Objectives

The principal aim of the project “Improving the capabilities of the EuroBirdPortal project in order to boost its contribution towards EU policy objectives under the Birds Directive and the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy", in short "LIFE EBP reinforcement" (project 101104367 — LIFE22-PLP-ES-EBP reinforcement), is to improve the quantity and quality of bird-related data in Europe to enhance their contribution to EU policy objectives under the EU Birds Directive and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

The project has a duration of three years and a half (July 2023 to December 2026) and an overall cost of 1.110.605,44 €, of which 90% (999.544,89 €) are financed by the European Union.

The main specific objectives of project are:

1Improving the geographical coverage and the overall quality of the bird-related data collected in Europe by increasing participation, data collection and use of more structured data collection protocols, particularly, in SE and E Europe.

2Adding all the species recorded in Europe to the EuroBirdPortal (EBP) data flow making full use of the EBP data standard and updating the EBP viewer accordingly.

3Producing two demonstrative outputs that showcase how the improved capabilities of the EBP project could be applied to help implement key EU Biodiversity Strategy goals.

Expected results

The main results expected at the end of the project are:

1Local online bird portals are operating in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

2The number of participants, the overall amount of data and the overall amount of data collected using more structured protocols (e.g. complete lists, specific protocols) by the EBP in SE Europe (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) increases by 40%, 30% and 20% respectively since 2022, and by 5%, 10% and 20% globally.

3The International Census Plots (ICP) scheme has a network of at least 70 plots in total in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

4All the species recorded in Europe are included in the EBP data flow making full use of the EBP data standard to properly identify and characterize the data collected using specific or more standardized protocols.

5The EBP viewer depicts the majority of the species regularly occurring in Europe while taking into account the data handling and visualization protocol for sensitive species agreed by the EBP partnership.

6EBBA2-like maps of distribution (50x50km resolution) and probability of occurrence (10x10km) and change are produced for the Turtle Dove and the other 38 bird species included in the Farmland Bird Index (FBI) using data collected by the EBP and the PECBMS projects during the period 2018-2025.

7A pilot assessment of the overall adequacy of the Natura 2000 network for the protection of terrestrial migratory bird species during the migration period.

Background

The EBP is a project of the European Bird Census Council (EBCC) developed through a partnership of ornithological organizations from 31 countries that combines the data collected by the online bird recording portals operating in Europe to describe the large scale spatiotemporal patterns of bird distributions and their changes over time.



Online bird portals obtain year-round data from the intensive and widespread activities of birdwatchers. However, data is, essentially, collected using simple standardised protocols (complete lists) or no protocol at all (casual observations). Currently, the EBP mobilizes the data from 21 different systems, storing effort and contextual information from all data collected but individual records of only 137 species. The EBP central database repository receives nearly all these data from the local online portals automatically and on a daily basis, following the same common data standard and with updates up to the previous day. Moreover, thanks to the LIVE EBP viewer, all data collected by the project is nicely presented to the general public in the form of weekly animated maps spanning from January 2010 up to the current week.

The capacity of the EBP project to provide the most up to date information on the location of birds in time and space across Europe, has been successfully applied to provide support in such relevant issues as the surveillance of Avian Influenza in Europe. However, to make a more widespread use of the EBP capabilities, there are two key areas were a big step-forward is still needed. Having the capacity to collect and manage the data from all bird species occurring in Europe (>800), not just the current 137 ones, is one of the most critical ones. The other important limitation is the geographic coverage, which it is still too poor, in absolute terms or regarding the quality of the data collected, in some areas of Europe, particularly, the SE.

The main objective of this proposal, therefore, is to reinforce the EBP capabilities in order to allow it to contribute to the evidence required to inform the successful delivery of information for different elements of the EU biodiversity policy. Moreover, to be able to deliver the best possible outputs during the breeding season, it is also very important to align the EBP capabilities with those of the two other EBCC projects (the European Breeding Bird Atlas 2 (EBBA2) and the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS)), as the combination of the different datasets and know-how of these three projects will certainly increase the overall value of policy relevant outputs.

EBBA2 provides vital data for conservation by documenting changes in the breeding distribution of all European bird species.

PECBMS uses common birds as indicators of the general state of nature using large-scale and long-term monitoring data on changes in breeding populations across Europe.

Work Plan

The project work plan is composed of 13 different Work Packages (WP) which are grouped in five different key areas.

Work Packages

1 Project management and communication

Lead beneficiary ICO

Objectives
1 To ensure the correct development of the project and the corresponding reporting duties.
2 To ensure that administrative and financial management duties are correctly undertaken all through the different phases of the project.
3 To ensure that all the project communication and dissemination activities are adequately organized.

Results
  • All reporting done correctly and in time.
  • all project actions correctly undertaken.
  • 100% of the budget correctly justified in the financial reports.
  • No project costs rejected due to eligibility problems.
  • The targeted scope of all project dissemination activities is accomplished (cf. Table T1.1).


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 1 .1 Project management

Project management will be led by CREAF which has previously coordinated 3 LIFE+ projects and participated as partner in 9 others and that also has an extensive experience managing other projects funded by a variety of European funds, such as FP7, HORIZON 2020 (63 projects and 23 as coordinator) and INTERREG (6). The project management will count with four key components: the Project manager (PM), the Administrative Team (AT) and the EBP and PECBMS Project Coordinators (EBPPC and PECBMSPC). The AT and PM will be based at CREAF while the EBPPC is based at ICO and the PECBMSPC at CSO. The PM will be the link between the beneficiaries and the European Commission. The project management will be complemented with the Coordination Committee (CC), the highest decision body of the project, which will be formed by the PM, the EBPPC and PECBMSPC and the project leaders of the rest of beneficiaries (BPSSS, BSPB, CZIP, SOVON, MES, PTICE and SOR).

Dissemination activity Description Target audience Number of products Scope
Communication Plan Document with the description and schedule of all communication activities General public, EBCC partners, data contributors 1 communication plan 10 beneficiaries
LIFE website (Task T.1.6) A specific LIFE website will be created to describe the project, its objectives, actions, progress, news, networking and results General public, EBCC partners, stakeholders, data contributors 1 website 1,500 visitors/year
Data collection challenge website (Task T.5.2) A specific website designed to provide support to the campaign by showing the main results in near real time Data contributors, general public, EBCC partners 1 website 2,500 visitors/year
Press and media releases One colour page with main project news General public, EBCC partners, stakeholders, data contributors 4 press releases (one per year) 10,000 persons
Twitter/social media Posts in twitter and other social media General public, EBCC partners, data contributors 2 twits/items per month 1,000 followers
Conference attendance Oral presentations and posters EBCC partners, academia/researchers 2 conferences attended 500 conference attendants
Networking activities (Task T.1.7) Contacts with other local, regional or international projects Other LIFE projects or other local, regional or international projects 10 networking contacts done 100 persons
Regional communication campaign (Task T.9.5) Document with the description and schedule of all communication activities General public, EBCC partners, data contributors 1 communication plan 14 beneficiaries /subcontractors
Table T1.1

Task Leader CREAF

Participants BPSSS, BSPB, ICO, CZIP, CSO, SOVON, MES, PTICE, SOR

Task 1 .2 Project coordination and monitoring

We will organize one kick-off meeting and two regular meetings every year. All these meetings will be attended by the CC members and will take place mostly using video conferencing facilities. However, four of these meetings (those taking place in autumn 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026) will be face-to-face ones taking profit of regular annual EBP meetings (and, therefore, no travel and subsistence costs have been allocated). Given the central role of the EBP in the project, the PM will work in close collaboration with the EBPPC to ensure the efficient coordination and accomplishment of all project actions.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants BPSSS, BSPB, ICO, CZIP, CSO, SOVON, MES, PTICE, SOR

Task 1 .3 Administrative and financial management

The AT will take care of the administrative and financial duties and will give support to the other beneficiaries. The AT will also lead the preparation of the necessary financial statements (cf. T.1.4), which will be presented and checked during the different coordination meetings.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants BPSSS, BSPB, ICO, CZIP, CSO, SOVON, MES, PTICE, SOR

Task 1 .4 Reporting

The PM will be continuously informing on the progress of the different Work Packages reporting the relevant items (e.g. deliverables, milestones, etc) in accordance with the due dates established for each item in the proposal. Moreover an additional prefinancing report (including the corresponding technical and financial part) will be submitted on February 2025. At the end of the project the final periodic report will be submitted.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants BPSSS, BSPB, ICO, CZIP, CSO, SOVON, MES, PTICE, SOR

Task 1 .5 Communication Plan

The project's Communication Plan will be designed to multiply the impact of the project among the different end-users, identifying the informative needs of each target audience and defining the channels and the most adequate means to reach them. The Plan will also ensure that the regional communication campaign specifically undertaken during Work Package 5 is well harmonized with the rest of the communication tasks. Table T.1.1 lists the main dissemination activities foreseen with their target audience and scope.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, CSO

Task 1 .6 LIFE website

A specific LIFE website will be created to describe the project, its objectives, actions, progress, news, networking and results. This website will be linked to the EBP viewer, updated regularly and maintained at least 5 years after the finalization of the project. The structure of the website will follow the structure of the project. Given the popularity of the EBP viewer, it's blog section will also be used to further amplify the news posted in the project website.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, CSO

Task 1 .7 Networking

We will build a sound network of relevant contacts in order to make sure the project is properly linked to existing projects with similar or complementary objectives and also to ensure that its development and outcomes are linked to synergies found with other LIFE and non-LIFE initiatives. The collaboration with the EUROPABON H2020 project, which focuses on the integration of biodiversity information and where the EBCC is also involved, will be essential to develop Work Packages 10. The project will also approach the Biodiversa+ network and explore potential synergies and collaboration with other key initiatives that integrate biodiversity data related to birds (e.g. EURING and MOVEBANK).

Task Leader CREAF

Participants ICO, CSO, SOVON



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1LIFE website31/07/2023
2Compilation of communication and dissemination materials31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
1LIFE website launchedThe LIFE project dedicated website is launched.31/07/2023

News

DateNew
2023-07-27The LIFE EBP Reinforcement website is readyRead more
2023-07-17A grant to further improve the capabilities of the EBP projectRead more
2023-07-17A grant to further improve the capabilities of the EBP projectRead more
2023-12-29The 20th EBP meeting brings together 49 people from 21 different countries in Brno (Czech Republic)Read more

2 Capacity building

Lead beneficiary CSO

Objectives
1 To train all the key local organisations operating in the seven target countries (Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Moldova) in the development and running of portals and International Census Plots.

Results
  • The Best practice guide for online bird portals is updated and adapted taking into account the specific targets of the project.
  • Training is provided to seven local ornithological organisations (i.e. the organization of reference in each of the seven target countries).


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 2 .1 Best Practice Guide

This Work Package will be directed to provide capacity building to the local ornithological organizations of the countries from SE Europe that not yet have local online bird portals nor well established bird monitoring schemes (i.e. Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Moldova). The first task will consist in updating and adapting the Best practice guide for online bird portals produced during the LIFE EBP project in 2019 taking into account the specific targets of this project. The guide will cover best practices and the benefits of collecting more structured data, particularly complete lists and will be translated to the seven languages more widely used in the region (i.e. Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Romanian and Serbian). The guide will help the local organizers to run the local online portals and support their communication with the observers and contributors of the portals. The task leader, with the collaboration of ICO, will update the guide in English and will coordinate its translation by the beneficiaries and subcontractors into the main local languages. The English version of the guide will be used to support the training workshop (Task 2.2) while the subsequent translations will, essentially, be used by the local organizations once the different local portals are put in place (Work Package 3).

Task Leader CSO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 2 .2 Training workshop

The workshop will be directed to the local ornithological organizations from the target countries and will aim at training the participants in methods of collecting portal data, standard bird monitoring, recruitment/maintenance of fieldworkers/data contributors, data management and data quality control. Further, the workshop will provide an overview of policy relevance of portal and monitoring data in order to further convince the participants of their vital role. The workshop will be a 4-day in person event (3 in office and 1 in the field) and the main subjects that will be covered are: overview on online portals (characteristics, pros/cons of different systems, capabilities/functioning), implementing and organizing standard bird monitoring and online bird portals, International Census Plots methodology, the relevance of complete lists, overall mobilization and involvement of participants, combining online bird portals and standard monitoring to boost participation and long-term engagement, data collection, conservation/policy relevance of monitoring, data checking and handling and management (including recommendations/best practices on how to make use of all available data sources). The workshop will also count with the participation of organizations from neighbouring countries with experience in successfully developing portal/monitoring in the region (e.g. the EBP/PECBMS partners from Romania (SOR)).

Task Leader CSO

Participants BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 2 .3 Sustainability workshop

Ensuring the post-LIFE sustainability of both the local online portals (Work Package 3) and the standard bird monitoring scheme (ICP plots; Work Package 4) put in place in the target countries of this Work Package during the course of this project is a key issue as both structures need to be run on the long term in order to fulfil their important objectives. Taking this into account, this tasks will be directed to organise a workshop focussed specifically on sustainability and fundraising. The workshop, in this case in online format, will be directed to the same target of people and organizations than the previous one (Task 2.2) and last 3 days. One of the main objectives of the workshop is to share successful experiences with fundraising and the sustainability of portals/bird monitoring and to highlight the importance of optimizing the long-term running costs. The main subjects that will be covered are: overview of funding options, good practices/successful examples from neighbouring countries (regional context), preparing a local funding project. This workshop will also count with the participation of organizations from neighbouring countries with experience in successfully developing portal/monitoring in the region (e.g. the EBP/PECBMS partners from Romania (SOR)) and authorities/agencies with a direct interest with the future applied outputs of the data collected.

Task Leader CSO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Best Practice Guide31/12/2024
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
2Training workshopThe workshop is organised and all the relevant organizations participate.30/11/2023
3Sustainability workshop completedThe workshop is organised and all the relevant organizations participate.31/03/2026

News

DateNew
2023-12-11Training workshop on International Census Plots (ICP) and on-line portalsRead more
2023-12-29The 20th EBP meeting brings together 49 people from 21 different countries in Brno (Czech Republic)Read more

3 Setting up and run new online portals

Lead beneficiary ICO

Objectives
1 Implementing local online bird portals in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

Results
  • Seven local online bird portals are implemented and in operation (one in each of the seven target countries).


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 3 .1 Portal selection

This Work Package is directed to setting up and run new online portals in each of the seven countries from SE Europe that not yet have one in operation (i.e. Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Moldova). The first task will consist in selecting the online bird portal systems to be locally implemented according to the local needs. To optimize resources and boost synergies with neighbouring countries, rather than supporting the development of entirely new online bird portals, the use of already existing online bird portals will be favoured, particularly those that can collect complete lists and that are already operating in neighbouring countries and connected to the EBP data flow. Moreover, it will be important to select systems that can also adequately collect more structured standard monitoring data and, specifically, the data from ICP (see Work Package 4). This would further optimize resources (since a single tool could cover online portals and standard monitoring data collecting needs), reduce the long-term running costs and, thus, the long-term sustainability of bird monitoring and data collection. The task leader, with the collaboration of CSO (leaders of Work Package 4), will guide and support the task of the beneficiaries and other local ornithological organizations to figure out their specific needs and to evaluate the different available options. It is expected that the improvement in local capacities and know-how attained thanks to the Task 2.2 workshop will facilitate this process.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, CZIP, CSO, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 3 .2 Technical implementation of portals

This task will consist in undertaking the necessary technical work to implement the selected online portals (and associated mobile apps) in each country (Task 3.1) and to undertake the necessary local adaptations (e.g. translations, cartography, etc). This specific task will have to be finished at the end of 2024 to ensure that the portals are ready to collect data during the Regional dynamization campaign (WP 5). The implementation of the portal in Moldova will be undertaken by SOR and in the rest of countries through subcontracting.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, CZIP, CSO, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 3 .3 Documenting functionalities

This task will consist in documenting the different portal functionalities, particularly those related to data entry options, in the relevant area of the corresponding online portal. This documentation will take the form of a pdf, a video and/or a static web page according to the specific needs. Such documentation is vital to facilitate the use of the portal and the collection of more structured data.

Task Leader ICO

Participants BPSSS, CZIP, CSO, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 3 .4 Portal data checking procedures

This task will be used to set up the data checking procedures that are necessary to adequately handle the detection and subsequent correction of observational errors or data entry mistakes. This task requires engaging the local communities of observers and more formal organism, such as local Rarities Committees, to set up and maintain a good team of data reviewers but also setting up automatic filters (e.g. geographical, phenological, quantitative) or conducting regular data checking routines using the available tools of each portal.

Task Leader ICO

Participants BPSSS, CZIP, CSO, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 3 .5 Boosting participation

Having a good local online portal does not guarantee collecting enough data, neither in quantitative nor qualitative terms. To attain this, once the portals are fully operational, it is essential, particularly during the first years of operation, to promote its use, particularly by creating a strong community of birdwatchers around the portal and keeping it regularly informed with as much feedback as possible about the data collected. To start this process, this task will involve organizing a launching event in each country to try to reach as much people as possible. It will also be necessary to actively contact and inform specific individual birdwatchers or local groups whose participation is considered to be particularly relevant to further engage participation. These new online bird portals have the potential to become some of the main sources of biodiversity data in the respective countries. Therefore, it will also be necessary to get in contact with the relevant Commission services and the local stakeholders (public administration, natural parks, birdwatching agencies, etc) to also engage them in the use and promotion of the new local online portals.

Task Leader ICO

Participants BPSSS, CZIP, CSO, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1New portals report31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
4Portals implementedThe new local online bird portals in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Moldova are in operation.31/01/2025
5Local launching events heldA launching event takes place for each new local online bird portal implemented in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Moldova.31/03/2025

News

Current action has no news

4 Setting up and running International Census Plots (ICP)

Lead beneficiary CSO

Objectives
1 Increasing the network of ICP in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia and, therefore, the collection of standard bird monitoring data in SE Europe.

Results
  • The ICP scheme counts with a network of at least 70 plots in the target area.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 4 .1 Survey design

This Work Package will be directed to establish and boost the participation in the International Census Plots network (part of the PECBMS scheme) in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Moldova. The first task will involve defining the survey design. In Serbia and Moldova some pilot work was developed in 2021 and 2022 respectively and, therefore, there is already some experience with the project specific methodology and the collection of data, but in all other five countries (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo) it will be required to set up the monitoring scheme from zero. The number and a way of selection of sampling plots will be determined during the first year of operation (2024) according to the potential number of volunteers available and the size and other characteristics of the country. Stratified random selection of the plots will be applied whenever feasible. Field method suitable for the census will be discussed in details with the local organisations as well as details of field recordings (date & time, distance belts, types of behaviour of birds detected etc).

Task Leader CSO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, subcontractors

Task 4 .2 Recruitment of participants

The national coordinators of the surveys will recruit the survey participants. They will select those with appropriate bird identification skills and will train them in the methods and data entry. The coordinators will allocate the survey plots to the participants and will make sure the fieldwork is done according to the methodology. Feedback will be provided to the participants after the survey is done, new participants will be searched for after the first year of the survey (2024) too. The new and existing participants will be engaged in surveys in following years (2025, 2026).

Task Leader CSO

Participants BPSSS, CZIP, MES, PTICE, subcontractors

Task 4 .3 Field surveys

The coordinators in cooperating priority countries will guide the fieldworkers in familiarising with their sampling plots, will provide instructions for the field data entry incl. limitations (day time, date, weather conditions etc). The observers will perform the fieldwork exactly according to the methodology and will enter the data according to the instructions. Fieldwork will take place in Spring 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Task Leader CSO

Participants BPSSS, CZIP, MES, PTICE, subcontractors

Task 4 .4 ICP data checking

This task will be used to set up the data checking procedures that are necessary to adequately handle the detection and subsequent correction of observational errors or data entry mistakes. This task requires engaging the observers but also setting up automatic filters (e.g. geographical, phenological, quantitative) or conducting regular data checking routines. The task will be done after each year's data collection field season (2024 to 2026).

Task Leader CSO

Participants BPSSS, CZIP, MES, PTICE, subcontractors



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1ICP report31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
6ICP set up in all target countriesAt least some ICP are established in each of the seven target countries (i.e. surveys are designed and data has been collected).31/12/2024

News

DateNew
2023-10-19International Census Plots: a tool to fill the geographical gaps in bird monitoring in EuropeRead more
2024-08-22Setting up the ICP scheme in Bosnia and HerzegovinaRead more

5 Regional dynamization campaign

Lead beneficiary CSO

Objectives
1 Boosting participation and data collection, particularly more structured data (i.e. complete lists), in SE Europe.

Results
  • The number of participants, the overall amount of data and the overall amount of data collected using more structured protocols (e.g. complete lists, specific protocols) by the EBP in SE Europe increases by 40%, 30% and 20% respectively since 2022.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 5 .1 Campaign workshop

The objective of this Work Package is to undertake a regional dynamization campaign directed at boosting overall data collection across the SE of Europe by promoting participation in online bird portals and the collection of more structured data (i.e. complete lists). By increasing overall participation and the habitude to use more structured data-collection protocols in the region, we expect to progressively increase also the number of people engaged in standard bird monitoring. The target countries of this campaign are: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The campaign will be centred in the organization of data collection challenges but will also involve the necessary communication work and the organization of some training courses for volunteers. The first task of this Work Package will be directed to establish the final design of this regional campaign in a 2-days long online workshop specifically organized for this purpose during autumn 2024 with the involvement of all the relevant local organizations. This workshop will ensure that the main components of the campaign (Tasks 5.2 to 5.4) are adequately fine-tuned to the local needs without losing the necessary regional scope.

Task Leader CSO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 5 .2 Data collection challenges

This task will be focussed to the design and organization of data collection challenges aimed at boosting data submission and overall participation in the local online bird portals and to increase the overall interest in the portals. The challenges will be of similar nature to the so-called birdwatching Big days, where participants are asked to detected as many bird species as possible in a single day, but in this case, and in order to promote the collection of data of more quality, all observations will have to be collected using complete lists and submitted to the corresponding local portal. The first data collection challenge will take place in January 2025 and, then, a new edition will take place each season until summer 2026. All in all, 91 data collection challenges will be organized (7 in each of the 13 target countries). The spring and summer editions of the challenges will also be used to encourage the collection of breeding bird evidences (a vital piece of information for the elaboration of the demonstrative output of Work Package 10). To boost interest (and participation) across countries, the data collection-challenges will take place during the same weekend in all 13 countries and a simple but attractive website will be developed to provide feedback on results, rankings and the main phenological patterns derived from the data stored in near-real time in the central EBP databank. CSO will coordinate the task with the support from ICO (creation of the data collection challenge website) meanwhile the local beneficiaries and subcontractors will be leading the local implementation of the data collection challenges in each target country.

Task Leader CSO

Participants BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 5 .3 Training courses

To support the data collection challenges, short, very specific, training courses will be organized in order to 1) further engage new people into birdwatching and data collection and 2) to introduce and train already existing volunteers on the different data collection tools available. The courses will have a duration of up to 15 hours and will take place on-site or in online format (to reach as many people as possible or to cover less populated areas) The main aim of the courses directed to engage new people is to introduce the participants to the most common bird species in the area and to encourage them to share their observations using the corresponding online portals. Rather than organizing a complex bird identification course, the target here is to teach the participants how to identify the 20-30 most common bird species in the area and how to submit their first observations (hence boosting long-term engagement). The courses directed to already existing volunteers will focus on training them to use the different data collection tools of the corresponding portal/app and to get acquainted of the relevance of collecting complete lists and the value of standard bird monitoring. A total of 25 different courses will be organized in the target region (cf. T.5.1) according to the needs and specificities of each country. The workshop in Task 5.1 will be used to determine the final list and typology of courses that will be finally conducted during the project in each country

Task Leader CSO

Participants BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors

Task 5 .4 Regional communication campaign

A regional communication campaign will be designed and developed to inform and promote among the general public and the ornithological communities the different data collection challenges and training courses that will be conducted in this Work Package. The primary communication tool used during the campaign will be the social media (Twitter, Instagram, blogs, etc) and the own portals news section. The data collection challenge website (Task 5.2) will provide support to the campaign by showing the main results in near real time. This tool will be particularly useful to get information about overall participation and of any interesting phenological and distributional patterns of the data collected. Giving such feedback to the observers will further promote participation and data collection. CSO will coordinate the communication campaign and provide topics of regional interest to be used by each local partner but, otherwise, each local partner will be conducting its own communication activities according to the needs and specificities of each country.

Task Leader CSO

Participants CREAF, BPSSS, ICO, CZIP, MES, PTICE, SOR, subcontractors



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Campaign report31/07/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
7Campaign designedThe workshop defines the final design of the regional dynamization campaign.31/10/2024
8Data collection challenge website launchedThe data collection challenge website is launched. 31/12/2024

News

DateNew
2024-09-26The Regional Dynamization Campaign (RDC) on-line workshop is approachingRead more
2024-12-10The 21st EBP meeting and a LIFE EBP Reinforcement workshop bring together 36 participants from 18 countries in Podgorica, MontenegroRead more
2025-01-31SEE lists: showcasing the value of collecting complete lists in SE EuropeRead more
2025-03-05First data collection challenge for complete lists in SE EuropeRead more

6 Promoting the collection of complete lists

Lead beneficiary ICO

Objectives
1 Boosting the collection of complete lists in Finland, Ireland, Lithuania and Malta.

Results
  • The overall amount of data collected using more structured protocols (e.g. complete lists, specific protocols) by the online portals operating in the target countries increases by 20% since 2022.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 6 .1 Country-specific actions

This task will be directed to undertake some very specific actions that aim at improving the collection of more structured data in the following countries that are already within the EBP partnership but with a deficit of more structured data (i.e. complete lists): Finland, Ireland, Lithuania and Malta. In the case of Malta the efforts will be directed to adapt the local portal to the collection of complete lists. In Finland, the support will be directed to improve the front-page of the local portal in order to feature and highlight outputs based on complete lists (e.g. phenological graphs, ranking, etc) that are known to boost the collection of such data. In Ireland and Lithuania, the support will be directed to implement a data collection campaign specifically directed to boost the submission of more structured data (e.g. complete lists) to the local portals.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, subcontractors



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Country-specific actions report31/12/2024
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
9Malta listsMalta portal adapted to collect lists. 31/12/2024
10Finish portal improvedFinish portal front-page highlight outputs based on complete lists.31/12/2024
11Ireland and Lithuania data collection campaigns organizedData collection campaigns directed to boost the submission of complete lists are organized in Ireland and Lithuania.31/12/2024

News

Current action has no news

7 Increase the strength and capacity of the existing EBP automatic dataflow system and central databank

Lead beneficiary ICO

Objectives
1 Increase the strength and capacity of the EBP central databank and the existing EBP automatic dataflow system.
2 Implementing the automated connectivity to the EBP central databank of the portals operating in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Romania (Ornitodata) and Slovenia.

Results
  • The structure of the central EBP database is improved and the capacity of the cloud services are duplicated.
  • The portals operating in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Romania (Ornitodata) and Slovenia are automatically connected to the EBP central databank.
  • A new data checking tool is implemented in the central EBP database.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 7 .1 Reinforce data infrastructure

To properly handle the expected increase in the volume of data (c. 100% increase), the strength and capacity of the existing automatic dataflow system and central databank will be progressively increased. This will involve optimizing the base code and the formal structure of the database and increasing the capacities of the cloud services used to deal with the data flow and data storage.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, subcontractors

Task 7 .2 New portal connectivity

The capacity of the automated data flow system will be further increased by adding to the flow the six online portals that are not yet automatically connected to the EBP central databank. Specifically, the portals operating in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Romania (Ornitodata) and Slovenia. For each portal, the work will be subdivided in two main subtasks. One will be directed to incorporate all the old data already collected by the portals (i.e. the data from 2010 to 2023/2024) into the central EBP databank using the bulk mode of the EBP data flow system. The second one will be used to implement the daily automatic data flow (i.e. the one used to incorporate the new data and to deal with the changes affecting data already added to the central databank). This specific task will have to be finished at the end of 2024 to ensure that the data is ready to be used in Work Packages 10-11.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, BSPB, SOR, subcontractors

Task 7 .3 Data checking tool

Given the increase of data and, particularly, in the number of species involved, a new data checking tool will be implemented to help flag potential errors in the central EBP database and to support also the data checking capacities of the local partners. To prepare the tool, first we will build up a reference base table using all data available in the repository to identify the areas and periods of time where the presence of a given species record should trigger a warning flag. The tool, then, will be designed in order to use this reference table to highlight the flagged data in an internal section of the EBP website that will be used to support the data checking capacities of the EBP coordination team and the local partners. The tool will work at a species/week/country level resolution.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1List of new portals connected31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
12Portal connectivity completedThe portals operating in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Romania (Ornitodata) and Slovenia are connected to the EBP dataflow.28/02/2025
13Data checking tool finishedThe data checking tool has been finished and is fully operational.31/12/2025

News

Current action has no news

8 Adding all the species recorded in Europe to the EBP data flow and properly identifying the data collected using specific protocols

Lead beneficiary ICO

Objectives
1 Adding all the species recorded in Europe to the EBP data flow making full use of the EBP data standard to properly identify and characterize the data collected using specific or more standardized protocols.
2 Creating a data handling protocol to ensure the correct visualization of sensitive species in the EBP viewer.

Results
  • The data of all bird species collected by 21 different online bird portals is added to the EBP data flow making full use of the EBP data standard.
  • A data handling protocol for the visualization of sensitive species is created.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 8 .1 Preparatory workshop

This WP is directed to complete the EBP data flow by means of adding all the species recorded in Europe and by properly identifying and characterizing all data submitted using particular protocols (e.g. standard monitoring projects, nocmig, project specific field protocols, etc). All in all, this action will require the involvement of all the online bird portals that already submit data to the EBP plus those that will start to do so during this project (cf. Task T.7.2). Therefore, to facilitate and support the work of the partners, the first task in this WP will consists in preparing a set of detailed instructions and organize a dedicated workshop in autumn 2023 (this workshop will be included in one of the regular annual EBP meetings and, therefore, no travel and subsistence costs have been allocated). The main objective of this workshop will be to review the instructions and give practical examples regarding how to use the protocols table and to solve eventual issues related to the mapping of the species taxonomies.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, subcontractors

Task 8 .2 Protocol on sensitive species

This task will be directed to create a data handling protocol for sensitive species that ensures the correct visualization of the data in the EBP viewer. It is very important to have such a protocol in place to ensure the confidence of all partners when submitting the data of all species to the central EBP databank. The protocol will have to take into account the necessary regional particularities and the season as the conservation sensitivity of the different species varies accordingly but also taking into account that the resolution of the EBP viewer maps is rather coarse (week and 30x30 km square). To design the protocol, a dedicated workshop involving all the EBP partnership will be organized in autumn 2024. The main objective of this workshop will be to determine the most important factors that will have to be taken into account when designing the protocol (e.g. geography, season, external pressures (e.g. hunting), etc). To do so it will be essential to take into account the know-how and the extensive experience gained by the different online portals and partners dealing with this subject at the regional or country level and then evaluating which could be the best ways to scale up the approach at the EBP level and its coarser resolution. Importantly, the protocol will have to be designed ensuring the integrity of the central EBP database at all times as this dataset needs to be 100% complete and comprehensive in order to adequately used in applied and policy-related topics (e.g. any gaps due to the absence of data of sensitive species could affect any subsequent analyses of the data).

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, CSO, subcontractors

Task 8 .3 Mapping species taxonomy

To add all the species to the EBP automated data flow each online portal will have to map its own taxonomy to the one followed by the EBP (i.e. the HBW-BirdLife Checklist 11, the same one used by the EU)). To do so, the local partners will have been trained thanks to the preparatory workshop (Task T.8.1) and will count with the support of the task leader and the necessary technical instructions (Task T.8.1). After main task is finished, new species or taxonomical changes will have to be dealt during the rest of the project.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, BSPB, CSO, SOVON, SOR, subcontractors

Task 8 .4 Identifying protocols

This task will be directed to make full use of the protocols table of the EBP data sharing standard to properly identify and characterize all data submitted using protocols (e.g. standard monitoring projects, nocmig, project specific field protocols, etc) by each online portal. To do so, the local partners will have been trained thanks to the preparatory workshop (Task T.8.1) and will count with the support of the task leader and the necessary technical instructions (Task T.8.1). After main task is finished, new protocols will have to be dealt during the rest of the project.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, BSPB, CSO, SOVON, SOR, subcontractors

Task 8 .5 Adding the data

Once all the species are correctly mapped and the data assigned to the relevant protocol as necessary (Tasks 8.3 and 8.4), the data of all the new species will have to be added to the daily data flow routine and the dataset of each portal already stored in the central databank will have to be updated accordingly (i.e. back to January 2010). For a few online portals the data will be directly retrieved by the central EBP databank using the local system own API services and, therefore, in all these cases the above described tasks will be directly conducted by ICO and CREAF teams. In all other cases, the personnel from the different local online portals will have to be involved. The data flow routine of each portal will have to be maintained during the rest of the project.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, BSPB, CSO, SOVON, SOR, subcontractors



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1List of protocols31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
14Sensitive species protocol approvedThe protocol on sensitive species is approved by the EBP partnership.28/02/2025
15All portals already submit data from all speciesAll EBP online portals are submitting data from all the species recorded in Europe and properly identifying and characterizing all data collected using protocols.28/02/2025

News

DateNew
2024-02-09The EBP viewer will not be updated for some time due to major ongoing changes in the systemRead more
2024-09-13The EBP viewer maps may be showing some important gaps meanwhile the ongoing re-connectivity has not been completedRead more
2024-09-16The task of adding all species and protocols to the new EBP data flow is progressing wellRead more

9 Re-design of the EBP viewer

Lead beneficiary ICO

Objectives
1 Updating the EBP viewer to be able to show the majority of the species regularly occurring in Europe.

Results
  • The EBP viewer depicts at least the majority of the species regularly occurring in Europe taking into account the data visualization protocol established in Task T.8.2.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 9 .1 Viewer workshop

This task will be directed to adapt and re-design the EBP viewer to show a much higher number of species than it is currently depicting. The re-design will aim at keeping unchanged the overall dimension of the viewer infrastructure (to ensure its long-term sustainability) while, at the same time, depicting most of the species regularly occurring in Europe or, at least, all those that show some kind of seasonal change in distribution. To figure out how to attain this objective, while at the same time maximizing the attractiveness and dissemination potential of the viewer, a dedicated workshop involving all EBP partners will be organized in autumn 2024 (this workshop will be included in one of the regular annual EBP meetings and, therefore, no travel and subsistence have been allocated). Moreover, it will also be necessary to take fully into account the data handling protocol for sensitive species created in Tasks 8.2. The main aim of this workshop, therefore, is to establish the main guidelines for the re-design of the EBP viewer taking all these factors into consideration.

Task Leader ICO

Participants

Task 9 .2 Viewer technical adaptation

This task will consist in adapting the technical infrastructure of the EBP viewer following the guidelines established in Task 9.1. For the new species it will be necessary to acquire the corresponding illustrations.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CREAF, subcontractors

Task 9 .3 User's video-guide

To promote and facilitate the use of the new version of the EBP viewer, this task will be directed at producing a new version of the current user's quick video-guide.

Task Leader ICO

Participants

Task 9 .4 Interpreting guide

This task will be directed to produce a new version of the current interpreting guide Interpreting the EBP viewer maps and graphs and, hence, ensure that the users of the new version of the EBP viewer adequately interpret the material shown in the tool.

Task Leader ICO

Participants

Task 9 .5 Viewer launch

This task will consist in a media communication event directed to promote the new version of the EBP viewer. The objective is to reach as much generic public as possible as well as the ornithological community the relevant country authorities/agencies and the various Commission services. The primary tool used will be social media (Twitter, Instagram, blogs, etc) for connecting with the ornithological community, press release for the general public and direct contacts with the relevant country authorities and the various Commission services. The press release will be prepared by the task leader and CSO but the EBP partners themselves will be encouraged to diffuse it as they certainly have better connection with local media.

Task Leader ICO

Participants CSO



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1User's video-guide31/12/2025
2Interpreting guide31/12/2025
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
16New EBP viewer launchedThe new version of the EBP viewer is launched.31/03/2026

News

Current action has no news

10 Demonstrative output 1: Producing updated breeding distribution maps for the species included in the Farmland Bird Index (FBI)

Lead beneficiary CREAF

Objectives
1 Demonstrate the capabilities of the European bird monitoring network to update regularly maps of breeding distributions of farmland birds by using data from EBP and PECBMS projects.

Results
  • Updated maps of observed distribution (50x50 km resolution), probability of occurrence (10x10 km resolution) and change are produced for the Turtle Dove and the 38 other bird species included in the FBI using data collected during 2018-2025.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 10 .1 Coordination and stakeholders involvement

The involvement of different stakeholders is critical to ensure the success of this Work Package. To ensure a sustainable flow of the data and its adequate validation at the national level by the local organizations, a data agreement with and amongst EBP partners will have to be designed and agreed. Communication with the EBP partners will be necessary also at least once a year in order to ensure that the different local online portals keep promoting the collection of data of core interest for the production of the maps of breeding birds (i.e. breeding evidences and the complete lists). Moreover, to ensure that the delivered products (maps) are consistent with the knowledge at the national scale, trials of the demonstrative outputs (species maps) will be circulated among the national and European coordinators of breeding bird atlases. Finally, to ensure that the outputs are useful for EU policy we will engage with the EUROPABON stakeholder network.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants ICO

Task 10 .2 Database generation

The EUROPABON project is currently developing a database and a protocol to incorporate PECBMS site-level data into a platform that will generate updated maps for a selected number of breeding bird species for the period 2018-2022. In this task, we will further develop this tool by implementing a specific platform (the EBBA Live data platform) capable of integrating in a single database all the necessary 50x50 km and 10x10 km data as similarly done for the 2nd European atlas (EBBA2). Once this platform is finished, we will add the EBP data, the PECBMS site-level data that could not be integrated in the EUROPABON project (data from 2023 onwards) and the data from the ICP (cf. Work Package 4; other datasets could be potentially incorporated to fill in gaps). Data quality will be ensured by developing automatic data checking protocols and by involving the network of national and European atlas coordinators in additional data checking.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants CSO

Task 10 .3 Modelling workshop

This workshop will be dedicated to discuss and agree on the modelling structures and tools that will be used to model bird distribution in both Work Packages 10 and 11. To optimize resources while at the same time getting the best results, the modelling approach will build upon previous work developed by the EBCC. Therefore, the models of probability of occurrence for the breeding season will be developed following the approach used by EBBA2 and updated in the framework of the EUROPABON project while the models for the migration period (Work Package 11) will build upon the experience gained by the EBP in the framework of the surveillance of Avian Influenza in Europe. To do so it will be crucial to involve in this task members of the Spatial Modelling Group of the EBCC (SMOG). In addition, the use of updated spatial predictors will be discussed based on previous experience and literature.

Task Leader SOVON

Participants CREAF, subcontractors

Task 10 .4 Mapping

The chosen modelling framework (see Task T.10.3) will be developed and used to create maps for the Turtle Dove and, at least, the 38 other bird species included in the FBI. Other four additional species will be added after discussions with the Commission and taking into account its policy priorities. This will provide useful information in the framework of the targets of the EU Nature Restoration Law, in which the restoration of the population of these species is expected to be targeted. European Single Species Action Plan for the Turtle Dove will also benefit from the outputs. The objective is to produce maps that will cover all EU countries plus the rest of Western, Central and Southern Europe. However, the final effective geographic coverage of the different maps will not be known until all the analyses and validations are finalised. We will generate 50x50 km distribution maps, 10x10 km maps with probability of occurrence and maps of change in the distribution of breeding birds with respect to EBBA2 period (2013-2017).

Task Leader CREAF

Participants SOVON

Task 10 .5 Validation and quality assessment

The quality of the species maps will be analysed and interpreted taking into account the validation statistics and expert criteria. As a result, the quality of maps will be scored and some could be removed from the final dataset. Gaps of information (including field data, data flow and data analyses) and potential steps for further improvement will also be determined. Moreover, special attention will be paid to change maps, as they could help tracking progress of the EU Nature Restoration Law.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Data agreement31/01/2025
2Demonstrative output 1 (sensible)31/12/2026
3Demonstrative output 1 (public)31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
17EBBA Live data platform finishedThe EBBA Live data platform is completed.31/01/2025
18Modelling workshopWorkshop is done and modelling approach agreed.31/01/2025
19Data integration completedAll the necessary EBP, PECBMS and ICP data is integrated in the EBBA Live data platform.31/12/2025

News

Current action has no news

11 Demonstrative output 2: Pilot assessment of the use of Natura 2000 network by terrestrial migratory species outside the breeding season

Lead beneficiary SOVON

Objectives
1 Assessing the overall adequacy of the Natura 2000 network for the protection of terrestrial migratory bird species outside the breeding season.

Results
  • A pilot assessment of the relative use of the areas within and outside the Natura 2000 network by a set of migratory species outside the breeding season.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 11 .1 Natura 2000 assessment

We will use the EBP data collected between 2015 and 2024 to produce a pilot assessment of the overall adequacy of the Natura 2000 network for the conservation of terrestrial migratory species during the non-breeding season. As the number of terrestrial migratory bird species is very large and taking all them into account for this pilot assessment would go beyond the scope and possibilities of the current project, the first task will be directed to select the target group of species that will be used to develop this pilot. This will be done taking into account the available data and its effective geographical or habitat-related coverage. Then we will use the approach selected in Task T.10.3 to produce spatio-temporal models of bird distribution throughout the non-breeding season. Then the relative use of the areas within and outside the Natura 2000 network will be estimated. The results will be expressed in maps, graphs and figures. To ensure that the outputs are useful for EU policy we will engage with the relevant stakeholders, specially Commission services and member state country authorities (e.g. via linkages with Biodiversa+ partnership).

Task Leader SOVON

Participants CREAF, ICO


DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Demonstrative output 231/12/2026
Milestones None

News

Current action has no news

12 Monitoring and evaluation

Lead beneficiary CREAF

Objectives
1 To monitor the progress and results of the project activities as well as to assess their impact.

Results
  • An efficient monitoring of the project progress and impact that further ensures that all project actions are correctly undertaken.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 12 .1 Monitoring and evaluation

This tasks will consist in compiling the necessary information to estimate the quantitative and qualitative indicators listed in Table T.13.1 and to set the level of accomplishment of the project expected results and impact defined in section 2.1 (page 7-8) and the final repercussion of the communication and dissemination activities. The action will be led by the PM, who will work in close cooperation with the EBPPC and with some support of the rest of beneficiaries. The project success and progress will be regularly evaluated at CC meetings (Work Package 1). A specific report consolidating all the information about the indicators will be delivered at the end of the project.

Indicator Objective Type (units) Monitoring methodology
Online bird portals in operation. Evaluation of the geographical coverage of the EBP in SE Europe (namely, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia). Qualitative (portals url's). List with the links to the local online bird portals.
Change in the number of persons submitting data to the EBP partner's online portals. Evaluating changes in participation in the online bird portals. Quantitative (% change). The number of persons submitting data to EBP partner's online portals in SE Europe and globally in 2022 will be compared with the figures obtained in 2026.
Change in the number of bird records submitted to the EBP partner's online portals. Evaluating changes in the amount of data submitted to the online bird portals. Quantitative (% change). The amount of data submitted to EBP partner's online portals in SE Europe and globally in 2022 will be compared with the figures obtained in 2026.
Change in the number of records submitted to the EBP partner's online portals associated to complete lists or more structured protocols. Evaluating changes in the quality of the data submitted to the online bird portals. Quantitative (% change). The number of records associated to complete lists and more structured protocols submitted to the EBP partner's online bird portals in SE Europe and globally in 2022 will be compared with the figures obtained in 2026.
Number of International Census Plot (ICP) in operation. Evaluating changes in the amount of standardized bird monitoring data collected in SE Europe. Quantitative (number of ICP). Total number of ICP operating in the target area (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) by the end of 2026.
Change in the number of species submitted to the EBP central databank. Evaluating the taxonomic coverage of the EBP project. Quantitative (absolute change). Statistical summary of the data collected in the EBP central databank.
List of species submitted. Evaluating the taxonomic coverage of the EBP project. Qualitative/quantitative (list of species with number of associated records). Statistical summary of the data collected in the EBP central databank (table with portal name, species name and the total number of associated records).
Change in the number of records stored in the EBP central databank with an associated protocol in the protocols table. Evaluating the structural quality of the data stored by the EBP project. Quantitative (% change). The number of records stored in the EBP central databank with an associated protocol in the protocols table in 2022 will be compared with the figures obtained in 2026.
List of protocols used. Evaluating the structural quality of the data stored by the EBP project. Qualitative/quantitative (list of protocols with number of associated records). Statistical summary of the data collected in the EBP central databank (table with portal name, protocol id, name and type, and the total number of associated records).
Species depicted in the EBP viewer. Evaluating the content of the EBP viewer. Qualitative (species links). List with the links to the species maps in the EBP viewer.
Sensitive species protocol. Evaluating the content of the EBP viewer. Qualitative (document). Sensitive species protocol documentation (deliverable D8.1).
Report about the demonstrative output. Evaluating the content of the demonstrative output number 1. Qualitative (document)/Quantitative (list of maps by species). Report (deliverable D10.2).
Report about the demonstrative output. Evaluating the content of the demonstrative output number 2. Qualitative (document). Report (deliverable D11.1).
Awareness raising (overall impact). Communication and dissemination. Quantitative (number of entities/individuals made aware). List of entities/individuals reached: list of interventions/appearances in media, press releases, number of website visitors, dissemination lists, conference audiences, twitter stats/followers, etc.
Awareness raising (press releases). Communication and dissemination. Quantitative (number of press releases produced). Direct count of material produced
Awareness raising (media interventions). Communication and dissemination. Quantitative (number of interventions produced) Direct count of interventions
LIFE website. Communication and dissemination. Quantitative (number of visitors). Yearly general audience report to evaluate the website audience (number of visits, unique visitors, origin of the audience, pages more visited,... )
Data collection challenge website (Task T.5.2). Communication and dissemination. Quantitative (number of visitors). Yearly general audience report to evaluate the website audience (number of visits, unique visitors, origin of the audience).
Networking. Communication and dissemination. Quantitative (number of projects). Direct count of contacts or collaborations/agreements accomplished/signed.
Table 12.1

Task Leader CREAF

Participants BPSSS, BSPB, ICO, CZIP, CSO, SOVON, MES, PTICE, SOR


DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Indicators final report31/12/2026
Milestones None

News

Current action has no news

13 Sustainability, replication and exploitation of results

Lead beneficiary CREAF

Objectives
1 To ensure that the project is developed maximizing the future sustainability of its impacts and the future exploitation of its results.

Results
  • The project actions maximize the future sustainability of the project impact and the exploitation of its results.
  • Producing a report summarizing the opportunities for new modelling and data application exercises in order to produce policy relevant results and information.


Timetable

Jul-Sep 2023 Oct-Dec 2023 Gen-Mar 2024 Apr-Jun 2024 Jul-Sep 2024 Oct-Dec 2024 Gen-Mar 2025 Apr-Jun 2025 Jul-Sep 2025 Oct-Dec 2025 Gen-Mar 2026 Apr-Jun 2026 Jul-Sep 2026 Oct-Dec 2026


Main tasks to be developed

Task 13 .1 Sustainability

Several project tasks have already been designed to ensure that the project impact is sustained during and after the finalization of the project. For instance, Work Package 2 (Capacity building), and Task T.2.3 in particular (Sustainability workshop), will ensure that the new EBP/ICP local partners in SE Europe have the capacities to carry on into the future all the work started during this project. Moreover, Task T.3.2 (Technical implementation of portals) has already been designed in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the data collection mechanisms. Similarly, the viewer technical adaptation (Task T.9.2) will be done without changing the overall dimension of the infrastructure to ensure its long-term sustainability. This task will be directed to coordinate all these actions and to ensure that the overall project is developed maximizing its future sustainability.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants

Task 13 .2 Workshop on future applications

This task will be directed to explore future perspectives in using the developed modelling tools and the data handling procedures developed in Work Packages 10 and 11 for all kinds of policy relevant questions. The workshop will involve all the relevant stakeholders and the project partners participating in this task. As stakeholders, we will invite EC institutions and aliased research bodies (JRC, ETC, EUROSTAT) and also stakeholders and partners of the EUROPABON project. The result will be a report reflecting on results and advises about opportunities for new modelling and data application exercises in order to produce policy relevant results and information.

Task Leader CREAF

Participants ICO, CSO, SOVON



DeliverablesNameDeadline
1Report on future applications31/12/2026
MilestonesNameDescriptionDeadline
20Workshop on future applications is organizedThe workshop is organised and all the relevant stakeholders participate.30/09/2026

News

Current action has no news

Overview



Find out more about the other two main EBCC projects

Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS)

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2 (EBBA2)

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