Assessing direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline of invertebrates

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Expected Outcome: Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes: stakeholders involved in biodiversity conservation and restoration activities have an improved understanding of how direct and indirect drivers[1] of biodiversity decline work, considering spatial and temporal scales and dynamics, and their interactions; the implementation at different spatial and temporal scales of the EU biodiversity policies and legislation, notably the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) is improved, enabling the prioritisation of actions and the identification of systemic solutions; stakeholders, including primary producers, whose business models rely on ecosystem services are better equipped to take strategic decisions that support biodiversity, thereby increasing opportunities while reducing their exposure to risks linked to the decline of these services. Scope: Biodiversity decline has rippling effects on climate, economy, and human well-being. Focusing on representative groups of invertebrates (including insects, molluscs and crustaceans and, in particular, understudied taxonomic groups) across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, is crucial for developing effective biodiversity conservation strategies since they are the foundation for healthy ecosystems and their decline has cascading impacts on ecosystem health and services. Understanding the relative impact of the aforementioned drivers at different spatial (from local to global) and temporal (from immediate to long-term) scales and dynamics, is needed to develop effective and coherent biodiversity protection and restoration strategies to implement the EU Nature Restoration Regulation[2] while building a resilient competitive economy. Proposals should: assess and rank the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline based on invertebrates´ cases studies across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, considering their cumulative impacts, different spatial and temporal scales and dynamics, and their interactions; better understand the drivers of invertebrates decline and how they vary spatially and temporally, aiming to advance in the attribution of causality. This could involve the use of spatial analysis techniques, temporal trend analysis, and modelling approaches as well as other modern technological approaches to anticipate future changes; develop methods and recommendations to replicate this exercise in other spatial settings; involving relevant stakeholders, develop and provide decision-support tools to competent authorities and stakeholders for effective protection and restoration strategies, enabling them to prioritise and address the most critical drivers of invertebrates´ decline, with the aim of enhancing ecosystem resilience and services; building on relevant existing ecosystem modelling frameworks, include/add an anticipatory and predictive dimension, integrating early-warning systems and…