Abstract ID: 3.9418 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

In 2019, a permanent biodiversity monitoring program was launched in South Tyrol, Italy, as an initiative of the provincial government, with experts from different fields responsible for data collection and scientific analysis, public involvement (e.g., Citizen Science), public and stakeholder information, and advice to policymakers. Using standardized protocols, it aims to survey species groups considered sensitive to climate and land-use changes, i.e., vascular plants and bryophytes, orthopterans, butterflies, birds, bats, soil fauna, and freshwater macroinvertebrates. They are investigated in 320 terrestrial and 120 aquatic sites over repeated periods of five years. Sites were selected using a stratified sampling design to cover the most representative habitat types, from near natural to strongly anthropogenically altered ones. In addition, data on abiotic factors, landscape structure, and land-use management are collected. Moreover, a strong focus is placed on stakeholder engagement and communication. The presentation gives an overview of the project and reveals the findings of the project’s first five years, presenting also the scientific output to date. It clearly shows the different quality of the surveyed habitat types for the investigated taxonomical groups, e.g., the dependence of butterflies and grasshoppers on extensively managed grasslands and of bird and bat diversity on landscape diversity. For the second monitoring period, which has just started, we are adding new methodological approaches: The ornithological survey is supported by automated sound detectors, and image-based insect camera traps will be tested for the recognition of nocturnal insects. The program’s first five years have shown that our approach is well-suited for evidence-based decision-making. The stakeholder involvement from the beginning has been crucial to the success of the program – especially when it comes to solving applied research questions. Finally, the strategy to foster collaborations in international scientific consortia (e.g. GLORIA, Biodiversa+) and with local citizens and amateur naturalist associations allowed us to significantly enlarge the impact and the outreach of the program.