There is growing understanding of the need for science to inform biodiversity-related policymaking at all levels, including the European Union. Over the past decades science-policy interfaces (SPIs) have been shaped to facilitate interaction between research and policy. Still, there remains a gap in ensuring that all decision makers across all societal sectors have direct access to research-based knowledge when planning, budgeting and deciding on actions that have an impact on biodiversity.
Together with 21 other partners led by the Finnish Environment Institute, I participate in the BioAgora consortium. BioAgora develops a Science Service for Biodiversity, which responds to the present gaps and future needs in SPIs. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 calls for the establishment of such Service – aiming at ‘ratcheting up the implementation of biodiversity commitments’. It will channel the entire landscape of EU biodiversity science from monitoring to meta-analyses and communicate this knowledge through the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity to EU institutions and the broader community.
My role in this ambitious project is to contribute to communication and dissemination activities, to harvest knowledge for customised translation for policymakers, to facilitate and moderate stakeholder events, to help establish the governance structure, to liaise with EU institutions, and to lead the development of the Service’s business plan.
This project receives funding from the EU Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Actions under Grant agreement No. 101059438.
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the EU nor the EC can be held responsible for them.
