Open applications for Agroecology living labs and research infrastructures

agroecology network application

The Agroecology Partnership project (https://www.lifewatch.eu/agroecology-partnership) aims to facilitate the transition of the agricultural sector towards agroecology in Europe.

Its mission is to address climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and environmental degradation while ensuring profitability for farmers.

LifeWatch ERIC is leading an international team within the project’s WP5 (Data and Monitoring Agroecology Transition) to develop and implement an innovative conceptual framework for the monitoring and evaluation of agroecology transitions.

As a way to achieve the project’s objectives, the European Network of Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures gathers initiatives that enhance knowledge sharing of agroecology innovations across Europe.

Members of the Network get access to extensive connections with agri-food stakeholders, learning resources and data sharing between living labs and research infrastructures. They also get to cooperate on international projects and participate to the co-creation of process improvements.

The network has opened its first wave of applications for living labs and research infrastructures actively contributing to the agroecology transition: a great chance to connect with similar initiatives, learn best practices, gain visibility, grow and collaborate.

Applications for the membership can be submitted by the 28th of February 2025: you can find the details here.

Highlights from the BES Annual Meeting in Liverpool

BES 2024

From 10 to 13 December 2024, over 1500 ecologists gathered in Liverpool for Europe’s largest conference dedicated to ecology.

The event held particular relevance for LifeWatch ERIC, thanks to a rich programme of Thematic sessions, addressing the biodiversity crisis, nature restoration policies and practices, novels tools and technologies to tackle current challenges, and much more.

This annual meeting also brought together one of the most relevant scientific communities for LifeWatch ERIC’s mission.

Earlier this year, LifeWatch ERIC was featured in the autumn issue of the British Ecological Society’s Niche magazine, reinforcing the strong connection between the research infrastructure and the ecology community (read more here).

LifeWatch ERIC attended the conference with a booth dedicated to research communities facilities, services and resources (including ENVRI-Hub NEXT), and a series of talks dedicated to biodiversity monitoring, conservation strategies, and more.

The booth was a great success, directly engaging more than 300 attendees. A unique opportunity to collect feedback on user needs and research priorities.

Researchers were invited to share their views via brief surveys about the challenges they face and how LifeWatch ERIC’s services could support their work.

The response was extremely positive: 275 scientists and researchers from 33 different countries participated, representing different demographics and career stages, from early-career researchers under 30 to established experts over 60 years old. A great result, that highlights a growing interest in our services and offers insights into the needs, priorities and engagement level of researchers. This will help us to better tailor our services to match the expectations of ecologists, and biodiversity and ecosystem researchers.

The conference also proved to be a powerful engagement tool in involving scientists within the new LifeWatch ERIC flagship initiative, dedicated to its Thematic Service Working Groups (Ecological responses to Climate Change, Animal movement and bio-logging, Biogeography, Biodiversity observatory automation, Habitat mapping and Taxonomy). These groups have the objective to promote collaboration and innovation within the research community. With 67% of respondents willing to join one or more of the thematic working groups, the surveys have been an indicator of the relevance of our thematic services and the desire of researchers to collaborate with the infrastructure.

The feedback and connections made during the conference will help us refining and expanding our services to meet the evolving needs of researchers.

For more information on the Thematic Services Working Groups you can visit this page: https://www.lifewatch.eu/thematic-services-working-groups which will be regularly updated with new developments.

LifeWatch ERIC at the 5th RESTORE4Cs General Assembly

RESTORE4Cs General Assembly

The 5th RESTORE4Cs General Assembly, held from 19-21 November 2024 in the stunning Camargue region of France, brought together project partners and stakeholders to review progress and shape the future of wetland restoration and conservation across Europe. LifeWatch ERIC played a key role in the event, sharing significant developments in communication, digital tools, and policy outreach.

At the assembly, LifeWatch ERIC’s Madeira Scauri, leader of Work Package 8 (Communication, dissemination, and exploitation), provided an update on the second phase of the project’s communication strategy. She revealed the upcoming Camargue Case Pilot teaser and announced the launch of the highly anticipated RESTORE4Cs Serious Game in December 2024. The Serious Game aims to engage a broader audience in wetland restoration through interactive simulations.

The General Assembly was also a change for LifeWatch ERIC to introduce plans for a Summer School, designed for policymakers and the scientific community. This initiative will help bridge the gap between science and policy, furthering the project’s educational and outreach goals.

LifeWatch ERIC also played a crucial role in promoting cross-project collaboration. Madeira Scauri presented the Sister Projects’ joint factsheet, published on the occasion of their joint participation in SERE 2024, as well as a session on cooperation with the REWET project, led by Vanessa Ferreira, which highlighted synergies and operational steps to strengthen partnerships and maximise the project’s impact.

The assembly wrapped up with a successful series of field visits to key sites, including Marais du Cassaïre, Marais du Vigueirat, and the Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, allowing participants to gain local insights into the Camargue wetlands, where the project’s sampling and filming efforts for a documentary were underway.

Stay tuned for more updates on the RESTORE4Cs Serious Game, the Summer School, and other exciting developments as the project continues to progress.

Photo credits: LifeWatch ERIC – Madeira Scauri

LifeWatch ERIC joins the Annual Meeting of the European Network of Agroecology Living Labs & Research Infrastructures

european network of agroecology

LifeWatch ERIC, as an active member of the European Network of Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures, will participate in the network’s upcoming Annual Meeting.

This in-person event will take place in Helsinki, Finland, from 5 to 8 November 2024, as part of the AGROECOLOGY Partnership (https://www.lifewatch.eu/agroecology-partnership/), and gathers key stakeholders dedicated to advancing agroecological transitions.

Iria Soto, Senior Scientific Manager, will represent LifeWatch ERIC, sharing research progress and engaging with other experts to discuss strategy and future collaborations.

The Network’s mission is to foster multi-actor collaborations that accelerate innovation for the agroecological transition: this transformative approach can bring significant economic, social, and environmental benefits to communities.

The synergy of Living Labs (as real-life testing environments) and Research Infrastructures (as facilities that provide resources and services for research communities), provides a powerful framework for multi-scale experimentation that merges practice with scientific research.

Together, these instruments are poised to accelerate the AE transition across Europe, supporting agricultural resilience and fostering sustainable development.

Through its participation, LifeWatch ERIC reaffirms its dedication to sustainable agricultural practices and advancing agroecology. The event will foster co-development of innovative solutions, informed policy design, and enhanced skills to support resilient and sustainable agroecosystems across Europe.

For more information on this event, visit: https://www.agroecologypartnership.eu/networkofllsandris

LifeWatch Belgium: ETN datasets on fish species now accessible through GBIF

acoustic telemetry ETN datasets

At the end of September, we received important news from our National Distributed Centre in LifeWatch Belgium: the first ETN datasets from the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network are now available via GBIF. The datasets include 507,095 occurrences of 10 fish species from Belgian freshwater, intertidal, and marine habitats. 

What does that mean? 

LifeWatch Belgium uses innovative tracking technologies to understand fishes’ movement behaviour, and get insights into their migration routes. Through acoustic telemetry, they actively track fish through implanted tags that emit acoustic signals. 

The importance of having such data and being able to understand fish routes, can be explained in terms of support to species and habitat conservation, and good fisheries management. 

Acoustic telemetry data is managed in the European Tracking Network (ETN) data platform. After a lengthy process of elaboration and standardisation, which began in 2020, INBO and Ghent University have made eight datasets available in Darwin Core format as part of their contribution to LifeWatch Belgium.

The datasets in Darwin Core format are now accessible through the Global Diversity Information Facility network (GBIF): an international network and data infrastructure aimed at providing open access data about all types of life on Earth.

The next step will be to make this data accessible via OBIS as well.

Read more at the following link, and stay tuned to LifeWatch Belgium for future developments: https://www.lifewatch.be/news/first-etn-datasets-available-through-gbif 

LifeWatch ERIC to host series of workshops on Agroecology Monitoring in Europe

agroecology workshop

LifeWatch ERIC and Wageningen University & Research are organising a series of online thematic workshops under the AGROECOLOGY Partnership, co-funded by Horizon Europe.
These workshops aim to accelerate the transition towards more environmentally and people-friendly agroecosystems, by promoting the development of reliable monitoring frameworks and tools.
The ICT Core Scientific Team held the first event of the series on 15 October 2024, focusing on the agro-environmental domain.

The panel featured experts from leading organisations, including the European Commission DG Agri, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), CIFOR-ICRAF, FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture), and Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Their insights provide important contributions to address the challenges of monitoring agroecological transitions, as this requires scientific rigor and collaborative efforts.

The next events will take place on 25 October, and on 6 November. The series of thematic workshops aims to identify lessons learned and knowledge gaps in agroecology monitoring across different domains, discuss the scales and indicators necessary for effective agroecological transitions, and address data challenges for tracking the social, environmental, and economic impacts of agroecological practices.

The results of these thematic workshop, will converge and set the basis for discussions in the final, in-person workshop, which will bring together experts in agroecology monitoring, AGROECOLOGY partners, and potential end-users of the monitoring framework.

The output of this meeting will be a position paper with the most relevant insights and recommendations, that will be crucial during the design and implementation of the monitoring framework for agroecology under the European Partnership AGROECOLOGY.

About the AGROECOLOGY Partnership​
The European partnership ‘Accelerating Farming Systems Transition: Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures’ is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative. This initiative brings together the European Commission and 72 partners from 26 countries. It aims to enhance the resilience and productivity of Europe’s farming systems through sustainable practices that address climate change and biodiversity challenges.

Learn more at agroecologypartnership.eu.

Highlights from the EGI 2024 Conference

EGI 2024

LifeWatch ERIC participated in the EGI Conference 2024, held in Lecce from September 30 to October 4. Co-hosted by EGI and CMCC, the conference took place at the Hilton Garden Inn, located in the same city as our Service Centre. This conference provided an ideal platform for our team to showcase innovative solutions that apply disruptive technologies – such as AI and Blockchain – to ecological research. 

LifeWatch ERIC and EGI share a mission to advance scientific understanding across Europe. The collaboration between these two organisations has been consolidated over time through several European Projects. Two of these, EOSC Beyond (https://www.eosc-beyond.eu/) and ENVRI-Hub NEXT (https://www.egi.eu/project/envri-hub-next/), held their annual consortium meetings during the conference. 

Our team participated with a dedicated booth, along with demonstrations and presentations. Sara Montinaro and Cristina Mancarella (LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre, Lecce) staffed the exhibition booth throughout the conference, introducing participants to our e-Science infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystem research. Other members of our Common Facilities offered presentations on the Metadata Catalogue, LifeBlock and NaaVRE: a great chance to explore new opportunities for collaboration. Below is a summary of these presentations.

NaaVRE (Notebook-as-a-Virtual Research Environment)

Zhiming Zhao (VLIC Technical Manager) and Gabriel Pelouze, (Virtual Research Environment Developer) from our Virtual Laboratory & Innovations Centre in Amsterdam introduced the NaaVRE platform. NaaVRE supports researchers in creating digital twins and customised scientific workflows. Their presentations addressed two perspectives: digital twin development, and the research data lifecycle. 

The challenge behind this platform is to combine the strengths of Computational Notebooks (widely used, interactive, great for developing models), and Virtual Research Environments (great for sharing models in a more mature stage).

Zhiming Zhao provided an overview of the architecture and core functionalities (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19668/), like the possibility to containerise notebook cells into functional blocks, organise them into workflows, and share them easily. This system facilitates the reuse of data, models, and computational resources, making it easier for researchers to develop digital twins and complex ecological models. The platform has been tested in several use cases, including ecosystem structure analysis from LiDAR data, radar-based bird migration monitoring, and the Dutch NWO LTER-LIFE project, demonstrating NaaVRE’s potential for supporting diverse scientific communities.

Gabriel Pelouze showed some practical applications of NaaVRE in real-world data-centric research scenarios, (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19316/). In this intricate lifecycle, the possibility of customising the NaaVRE for specific scientific tasks can be very advantageous. He presented case studies where NaaVRE was used to monitor phytoplankton species and analyse ecological systems, emphasising its utility in building tailored VREs for ecosystem research. Moreover, NaaVRE’s possible integration with cloud infrastructures enables cost-effective and scalable research, by providing flexible access to computational resources.

LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue

Data and Service Architect Lucia Vaira (Service Centre, Lecce, pictured), introduced the LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19338/): a centralised platform designed to improve the discoverability and accessibility of biodiversity data and services. The Metadata Catalogue addresses key challenges in the field, such as data fragmentation, heterogeneity, and inconsistencies in metadata.

The catalogue, built on GeoNetwork technology, offers researchers a user-friendly interface to access datasets, improve their FAIRness, and promote a unified approach to biodiversity data management.

New features are constantly improving this service, such as the integration of metadata FAIRness evaluation tools and templates based on standardised profiles like EML 2.2.0. and ISO 19139/119. These features support data provenance and DOI assignment, which are essential for reliable data management. 

LifeBlock

Julio Paneque (Intelligent Systems, Robotics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles & HAPS Expert, ICT-Core, Spain), presented LifeBlock (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19619/), a blockchain-based solution for researchers, policy makers, and developers to address the need for data integration and answer important questions about biodiversity. LifeBlock leverages semantic technologies and AI to support ecological and biodiversity research by federating data from diverse sources and creating a unified environment that supports advanced data discovery and analysis.

Through the use of knowledge graphs to enrich data with semantic context, it facilitates complex queries, enabling researchers to draw meaningful connections across datasets. LifeBlock’s integration of AI enhances its data management capabilities by automating tasks like metadata generation and data quality assessment, which streamline research processes. Additionally, the platform ensures proper attribution and provenance tracking, fostering trust and transparency within the scientific community.

For more information about these tools, you can visit the following links:

LifeBlock | https://lifeblock.eu/login 

Metadata Catalogue | https://metadatacatalogue.lifewatch.eu

NaaVRE | https://naavre.lifewatch.dev/vreapp 

New project on soil health and sustainability joins the LifeWatch ERIC network. Meet SUS-SOIL!

SUS-Soil

The European research project SUS-SOIL, promoting sustainable soil and subsoil health, held its kick-off meeting in Lugo, Spain, on 2nd October 2024. Funded by Horizon Europe with a budget of nearly 6 million euros, it aims to raise awareness about soil health’s role in tackling climate change, over its four years of activity.

Coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), the project has brought together a consortium of 22 organisations, including universities, research institutions, technical entities, foundations, companies, and public bodies from 13 countries.
SUS-SOIL, which stands for “Sustainable Soil and Subsoil Health Promotion”, will focus on implementing agro-ecological land-use and management practices to enhance ecosystem services in both rural and urban environments. The project will cover eight biogeographic regions with 15 Subsoil Living Labs across Europe and North Africa.

The three-day kick-off meeting, hosted at the USC’s Lugo Campus, saw nearly 50 participants from over ten countries come together to discuss the goals and strategies for the first months of activities (LifeWatch ERIC was represented there by Xavier Rotllan-Puig, Data Management Specialist). A field visit to Millo e Landras, an organic farm in Galicia, had the attendees engaged in hands-on soil sampling to learn about sustainable farming practices.

SUS-SOIL will not only contribute through research, but also engage with land managers and public authorities. By promoting sustainable subsoil management, it aims to address issues such as water security, ecosystem service delivery, and climate change mitigation in Europe.
The project’s progress, updates will be shared on their official website and social media channels: for more information, visit sus-soil.eu.

LifeWatch ERIC at the service of knowledge and innovation

the building of Junta de Andalucia, the entity that formally recognised LifeWatch ERIC as a knowledge agent

On October 2nd, 2024, LifeWatch ERIC achieved formal accreditation as a Knowledge Agent by the Junta de Andalucía. This milestone marks the end of a process initiated on January 24th, 2024, affirming LifeWatch ERIC’s role in advancing research, technological development, and innovative projects that benefit both the scientific community and society at large.

The accreditation acknowledges the organisation’s dedication to accelerate the research efforts of the scientific community, according to its mission to deliver a European state-of-the-art e-Science Research Infrastructure on biodiversity and ecosystem research, through key scientific services. Moreover, it highlights its alignment with the researchers’ need for key societal insights and science-based policy. Such “Knowledge Agent” recognitions are generally awarded to universities, foundations, and research institutes that demonstrate contributions to the fields of innovation, research, and development.

Following a thorough evaluation by the Evaluation and Accreditation Area of the Andalusian Agency for Scientific and University Quality (ACCUA), LifeWatch ERIC is now registered in the Electronic Register of Agents of the Andalusian Knowledge System, under the category of Research Centres, Institutes or Foundations (Centros, Institutos o Fundaciones de investigación). The assessment reviewed the organisation’s impact and achievements, confirming its alignment with the standards required by the Andalusian Knowledge System (Sistema Andaluz del Conocimiento).

The inclusion in the register remains valid for four years (although subject to periodic assessments): a distinction that not only validates past achievements, but also inspires and motivates LifeWatch ERIC to deepen its contributions to the European scientific and innovation landscape. This recognition opens doors to new funding opportunities, allowing participation in calls for competitive grants aimed exclusively at agents of the Andalusian Knowledge System. With this endorsement, we can advance experimental and applied research projects, amplifying our impact on biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and ecosystem research by supporting students, professionals and communities.

Autumn highlights from LifeWatch Belgium: celebrations, discoveries and new frontiers

autumn highlights

In this update, you can see a snapshot of the most exciting news from LifeWatch Belgium this season. From anniversaries to new scientific milestones, here are the stories you don’t want to miss:

  • 20 years of EurOBIS: the European Ocean Biodiversity Information System (Eurobis), a LifeWatch Belgium service, celebrated its 20th anniversary in grand style, releasing a “super-harvest” of marine biodiversity data. The system counts over 100 datasets, of which 87 new ones, for a total increase of more than 1 million marine species occurrence records that were made available. This follows its 15th-anniversary milestone, and since then, EurOBIS has nearly doubled its collection.
  • The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), hosted within LifeWatch Belgium by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), marked its 15th anniversary only two years ago. This autumn, it celebrates the milestone with the release of an opinion paper titled The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) through the looking glass: insights from the Data Management Team in light of the crystal anniversary of WoRMS. The paper reflects on WoRMS’ role in global biodiversity data management and highlights the importance of sustained collaboration for improving species data accessibility. It also offers updates on marine species discovery rates, insights into the editorial board’s daily activities, and progress on content priorities laid out by the WoRMS Steering Committee as part of the UN Ocean Decade.
  • The Ocean Census programme sets an impressive target of 100,000 new species: with the aim of revolutionising marine biodiversity research, the initiative will feed the WoRMS database contributing to marine conservation efforts. Marine biologists estimate that there are potentially between one and two million marine species that inhabit our oceans, but only around 246,500 have been described to date. Although discovering these new species will be challenging—particularly in the more inhospitable areas of the ocean—scientists believe these regions hold the greatest potential for new discoveries.

LifeWatch Belgium is one of the national nodes in LifeWatch ERIC, and it plays a critical role in developing and operating various essential infrastructure components, including i) a species information backbone as a central European resource, ii) a regional observatory for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, and iii) a facility for habitat mapping using remote sensing.

These achievements are important examples of LifeWatch Belgium’s support to advancing biodiversity science and better understanding and preserving biodiversity.

For more detailed stories, visit LifeWatch Belgium’s news page.