Biodiversa+ European Partnership Publishes its Long-Term Strategic Vision

After a public consultation to collect the views of a broad range of stakeholders, including the European Commission, Biodiversa+ has published its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).

The SRIA covers all environments (freshwater, marine and terrestrial) and habitats, with specific focus on European added-value. It will guide the activities implemented by Biodiversa+ over the coming years. The Agenda identifies three ‘Topical Themes’ and associated knowledge needs, and two ‘Cross-cutting’ Themes dealing with general issues that are relevant to all of the Topical Themes.

Topical Themes:

  • Biodiversity protection and restoration.
  • Transformative change.
  • EU’s global action.

Cross-Cutting Themes:

  • Better knowledge on biodiversity and its dynamics.
  • Better knowledge for Nature-Based Solutions in a global change context.

The three Topical Themes closely align with the core themes of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, and the theory of change of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. They are complementary and synergetic to priorities in the Horizon Europe Work Programme, including relevant European Partnerships and Missions.

BiodivERsA+ had a range of impacts, including:

  • Build-up of a strong ERA on biodiversity, with 39 partners from 25 countries corresponding to approximately 75% of the funding capacity of biodiversity R&I in Europe.
  • Direct support to 125 R&I pan-European projects and 2,576 researchers, for a total of €235 million (including €151 million in cash).
  • Key contributions to the emergence of the R&I agenda on Nature-Based Solutions through contribution to framing the concept, disseminating it in national agendas and supporting related research.

The partnership will launch a series of Flagship Programmes to implement a holistic set of activities around a given topic, including mapping and foresight, joint calls for research, reinforcement of the link between research and monitoring, capacity building activities, stakeholder engagement and science society/policy interfacing.

The strategic document includes details of these flagship programmes.

Biodiversa+ has also announced that it is setting up an Enlarged Stakeholder Board comprising a broad range of stakeholders in the field of biodiversity, ecosystem services and Nature-Based Solutions. Interested parties should apply by 17 December 2021.