Products EBONE
The EBONE project is the basis of a cost effective data collection system for biodiversity including extant data, both past and present, at national, regional and European levels. It is the basis for the continued development of a European Biodiversity Observation System and in this way provides a common European basis or reporting on biodiversity, access to indicator data for CBD reporting against the 2010 target.
The system is compatible with and contributes to the GEOSS 10 year implementation plan. EBONE will contribute to the GEOSS tasks EC-09-01 and BI-07-01. (GEOSS 2009-2011 Workplan).
The project has delivered a European contribution to the development of a global biodiversity observation system that is spatially and topically prioritised. It also builds on existing information.
The European Monitoring Approach builds on knowledge developed in recent European research projects and networks such as AlterNet, BioHab, BioPress and EuMon. It assesses representativeness of sites and integrates existing national monitoring systems. It aims to lead to a cost effective procedure for biodiversity monitoring.
Products of EBONE are:
European Monitoring Approach
EBONE has developed an approach that allows to harmonise national and regional procedures in monitoring and that links different levels of monitoring. The outputs concern ecological aspects, technical aspects and governance aspects of a monitoring system based on the knowledge that is available in Europe, Israel and South Africa.
Selection of biodiversity indicators
A Deliverable report has been published on the selection of indicators for EBONE. The main aim of this report is to assess which biodiversity indicators should be selected as the basis for developing new EBONE methodologies for assessing biodiversity.
Habitat Mapping and Recording
The instructions of habitat mapping and recording on this website are taken from the Maual for Habitat and Vegetation Surveillance and Monitoring: Temperate, Mediterranean and Desert Biomes by Bunce, R.G.H., Bogers, M.M. B., Roche, P., Walczak, M. Geijzendorffer., I.R. and R.H.G. Jongman. 2011.
General Habitat Categories
The Habitat Monitoring system is based on General Habitat Categories (GHCs). The definitions of the General Habitat Categories are based on the practical experience of the GB Countryside Survey adapted for Europe on the basis of the validation workshops.
European Environmental Stratification
The Environmental Zones of Europe are derived from the Environmental Stratification of Europe. The stratification is based on climate data, data on the ocean influence and geographical position (northing). Soil data are not distinctive at the level of Europe, as the soil classification systems differ for each country. And they are not continuous but qualitative (class-based) data.
Global Stratification
There is growing urgency for integration and coordination of global environmental and biodiversity data required to respond to the ‘grand challenges’ our planet is facing, including climate change and biodiversity decline. On-going and new programmes are gathering valuable data through a profusion of projects at regional, national and international scales, e.g. the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) programmes, and activities related to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
Annex I Habitats key
In the EBONE project the recognition of Annex I habitats in the field has been considered as an important issue. A hierarchical structure is created in this report within which the Annex I habitats can be identified. The current concept of an expert system emerged during an ECOLAND forum meeting in Almeria south-eastern Spain and further developed in close consultation with the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (ETC-BD).
Field computer programme
In EBONE a standardised programme for field computers has been developed enabling cost efficient and repeatable field observations.