Preparatory Action Project for EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC)

Europe is facing an acute biodiversity crisis, with species and habitats declining at unprecedented rates. At the same time, the EU has adopted highly ambitious legal and policy objectives—including the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation—alongside international commitments such as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Meeting these obligations depends on the availability of high-quality, comparable, and timely biodiversity data from all Member States. However, the current EU biodiversity data landscape remains fragmented: monitoring approaches differ across countries, data flows are often siloed, standards are applied inconsistently, and the administrative burden on Member States is considerable. In the absence of a single, coordinated EU-level hub to integrate these efforts, the EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC) is intended to address this gap. Commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment as a preparatory action, the project lays the groundwork for a permanent observation infrastructure that can take biodiversity data from collection through to policy-ready analysis. It does so across six thematic areas (terrestrial habitats, freshwater habitats, freshwater benthic invertebrates, marine mammals, seagrass habitats, and pollinators) using Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) as a shared framework for analysis and reporting.

Building the Foundation for EU-Wide Biodiversity Observation

At the heart of the project is the operationalization of EBVs, which are internationally agreed indicators that capture the key dimensions of biodiversity change. Across the six thematic areas, the consortium maps existing data workflows, identifies gaps, and mobilizes data from across Europe in line with the FAIR principles of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability. 

Harmonizing Data and Strengthening Monitoring

The project reviews and optimizes sampling designs across Member States, harmonizes data collection protocols, and proposes European standards where none yet exist. Alongside this, a robust technical infrastructure is developed and tested to ensure that national monitoring data can flow reliably into EU-level analysis. The project also maps synergies across EU and international reporting obligations, reducing duplication for Member States and laying the groundwork for more efficient, integrated biodiversity reporting at European level.

Building Capacity and Engaging Stakeholders

Recognizing that data infrastructure alone is not enough, the project delivers targeted capacity building activities to equip national practitioners, data managers, and policymakers with the skills needed to contribute to and benefit from EBOCC. The project culminates in a major final conference in Brussels, bringing together at least 100 participants from across the EU biodiversity community to discuss results and chart the path forward.

What the Project Does Specifically

The work is organized into seven tasks that together take biodiversity data from collection through to policy-ready analysis.

• Task 1: Analysis of data workflows

Task 1 lays the conceptual and governance foundation for the entire project. Through structured consultation with Member States and EU agencies, the team maps key actors, documents existing data sources, and identifies gaps in current data workflows. The findings feed into a high-level data flow and governance framework that guides all subsequent tasks.

• Task 2: Data mobilization & integration

Task 2 translates the framework from Task 1 into a concrete technical harmonization strategy. The team develops a generic data model and dataset specifications aligned with EBVs and identifies and resolves interoperability bottlenecks along the biodiversity data value chain. A particular focus is placed on close cooperation with the European Environment Agency (EEA) to ensure that proposed specifications, guidance, and support are aligned with EU-level reporting needs and can be taken up within existing European data and knowledge governance arrangements. 

• Task 3: Data framework, infrastructure & tools

Task 3 focuses on connecting existing national and European data systems into a coherent, federated infrastructure for biodiversity monitoring. The team analyzes existing platforms, defines qualification criteria, and develops a blueprint architecture that keeps data under national control whilst it remains usable across borders. Pilot cases with selected Member States put the proposed infrastructure to the test.

• Task 4: Optimization of sampling designs, and harmonization and standardization of data collection protocols

Task 4 takes a close look at how biodiversity is actually monitored in the field across Europe. The team documents existing sampling methods, assesses how well they perform in terms of cost and data quality, and identifies where approaches diverge unnecessarily. The goal is to propose harmonized, practical protocols that Member States can realistically adopt, with guidance documents feeding into future European standardization processes.

• Task 5: Analysis & visualization of the information

Task 5 is where the data collected and harmonized across the project is put to work. The team develops reproducible analytical workflows to assess the status and trends of selected EBVs, identifies meaningful biodiversity indicators, and maps where data coverage is patchy or biased. The outputs, which include species distribution maps, indicator assessments, and thematic fiches, translate complex data into clear, policy-relevant insights.

• Task 6: Capacity building and development needs

Task 6 ensures that the project's results can be put into practice across all Member States. The team designs and delivers targeted training workshops and peer-to-peer exchanges focused on the administrative and organizational challenges of implementing new monitoring schemes. A specific focus of the Task is supporting Member States in implementing the European Union Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (EU PoMS).

• Task 7: Communication

Task 7 brings the project's work to a wider audience through a final hybrid conference in Brussels, co-designed with DG ENV and aimed at national authorities, researchers, EU bodies, and civil society. Thematic breakout sessions, live-streaming, and interactive formats ensure the event is both engaging and accessible. 

The consortium

adelphi leads an international consortium of six organizations, bringing together environmental policy expertise, data science, and deep knowledge of EU biodiversity governance. Beyond its overall project management role, adelphi directly leads Task 6 on capacity building and Task 7 on communication.

Partners include the Environment Agency Austria (EAA),; the Finnish Environment Institute (Suomen ympäristökeskus, SYKE); the French Biodiversity Agency (Office Français de la Biodiversité, OFB),; VITO (Belgium),; and the Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg  (Germany)