FAMOS

Promotion and expansion of Butterfly Monitoring in Germany

Project description

The increasing use of data from butterfly monitoring for research, policy advice and public information shows that this program, which is mainly run by volunteers, is an important component of national biodiversity monitoring. The measures of the FaMos project will strengthen this role and expand the program's potential uses. Professional networking with the National Biodiversity Monitoring Centre (NMZB) and other actors in the field of biodiversity monitoring will be established and substantiated. This includes infrastructure development, project coordination, data evaluation and science communication.

1. Data infrastructure (BioMe-Framework)

In butterfly monitoring, volunteer transect walkers record their data in a central database via an online portal. In addition to the observation numbers, the location of the transects and the habitats covered by the transects are also recorded in this database. Starting in 2024, a TMD platform based on the BioMe framework is used for data collection and management to replace the former TMD portal. BioMe offers a modular, generic framework for data collection and data curation with spatial and temporal scaling that can be adapted to individual requirements. This significantly simplifies the permanent provision and maintenance of software components and infrastructure. BioMe also includes an app for capturing data in the field.

2. Improvement of transect detail information

Currently, a detailed form is filled out for each transect with information on the location of the transect and the habitats there. The habitats are recorded as standardized EUNIS codes. In addition, the protection status and maintenance of the area are noted. However, this data has only been recorded in a standardized form for the last 10 years and there are still a number of transects from the beginning of the project for which this data is not available. For a few data, there is also no detailed (section-by-section) localization. Adding this data will significantly expand the possibilities for data analysis (e.g. analysis of butterfly data in relation to different habitats).

3. Data analysis

Butterflies will play a greater role in the EU's nature conservation legislation in future than they have to date. Based on their population development, the member states are to document the progress they have made in implementing the “Nature Restoration Regulation” recently adopted by the European Parliament. The “butterfy grassland indicator”, which the nature conservation organization Butterfly Conservation Europe recently calculated for the eighth time, will be used for this purpose (Van Swaay et al. 2022). This index, which also incorporates data and expertise from Butterfly Monitoring Germany, shows an urgent need for action, as the situation of grassland species in Europe has deteriorated significantly since 1990. Article 9 of the Nature Restoration Regulation requires member states to reverse the trend of certain biodiversity indicators, including the “index of meadow butterflies”. Butterfly monitoring currently provides the only possible basis for quantifying this indicator at national level.

4. Science communication/public relations