is essential for the success of the EU Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the Farm-to-Fork strategy.'”
The overarching goals of the BirdWatch research project are:
- Improve the suitability of habitats for farmland birds and thus agricultural biodiversity
- Supporting and reporting on sustainable agricultural practices
- Assist in monitoring compliance with international, national, and regional directives, such as the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy
- Improving and maintaining the health of ecosystems on agricultural lands in the EU
As BirdWatch aims to assess the current state of an area, identify its changes over time and provide recommendations for the most appropriate ecologization measures, the platform can become an integral, data- and evidence-based monitoring tool, e.g. for administrations and policy makers. With BirdWatch, arguments, claims and decisions can be backed up by concrete measures.
All preliminary results of the research project, as well as target species and backgrounds, are presented on BirdWatch’s own website:
birdwatch-europe.org
Project start: February 2023 Duration: 36 months
Grant agreement number: 101082634
This project is funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
Partners:
- EURAC Research (Italy)
- SINERGISE laboratory for geographical information systems, Ltd. (Slovenia)
- University of Potsdam
- Vito (Belgium)
- National Paying Agency (Lithuania)
- Agro Digital Solutions (Lithuania)
Subcontractors:
- Bioland e.V.
- INBO – Research Institute for Nature and Forest
