tracking, deciphering, forecasting, and scenarios on the future state of biological variety
The PEPR Dynabiod, a groundbreaking research program, has been launched with an endowment of 45 million euros over eight years. Coordinated by Wilfried Thuiller, the program aims to rebuild the past and future dynamics of French terrestrial biodiversity.
The focus of the PEPR Dynabiod is on plants and invertebrates, which constitute the bulk of terrestrial biodiversity but are often overlooked in research and public debate. The program will deploy the latest technologies on one to two thousand sites in metropolitan France and its overseas territories to track these species, their interactions, and the pressures they face in real-time.
The PEPR Dynabiod is the first research program carried by the Climate, Biodiversity and Sustainable Societies (CBSD) agency, entrusted to the CNRS. The goal is to stop and reverse the decline of biodiversity by providing public authorities with the knowledge and tools needed to build a sustainable and living future.
The PEPR Dynabiod will rely on the latest advances in technology, including automatic cameras, acoustic sensors, drones, satellite telemetry, and environmental DNA analysis. The program aims to create a universal profile for each targeted species, gathering DNA barcodes, high-definition photos, sound recordings, physical characteristics, and distribution maps.
PEPRs are research programs that aim to build or consolidate French leadership in scientific domains linked to priorities at the national or European level. The results of the PEPR Dynabiod will directly feed the French Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and local actions.
The program seeks to fill gaps in understanding biodiversity, particularly the decline of grasshoppers and earthworms, which are crucial for the functioning and services of ecosystems. To achieve this, the PEPR Dynabiod will engage in continuous dialogue with local authorities, businesses, and citizens, and facilitate citizen science through national or local naturalist societies, associations, and dedicated applications.
Moreover, the program will utilise France's remarkable collections of natural history, which have been underutilized, to understand the current dynamics of biodiversity. The PEPR Dynabiod was proposed by the partners of the CBSD agency, who mobilized and proposed three projects to the State, among which it retained Dynabiod.
The ultimate aim of the PEPR Dynabiod is to translate billions of collected data into clear scenarios for public policies. These scenarios will help determine which species may decline in the future, prioritize landscapes for restoration, and optimize choices for agriculture and urban development that benefit both nature and society. The program also aims to help understand, predict, and scenario the future of ecosystems through long-term time series.
The PEPR Dynabiod is part of the GBIF, an international network and data infrastructure that provides free access to data on all forms of life on Earth. This collaboration will further enhance the program's reach and impact, contributing to a more sustainable and biodiverse future for France and beyond.
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